The Wine Peeps love barbeque…the kind that takes hours to smoke. However, this kind of cooking is usually done in the spring and summer when the time for outdoor cooking is the best! When I came across a recipe for spicy sweet oven roasted spareribs, I couldn’t resist trying it for this month’s challenging wine […]

As I’ve said many times before, I absolutely love sparkling wine but do not drink it often enough. However this time of year, I make sure to celebrate with friends and family and enjoy some sparkling wine. We’ve made it a tradition to feature sparkling wine in our December wine tasting dinner. Each December, we […]

Last month, I had the pleasure to participate as a non-voting judge during the Wine Press Northwest Platinum Judging. Wine Press Northwest is a quarterly magazine that focuses on the wine, wineries, winemakers, vineyards, and restaurants in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. The Platinum Judging, now in its 11th year, features the best-of-the-best from […]

Twelve, founded by John and Linda Lenyo, is a small, family-owned winery in Carlton, Oregon. The Lenyos live on their 12.5-acre estate vineyard, Fir Crest Vineyard, which is the sole source of fruit for the Twelve wines. Located in the Yamhill-Carlton District AVA in the northern part of the Willamette Valley, Fir Crest Vineyard is […]

Before we delve into the lab analysis, let me give you some background information in case you are not familiar with Cayuse and the great debate that rages between Cayuse lovers and Cayuse skeptics. Cayuse Vineyards, founded in 1997 by French-born Christophe Baron, is often thought of as a Washington winery. While Cayuse does have […]

Jim Bernau founded Willamette Valley Vineyards, located in Turner, Oregon, in 1983. Through his work as a small business lobbyist, he helped pass legislation to develop the Oregon wine industry. He was also involved in the establishment of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board. When he planted his estate vineyards, he chose to focus on Pinot […]

We spent Labor Day Weekend visiting the Walla Walla Valley AVA. The Walla Walla Valley AVA was established in 1984 as Washington State’s third AVA. It encompasses areas in both Washington and Oregon. When you are visiting wineries and vineyards in the valley, it is easy to forget which state you are in. The lines […]

The Pines Vineyard, located the The Dalles, Oregon, is home to some of the oldest vines in the Northwest. Their Old Vine Zinfandel vines are over 100 years old. On our trip to the Columbia Gorge earlier this summer, we toured The Pines Vineyard with owner Lonnie Wright. History Louis Comini, an Italian stone mason […]

The third Riesling Rendezvous, hosted by Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State and Dr. Loosen of Germany, was held last week in the Seattle area. Nearly 70 producers from seven countries and six U.S. states traveled to Washington State to celebrate, explore, and promote Riesling. While Riesling is enjoying a resurgence of sorts (currently, Riesling […]

Good wine and great values have been the keynotes at the Rhone Rangers events that I have attended. So why was attendance down so much at this year’s trade event in Seattle, both in numbers of producers pouring wines and in distributors, restaurants, and media tasting the wines? For answers to that question, I turned […]