Recently, Dad (John), Colby, and I spent three jam-packed days in Portland, Oregon, for the fifth annual Wine Bloggers Conference. We were joined by over 350 fellow wine bloggers, wine industry participants, and media members for tastings, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and visits to local vineyards and wineries. During the conference, we participated in two […]

Earlier this month, Dad (John), Colby, and I spent three jam-packed days in Portland, Oregon, for the fifth annual Wine Bloggers Conference. We were joined by over 300 fellow wine bloggers, wine industry participants, and media members for tastings, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and visits to local vineyards and wineries. During the conference, we participated […]

Being native Texans, the Wine Peeps love BBQ. Real BBQ, that is! There is a distinct difference between real BBQ and just anything cooked on a grill outside. Hamburgers and hot dogs are not BBQ; neither is roast beef with lots of BBQ sauce slathered on top. Real BBQ is smoked by slow-cooking the meat […]

The state of Oregon is recognized across the country as being environmentally friendly. Ask any American to list the “greenest” states in the country and Oregon is likely to make their top 5. It is no wonder then, that Oregon grape growers and winemakers are committed to green practices as well. Oregon has long been […]

Watermill Winery is located in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley AVA just 10 miles from downtown Walla Walla, Washington. The Brown family, a third generation apple-growing family and the owners of Blue Mountain Cider, founded Watermill in 2005. Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars initially oversaw the winemaking operations until Andrew […]

For many, Oregon wine is synonymous with the Willamette Valley. However, there are exciting things happening elsewhere in the state, including the Columbia Gorge, Southern Oregon, and, of course, the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley. Today, Oregon boasts over 400 wineries and 16 AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas). With those AVA’s found in both […]

General Tso’s Chicken is one of the Wine Peeps favorite dishes, and we especially enjoy it prepared extra spicy. An added consideration in planning and preparing our challenging wine pairing meal this time is that John has been diagnosed with a gluten allergy, so I prepared the dish gluten free and was pleasantly surprised with […]

Oregon ranks third in the number of wineries and fourth in wine production in the United States. In its relatively short 40-year history, the Oregon wine industry has evolved into a world-class wine region. Today, Oregon boasts over 400 wineries and 16 AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas). With those AVA’s found in both warm and cool […]

To kick off Oregon Wine Month, the Oregon Wine Board hosted a large-scale tasting event in Portland called Unwine’d, Celebrate Oregon Wine on Sunday. The concept was similar to Seattle’s annual Taste Washington event. The inaugural event featured 100 wineries pouring their wines and 14 restaurants serving small bites. With approximately 450 wineries now open […]

Pinot Noir is the variety that propelled Oregon onto the worldwide wine stage and is still what many people think of when it comes to Oregon wine. While Oregon wine is far from a one-trick pony, Pinot Noir is still the queen. Over 12,000 acres of vineyards in Oregon are planted to Pinot Noir and […]