On Friday evening, we hosted our 88th wine tasting dinner. This month’s dinner featured Washington Merlot from the 2006 vintage. For those of you still avoiding Merlot as a result of watching Sideways, it’s time to give this noble grape another chance. Merlot is a wonderful varietal, and Washington State makes outstanding Merlot. Washington Merlot […]

Last week, we had the pleasure to take part in an online Chilean Red Blends tasting hosted by Wines of Chile. Eight Chilean winemakers/winery representatives convened in Chile to talk about their wines via videoconference to 50 wine bloggers across the United States. “Chile is red grapes paradise,” said Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer who moderated […]

September 30th would have been my dad’s 100th birthday. He and my mom were married 52 years before he passed away in 1990. Despite an education interrupted in the eighth grade to go to work to help support the family, Dad was a successful businessman, church leader, and school board member in Texas City, Texas. […]

Red beans and rice is a favorite “Louisiana” dish. It is a traditional Creole dish; however, over the years, it has become very generally used by everyone. It is just as popular in restaurants as in homes. Red beans and rice originated out of the need for an easy meal on “washday” in the Creole […]

Woodinville has definitely become a must-visit destination in Washington wine country. Home of the state’s oldest, largest, and most well-known wineries, Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery, the Woodinville area is also home to over 90 wineries and tasting rooms, with new ones opening all the time. Woodinville now boasts the second largest concentration of […]

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 […]

Since we live in Washington State and often drink wines from Washington State, we want to make sure that we continue to hone our knowledge of the entire world of wine and maintain well-rounded palates in order to make us even more objective when we evaluate wines from Washington State. Therefore, we are thoroughly enjoying […]

Rasa Vineyards is a relatively new winery located in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 2007 by brothers Pinto and Billo Naravane, Rasa Vineyards burst onto the Washington wine scene and received numerous accolades for their inaugural releases. Currently, they produce around 2,000 cases per year, a level they plan to maintain for a while. Originally […]

The Loire Valley is France’s third largest wine region. It is a long, narrow region that runs predominately east/west along the Loire River. The region spans about 600 miles. The Loire Valley includes 65 appellations and produces wines from over a dozen grape varieties. There is great diversity in Loire Valley wines due to its […]

Woodinville has definitely become a must-visit destination in Washington wine country. Home of the state’s oldest, largest, and most well-known wineries, Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery, the Woodinville area is also home to over 90 wineries and tasting rooms, with new ones opening all the time. Woodinville now boasts the second largest concentration of […]