Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? If so, you might want to check out the 2012 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Unoaked Chardonnay from Washington State. Our selection criteria include: A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 […]

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? If so, you might want to check out the 2012 Apaltagua Unoaked Reserva Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley of Chile. Our selection criteria include: A very good Quality rating of […]

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 […]

Recently, we hosted a party for close family friends prior to their move to Maine, and the theme was all things Maine…lobster, corn on the cob, blueberries, whoopie pies, and so forth. The children even enjoyed a fun game of pin the tail on the lobster. The “Maine” dish was lobster casserole bites. After having […]

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 […]

Over the past few months, I have highlighted some of the people and places I encountered on my media trip to Chile in October. Chile is a long, narrow country that runs 2,600 miles along the southwestern coast of South America between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains. But don’t let its geography fool […]

Chateau Ste. Michelle is Washington State’s founding winery with its roots dating back to the repeal of Prohibition. In 1976, Ste. Michelle built a French-style chateau in Woodinville, just northeast of Seattle. While all of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s vineyards are located on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, all of their white wines are […]

Eight Bells Winery is a small urban winery located in the Roosevelt/Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is jointly owned and operated by Tim Bates, Andy Shepherd, and Frank Michiels. The trio got their start as home winemakers. In 2009, they moved from their garages into a commercial space to start Eight Bells. Since their […]

During my recent media trip to Chile, I had the pleasure to visit a number of its wineries and vineyards and meet many of the movers and shakers in the Chilean wine industry. Over the next few weeks, I will be individually highlighting some of the wine regions we visited including reviews of wines I […]

Recently, Dad (John), Colby, and I spent three jam-packed days in Portland, Oregon, for the fifth annual Wine Bloggers Conference. Over 350 fellow wine bloggers, wine industry participants, and media members participated in tastings, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, and visits to local vineyards and wineries. [See the bottom of this post for a recap of […]