The inaugural Sip of Snoqualmie, benefitting Encompass, was held last Saturday at the Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, Washington (about 26 miles east of Seattle). Encompass is a non-profit organization whose mission is to nurture children, enrich families, and inspire community in the Snoqualmie Valley. Thirty-two Washington wineries were on hand pouring their wines during this […]

These are exciting times for the Washington wine industry. On February 20th, Snipes Mountain was officially established as Washington’s 10th AVA (American Viticultural Area). Washington State recently licensed its 600th winery, with the total now at 602. And as I’ve said numerous times before, Washington wines are perfectly positioned to thrive in our current economy. […]

March is Washington Wine Month. Wanting to get a head start on celebrating the fabulous wines that Washington State produces, we decided to feature Washington Cabernet Sauvignon in our wine tasting dinner last Friday night. And what a tasting it was! We enjoyed six outstanding Cabs which all paired perfectly with Mom’s dinner of tomato […]

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Open That Bottle Night. Open That Bottle Night, created by Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher in 2000, is the one night a year that we are all encouraged to get out that bottle of wine that is so special that no special occasion […]

While watching an episode of Wine Library TV shortly after Taste Washington last year, I was introduced to Pomum Cellars in Woodinville, Washington. Prior to hearing Gary V. sing their praises, I had not heard of them. A few weeks later, Colby and I were out to dinner at Stumbling Goat Bistro and found the […]

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the government agency that oversees all things wine, has established the 4,145-acre Snipes Mountain AVA as Washington State’s newest American Viticultural Area (AVA); it becomes official this Friday, February 20. Snipes Mountain is located in Yakima County between Granger and Sunnyside. Some of the vineyards and […]

Recently, we had one of our double-blind private tastings. This time when we sat down for our dinner of grilled beef tenderloin steaks, brown and wild rice, and mixed vegetables, all we knew were that the two wines in front of us were red, but we did not know their region of origin or varietal. […]

As I have been reflecting on the past year and all of the winery and vineyard visits we have made as well as looking ahead to the coming year, one number keeps coming to mind…2007, the year 2007. And specifically, the 2007 vintage. We had the pleasure of tasting barrel samples at four different Washington […]

Stephenson Cellars, founded in 2001 by owner/winemaker Dave Stephenson, is a small winery located in the Walla Walla airport complex in Walla Walla, Washington. Dave Stephenson moved to Walla Walla in 1999 and began his career in the wine industry. Studying enology and viticulture textbooks and working at other wineries in Walla Walla prepared him […]

For the last year, we have been touting the virtues of Syrah and Washington Syrah in particular. Now Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, wine writers for the Wall Street Journal, have joined our chorus. Their conclusion after tasting over 50 Washington Syrahs in blind flights over several nights: “As a group, these are the most […]