One family tradition that has emerged in recent years is to make Bananas Foster, which just happens to be my favorite dessert, after our Christmas Eve dinner. Mom (LaGayle) decided to shake things up a bit this year, and we enjoyed a different Christmas Eve meal than we normally do. However, not wanting to forego […]

One of our resolutions for the New Year is to explore more wines from around the world. Since we live in Washington State and often drink wines from Washington State, we want to make sure that we continue to hone our knowledge of the entire world of wine and maintain well-rounded palates in order to […]

The Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi is one of the most famous wine producers in Italy. Located in Tuscany and comprised of nine estates, the Frescobaldi family has been making wine for over 700 years, spanning 30 generations. They operate 1,000 hectares of vineyards which are divided into nine properties throughout the Chianti region of Tuscany. The […]

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? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2006 Altas Cumbres Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina. Our […]

As I reflect on meals that I have enjoyed in the past, baked ham has always been a favorite. It is a popular holiday or special occasion menu item and is usually one that many people enjoy. As I think about ham menus, I am reminded of the menu my mother-in-law used many times for […]

Washington State, in general, makes outstanding Merlot. Washington Merlot is bigger, more complex, and has higher acidity that most Merlot produced elsewhere. Recently, we had what turned out to be a Washington Merlot showdown in one of our double blind private tasting dinners featuring two wines from the 2006 vintage, the 2006 Fielding Hills Merlot […]

New World wines have dominated our tastings recently so I was really excited when we had what turned out to be a showdown between two red Bordeaux wines in one of our double blind private tasting dinners featuring two wines from the famed 2005 vintage, the 2005 Chateau Lanessan and the 2005 Chateau de la […]

In 2005, we took the trip of a lifetime to Australia. We fell in love with the country, the people, and the wine. We especially enjoyed the time we spent in Sydney and in the Barossa Valley. While we were there, we visited Penfolds and really liked their entire lineup of wines. However, we did […]

While Columbia Crest, Washington State’s largest winery, has recently received national attention for its 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon which was rated as the #1 wine of 2009 by Wine Spectator, they are best known for their everyday value lines, Two Vines and Grand Estates, which are widely available nationwide. Rounding out their portfolio is the […]

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? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2006 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet from South Australia. Our selection […]