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 […]

This year’s Open That Bottle Night was last Saturday, February 22. Open That Bottle Night, created by former Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, is the one night a year that we are all encouraged to get out that bottle of wine that is so special that no occasion seems special […]

Recently, a recipe for braised beef short ribs caught my eye. It sounded delicious, and I thought it would make for a good challenging wine pairing dinner. The Wine Peeps like just about any cut of beef, so I’m always looking for beef recipes that we haven’t already tried. Even better—this was a simple preparation […]

Founded in 2007 by brothers Pinto and Billo Naravane, Rasa Vineyards is a bona fide Washington wine superstar. Their beautiful winery is located south of downtown Walla Walla near the Washington/Oregon state line. Billo serves as winemaker and Pinto as managing partner, but the brothers collaborate on every aspect of the business. They both have […]

It’s that wonderful time of year! The holidays are upon us. The lights and decorations are up, the stores are bustling, and Christmas music fills the air in our cars, homes, and stores. And, soon, the relatives will be coming to town to celebrate. So, for this challenging wine pairing, we decided to go beyond […]

There are as many different types of wine parties as there are wines. Through the years, we have hosted numerous wine parties. Regular readers are familiar with our regular Wine Tasting Dinners and have probably read about our Digging into the Cellar Parties, Tasting Groups, and Open That Bottle Nights. Recently, we had the opportunity […]

Riesling has become known as Washington State’s signature white variety. Washington is the largest Riesling producing state in the United States. And, Washington State’s own Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest Riesling producer in the world. While Washington Riesling has been around for many years, the big leap forward came in the late 1990’s when […]

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 […]

Managing partner Marty Taucher and winemaker/partner Chris Peterson founded Avennia Winery in 2010. Located in Woodinville, Washington, Avennia made an impressive debut with their first releases in the fall of 2012. The winery name was inspired by the Roman name for the city of Avignon and is a nod to Old World winemaking. Winemaker Chris […]

For many years, I’ve heard Barolo referred to as the “King of Wines”; but when I looked at a glass of Barolo, it looked like a wimpy wine because it was light red in color and somewhat transparent. Consequently, I had a hard time getting excited about it, especially when I looked at the price […]