For the second year in a row, Dad (John) and I attended the Rhone Rangers trade/media tasting in Seattle. The Rhone Rangers are a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines. To be members, wineries must produce wines from one or more of the 22 varietals that are native to the Rhone Valley […]

In May, Lake Chelan was established as Washington State’s 11th AVA (American Viticultural Area). Lake Chelan is home to 13 wineries open to the public and 260 vineyard acres. A 3-hour drive east from Seattle, Lake Chelan has been a popular tourist destination for years especially during the summer months when visitors flock there to […]

Last month when we were in Walla Walla for Vintage Walla Walla weekend, we had the pleasure to visit with one of our favorite Washington winemakers, Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars. Saviah Cellars is a family-owned winery located south of downtown Walla Walla, near the Oregon state line. Founded in 2000 by Rich Funk and […]

We recently spent a wonderful weekend in Washington wine country. We visited vineyards and wineries on Red Mountain, in the Yakima Valley, and near the Tri-Cities. We met some wonderful people, tasted some great wines, and spent time in some of the state’s best vineyards. On the way from Seattle to our hotel in the […]

First off, as regular readers know, I love Syrah, and I believe that some of the best Syrah in the world is made in Washington State. In fact, the first wine that ever garnered our highest quality rating, 5 stars (out of 5) was a Fielding Hills Syrah from Washington. But as the title of […]

Question: What do Saviah Cellars and Watermill Winery have in common? Answer: Winemaker Rich Funk. Actually, they have a few more things in common as well. Both are located in the Walla Walla Valley, both are getting their grapes from some of the best vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley and elsewhere in Washington State, […]

Last weekend, we traveled to Walla Walla, Washington, to attend Vintage Walla Walla, an annual event considered to be one of the nation’s premier regional wine tasting events. It is a two-day event featuring seminars, tours, and winemaker dinners in addition to the two marquee tastings, the Vintage Pour and the Grand Pavilion Tasting. On […]

Grand Rêve Vintners, whose first three wines were just released last month, produces vineyard-designed wines from Red Mountain grown fruit by an all-star cast of Washington winemakers. Theirs is truly a revolutionary and exciting concept in the same vein as Long Shadows Vintners. The difference is that Grand Rêve focuses on the fruit first and […]

When most people think of wine country destinations in Washington State, Walla Walla, Yakima, and Woodinville immediately come to mind. One area that I have rarely heard mentioned is Spokane and that is truly a shame. We had the pleasure to spend the long Memorial Day weekend in the Spokane area, and I must say […]

We fell in love with Australia and Australian wines when we visited in the spring of 2005 and were especially taken with the Barossa Valley. While the Barossa Valley is quite versatile in the number and quality of wines it can successfully produce, it is best known for Shiraz. “The Barossa is having so much […]