It’s an ironic incongruity: the Pacific Northwest appellation with the fewest regularly open tasting rooms (only three of them) is the source of a quarter of Washington State’s wine grapes—and has contributed to the most 100 point-scoring Northwest wines. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA may not yet be wine touring
They may have mischievous names: Sex on the Beach or Sexy Lady. They may be fanciful like Faliraky by Night or world-famous: Caipirinha, Cosmopolitan, Tequila Sunrise, Tom Collins. But they are all colorful, fun, fresh: a glass in hand, good company, a bit of music and the warm breeze from
Gin is getting its groove back. In the past five years or so, scores of new gins have hit the market, some entirely new products, some new twists on existing brews. Countries not known for gin, like Spain, have new brands and micro-distillers have been pushing the envelope on what
Despite repeated attempts at coercion, I can't get Franz Landauer-Gisperg to tell me how he acquired his amphorae. “If the other winemakers round here knew where I got mine, they'd all want one” is his rather cryptic comment. A better question might be “what the hell is an amphora doing
Glassware drips with condensation. Ice cubes shift and clink softly. Screw caps and cans crack and hiss gently. Summer is perfect for white wine. Depending on where you live, summer ranges from clear and sunny to oppressively humid. In the Pacific Northwest we're spoiled by gorgeous summer weather, but endure a
Is a top notch wine the product of countless hours of carefully coaxing out delicate flavors through years of toil from vines to wine, or does it depend on how the person tasting that wine subconsciously reacts to the visual, tactile, or sound stimuli in the room? Research has suggested
Once part of the Venetian Republic that dominated part of Italy for a thousand years, today this region near Venice is best known for its masterpiece in the art of wine making: Prosecco. Prosecco is now consumed worldwide at parties, celebrations, friends' reunions, meetings, -- summer and winter alike. This
Amid the swirl of light, noise and color of Feria de Caballo, the over-the-top festival held each year in Jerez de la Frontera that is part state fair, part horse show, part Easter Parade (think fabulous flamenco dresses in place of bonnets), Peter Allison is making me a gin martini.