Recently, I’ve read posts from wine writers whose opinions I respect (Paul Gregutt and 1WineDude) discussing and mostly panning the importance of “vintage” in today’s wine world. Those posts got me thinking more about the issue and whether or not I find “vintage” as important as I used to. What causes vintage variation? I believe […]

When we talk about “toast” as it relates to wine, it’s not what you serve alongside bacon and eggs. “Toast” is the result of heating the inside of oak staves for wine barrels. The degree of charring is the amount of “toast,” from light to heavy. Most white wines see no oak at all, Chardonnay […]

Taste Washington in Seattle is rapidly approaching. Over 200 wineries and 75 restaurants will be pouring wines and serving bites at the Grand Tasting on Sunday, March 28th, at the Qwest Field Event Center. If you are not familiar with this fabulous event, check out my Taste Washington 2010 Preview post for further information. For […]

Last fall, I shared with you my “bucket list” of wines. As I said then, some of the wines on the list I already have, some are wines I’m hoping someone might give me as a gift, and some I’m hoping to be able to purchase if the slump in high-end wine prices continues. But […]

For years we’ve had wine marketing folks trying to dream up the best way to package and present wine: eye-catching labels, heavy bottles, then light bottles in an effort to be more “green,” and different shaped bottles to catch your attention. However, in all of the above, the basic package was still a glass wine […]

Wine doesn’t really get better with age. Some wines just become more approachable to enjoy with age. “I believe wine improves with age, because the older I get, the better I like it.” –Unknown Actually, as a wine moves from youth to maturity, it simply undergoes changes just as you and I did growing up. […]

First, the bad news. When the stock market leaped forward last year after horrific declines, many thought that the economy would quickly follow suit. So far, that has not been the case. In fact, yesterday, we learned that retail sales unexpectedly fell in December, leaving 2009 with the biggest yearly drop on record, indicating that […]

Soos Creek and Quilceda Creek wineries have “creek” in common in their names, but a huge “gulf” separates them. And it’s not so much in the quality of their wines as in their approach to customer service. I’ve purchased and enjoyed several of Soos Creek’s wines, so I was excited to receive an invitation to […]

There are as many different types of wine parties as there are wines. For some people, it can be intimidating to know how to plan a wine party. At a recent wine auction party at the home of our good friends, Darren and Mardee, I was talking with another guest who wanted to plan a […]

The marketing struggle for producers of high-end wines has been well-documented, especially the so-called “dead-zone” of $50+ in California and $30+ in Washington State. What has not been discussed as much is the opportunity that this glut of higher-end wines provides for the wine consumer. Let’s face it; wineries will do almost anything before dropping […]