Through the years, we have taken a number of trips to different wine regions throughout the world. As you might expect, we have had a wide range of experiences, some great and others not so great. We found visiting Australian cellar doors (wine tasting rooms) to be one of the great wine experiences in the […]

Adopting your favorite winery by joining its wine club and following its vintages year after year is a great way to learn and feel like part of their family. When you join your favorite winery’s wine club, you not only get a first taste of their latest vintages that they send you automatically three or […]

Visiting wine country is one of my favorite outings. The people are very friendly, the scenery is great, the atmosphere is refreshing, and most of the wine is good, too. However, there are some basic tips that can help you avoid problems and have great memories when you get back home. Tip #1: Stay sober. […]

Washington State is one of the up-and-coming wine regions in the world. Even though it has a relatively young wine industry, Washington already ranks as the 2nd largest wine-producing state in the United States. The number of wineries in Washington has doubled in the last five years, now at over 500. The industry is growing […]

For the best possible wine tasting experience, you want a glass that is large enough so that half-filled it holds a standard serving of wine (1/5 bottle or 150 ml). That means at least a 10 oz. glass, or larger if you prefer. You never want to fill a wine glass more than half-full (1/3 […]

As a mathematician, engineer, investments researcher, and wine blogger, I was not impressed with the recent CalTech study utilizing 21 “volunteers” and measuring their brain waves as they sampled wines. The whole study design seemed a little bogus to me. And it’s certainly not new news that there are people who are impressed by fancy […]

A few weeks ago, we attended a Sideways wine tasting hosted by Ross of the Decanted blog here in Seattle. Ross had put together virtually every wine in the movie for a group of about fifteen of us to taste. It was a great evening. After the tasting, Ross posted a report on the tasting […]

As you will see if you read the Wine Ratings page of this blog, we believe that ratings are a necessity for the wine consumer to be able to consistently make wise and enjoyable purchases. Used properly, we believe ratings are definitely a blessing and not a curse. Unfortunately, the vast majority of wine reviews […]

“…it is not the year, the producer, or even the label that determines the quality of the wine. It is the wine in the glass, whatever the label or producer or year…Drink wine, not labels.” –Dr. Maynard Amerine “Buying the label” is a mistake that I’ve made and I’ve seen others make time and time […]