Chris Camarda made his first wines in the basement of his mother’s house on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington. After spending 20 years in the restaurant industry, Chris had developed a good palate and decided to try his hand at winemaking. He founded Andrew Will Winery in 1989 and named it for his son […]

LaGayle and I sip a glass or two of wine virtually every evening, either just sitting out on the deck talking and/or as an accompaniment with dinner. Unless we are having guests or it is a special occasion, we like to keep the cost moderate on these everyday wines. Over the years, we have developed […]

Founded in 2000 by Nina Buty and Caleb Foster, Buty Winery has become one of the most highly regarded wineries in Washington State. While Caleb has gone on to other ventures, Nina continues to run the winery. She works closely with winemaker Chris Dowsett and consulting winemaker Zelma Long. Chris gained valuable winemaking experience in […]

Charles Smith of K Vintners founded Magnificent Wine Company in 2004. In the fall of 2006, a majority of Magnificent Wine Company was sold to Washington State-based Precept Brands. Magnificent’s flagship brand is House Wine, originally just offering two wines, a red Cabernet blend and a white Chardonnay blend. Since then, the House Wine line […]

Fielding Hills Winery, a small, family-owned winery in Wenatchee, is one of the top wineries in Washington State. Owner/winemaker Mike Wade and his wife Karen are longtime apple and cherry growers who have turned a middle portion of their orchard near Mattawa into a vineyard. Their RiverBend Vineyard, planted in 1998, is in the Wahluke […]

Brothers Butch and Jerry Milbrandt planted their first vines in Washington’s Columbia Valley and Wahluke Slope in 1997. Today, Milbrandt Vineyards is comprised of over 2,000 acres of estate vineyards. After selling their grapes to wineries throughout Washington for years, the Milbrandts launched their own winery in 2005. Joshua Maloney, who previously worked for wineries […]

During my media trip to Chile last fall, I had the opportunity to visit many of Chile’s wine regions, meet many of the movers and shakers in the Chilean wine industry, and taste many of their wines.  Since returning home, I have continued to explore the wines of Chile. Recently, I had the opportunity to […]

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. Head winemaker Rick Sayre has been with the winery since 1979. Rodney Strong sustainably farms thirteen estate vineyards in Sonoma County. Recently, we had the opportunity to taste the 2010 […]

Taste Washington, held in Seattle annually, is the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event. This past weekend brought Washington wine lovers from around the country to Seattle to drink, eat, and be merry. For the second year in a row, the event spanned two days with Seminars offered each morning followed by the Grand […]

The Walla Walla Valley is one of the oldest of Washington State’s 13 AVA’s. Established in 1984, it encompasses over 1,600 vineyard acres. Located within the greater Columbia Valley AVA, the Walla Walla Valley covers the area around the town of Walla Walla, Washington, and also dips across the state-line into Oregon near Milton-Freewater. The […]