Rodney Strong founded Rodney Strong Vineyards, located in Healdsburg, California, in 1959. Current owner Tom Klein and the Klein family purchased the winery in 1989. In 2005, Klein added a “winery within a winery” concept to the Rodney Strong portfolio to focus on small-lot, artisan winemaking. The debut release from their Single Vineyards line was […]

Washington State Cabernet Sauvignons are among the best in the world, and they are much better values (higher QPR) than most Cabs in other wine regions of the world. Last Friday evening, we tasted six Cabernet Sauvignons from the 2008 vintage from Washington State in our wine tasting dinner. It was another fabulous evening of […]

Nota Bene Cellars is a small, family-owned winery located in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. Owner/winemaker Tim Narby and his wife Carol Bryant founded Nota Bene in 2001. Tim got his start in winemaking over 15 years earlier in the Boeing Employee’s Wine and Beermaking Club. When their youngest child was out of preschool, they decided […]

During the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon, Dad (John), Colby, and I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon in the Dundee Hills. These wine country visits are always a highlight of the conference. When we boarded the bus, we did not know where it was going as each bus had a different […]

The day before the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon, Colby and I had the pleasure to attend a culinary bus tour hosted by Wines of Chile. We boarded the Double Decker tour bus at the DoubleTree Portland and headed off for a wonderful afternoon enjoying Portland’s diverse food options paired with some wonderful […]

Managing partner Marty Taucher and winemaker/partner Chris Peterson founded Avennia Winery in 2010. Located in Woodinville, Washington, Avennia’s first wines were released this past weekend. And, folks, an impressive debut it was. In my opinion, Avennia is the most exciting new Washington winery since Rasa Vineyards burst onto the scene a few years ago. The […]

Recently, Dad (John), Colby, and I spent three jam-packed days in Portland, Oregon, for the fifth annual Wine Bloggers Conference. We were joined by over 350 fellow wine bloggers, wine industry participants, and media members for tastings, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and visits to local vineyards and wineries. During the conference, we participated in two […]

Earlier this month, Dad (John), Colby, and I spent three jam-packed days in Portland, Oregon, for the fifth annual 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. During the conference, we participated […]

Founded by Washington wine pioneer Allen Shoup, Long Shadows Vintners is a collection of ultra-premium wineries comprised of internationally acclaimed winemakers from the major wine regions of the world. Each winemaker is a partner in a unique winery dedicated to producing a single Columbia Valley wine representing a “best of type” that reflects the winemaker’s […]

Creole and Cajun meals are among my favorites. As I have mentioned before in various posts, the Wine Peeps love spicy foods. John and I recently spent several days in New Orleans celebrating our 44th wedding anniversary and had the opportunity to enjoy some fantastic food! On the way to the airport to return home, […]