Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2008 Mark West Pinot Noir from California. Our selection criteria include: […]

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 […]

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 […]

Located in central Washington State halfway between Seattle and Spokane, Cascade Valley Wine Country is home to around 50 wineries and tasting rooms in Wenatchee, Chelan, and Leavenworth. Cascade Valley Wine Country is a marketing alliance formed in 2009 by area wineries and funded by the Port of Chelan County and the Port of Douglas […]

People so often eat certain meals only on very special occasions. In our family the main entrée of our traditional Christmas dinner is chicken and dressing. Not wanting to wait until December to eat it again, I thought it would be fun to have a Christmas in July dinner for this month’s challenging wine pairing. […]

This past weekend, Dad (John), Colby, and I spent three jam-packed days in Walla Walla, Washington, for the third annual North American 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. [See the […]

5:00pm It’s Day 2 here at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, Washington. We are just about to begin the Live Wine Blogging – Red Wines segment featuring wines poured for us by the winemakers themselves. Just like yesterday, we will update this post as we go. 5:05pm 2007 Sequel Syrah [Long Shadows] (Columbia […]

Halibut is the fish of choice in our family, so when I learned about halibut cheeks, I could not resist giving them a try. The cheek meat is located behind the eyes and jaws and is thought to be the most tender and flavorful part of the fish. Halibut cheeks are considered an Alaskan gourmet […]

We spent Memorial Day Weekend visiting the Columbia Gorge AVA. The Columbia Gorge AVA was established in 2004. It runs along the Columbia River and encompasses areas in both Washington and Oregon. The area boasts gorgeous views, numerous outdoor recreation options, quality vineyards, excellent wines, and very friendly folks. We arrived in Hood River, Oregon, […]

Located along the Central Coast halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso Robles is California’s third largest and fastest growing wine region. The town of Paso Robles (“Paso” to the locals) is the heart of Paso Robles wine country. The Paso Robles AVA was established in 1983 and has expanded a couple of times […]