In May, Lake Chelan was established as Washington State’s 11th AVA (American Viticultural Area). Lake Chelan is home to 13 wineries open to the public and 260 vineyard acres. A 3-hour drive east from Seattle, Lake Chelan has been a popular tourist destination for years especially during the summer months when visitors flock there to […]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is minerality. Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine: Interestingly enough, The Oxford Companion to Wine does not give a definition for minerality. Ms. Robinson does list minerals and mineral elements such as potassium, nitrogen, sulfur, copper, etc. But it does not seem that those […]

Last year, I did a post on tips for visiting wine country which included advice on being friendly and polite and respecting the time of the people working in a tasting room. I would encourage all wine country visitors to review that post before venturing out on the wine trails again this summer. Several months […]

Last month when we were in Walla Walla for Vintage Walla Walla weekend, we had the pleasure to visit with one of our favorite Washington winemakers, Rich Funk of Saviah Cellars. Saviah Cellars is a family-owned winery located south of downtown Walla Walla, near the Oregon state line. Founded in 2000 by Rich Funk and […]

During our recent trip to Spokane, we had the pleasure to visit Mountain Dome Winery, the only dedicated independent sparkling wine producer in the state of Washington, and interview winemaker Erik Manz. Founded in 1984 by Erik’s parents, Michael and Patricia Manz, Mountain Dome is located on 84 acres just outside of town in the […]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is fruit set. Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine: Fruit set is an important and delicate stage of the vine’s development after flowering which marks the transition from flower to grape berry. The setting period of about a week is a critical one for […]

Over the last few months I’ve read a number of articles encouraging wine lovers to “invest” in good wine, with each typically citing a favorable comparison between wine and the stock market over the last year or two. As an investment management professional for over forty years, my response to these recommendations would be caveat […]

Whether you are reading this on our Wine Peeps site, via RSS, email, or some other medium, we thank you. We work hard to provide interesting, competent content and are always looking for more ways to interact with our readers. In January, I joined Twitter and have been tweeting regularly ever since. Twitter has been […]

We recently spent a wonderful weekend in Washington wine country. We visited vineyards and wineries on Red Mountain, in the Yakima Valley, and near the Tri-Cities. We met some wonderful people, tasted some great wines, and spent time in some of the state’s best vineyards. On the way from Seattle to our hotel in the […]

Wishing you all a very happy 4th of July! We hope you are enjoying your day with family, friends, good food, and wine. In case you are wondering, we are toasting with the 2004 Mountain Dome Sparkling Wine (Washington State). Cheers!