“It is one of the ironies of the wine market today that just as the price differential between the cheapest and most expensive bottles is greater than ever, the difference in quality is probably narrower than it has ever been. There is good and bad quality at every price level.” –Jancis Robinson, How to Taste […]

As we continued our cross-country road trip, we stopped in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, at a couple of eastern Oregon wineries. What a contrast it was between the western Oregon wineries we have visited in the past and these two eastern Oregon wineries. We didn’t have to pay any tasting fees, the attitude of the winery tasting […]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is color. This particular term does not lend itself to a short “official definition” because there are so many factors that can affect the color of wines. However, I just want to share with you a brief and very general “layman’s terms” definition that will hopefully help you […]

“I couldn’t help but think if we’d spent more time researching the business of winemaking, we would have known that success isn’t totally dependent on the quality of the product. As with any other industry, marketing, luck, connections, politics, and—in this case—personal preference can influence any winery’s status in the marketplace.” –Linda Kaplan, My First […]

Thank you for joining us for the third “virtual meeting” of the Wine Book Club. Many thanks to Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 who originally proposed the idea for the WBC where bloggers and wine lovers all over the world come together for book reviews and discussions every other month after reading a […]

Earlier this month, Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20 hosted the 46th edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Our theme was Rhone Whites and we were to choose, drink, and write about wines made from one or more of the classic white grape varieties of the Rhone Valley in France (see our post). Over 40 […]

As we continued our cross-country road trip, we visited three Idaho wineries, one in Glenns Ferry and two in Caldwell, Idaho. They all produce their wines exclusively with Idaho grapes, and we found some pretty good wines at each stop. Our first stop was at Carmela Vineyards, in business since 1988. They produce about 10,000 […]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is acidity. Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine: Acidity is a general term for the fresh, tart, or sour taste produced by the natural organic acids present in a liquid. Wines, together with most other refreshing or appetizing drinks, owe their attractive qualities to […]

On Friday evening, we hosted our 60th wine tasting dinner. It was another fun evening of good wines, Mom’s excellent food, and the company of wonderful friends. With the current state of the dollar and rising gas prices, most of us are looking to find some good deals. That’s the main reason why we selected […]

The wine producing business is not nearly as glamorous as it looks from the outside. It’s basic agriculture. Traditionally, especially in Europe, winemaking was a family farm type business on a small plot of land passed down through the generations. It was an annual struggle to grow the grapes, process them into wine, and sell […]