Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, located in Spokane, Washington, was founded in 1982 and produces about 20,000 cases per year. It is one of the largest family-owned wineries in Washington State. Owned by the Mielke family, Arbor Crest boasts a beautiful setting with a scenic overlook of Spokane and the surrounding area. Brothers David and Harold […]

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 […]

William Church Winery, founded in 2005 by Rod and Leslie Balsley, is located in the warehouse district in Woodinville, Washington. Bitten by the wine bug when they honeymooned in Italy, Rod and Leslie got their start in winemaking as a hobby when they moved next door to a man named Dick Gidley who had been […]

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 […]

Red Willow Vineyard is one of the top vineyards in Washington State. Located in the northwest corner of the Yakima Valley near Wapato, Washington, Red Willow is a fourth-generation family farm, owned and operated by Mike Sauer and his family. Red Willow has one of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon blocks in the state, planted in […]

Robert Mondavi was a winemaking legend and Napa Valley pioneer. Mondavi played an integral role in putting United States wine on the map worldwide. He founded his namesake winery in 1966, which was the first major winery in the Napa Valley of California after Prohibition. His goal was to produce wines that would stand up […]

Bacon? Isn’t that a breakfast item or perhaps a sandwich ingredient? For most people, that is the case; however, in our family, crispy bacon is an entree that we enjoy with our southern dinners—not just for breakfast or on a BLT. One of our favorite meals is bacon, black eyed peas, fried okra, corn on […]

Col Solare, located on Red Mountain in Washington State, is a partnership between Marchesi Antinori of Italy and Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State. Italian for “shining hill,” Col Solare produces one Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine each year with the goal to reflect the characteristics of both Old World and New World styles. The idea for […]

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 […]