A few years back, I visited a winery in southern Oregon and my host, an on-again, off-again wine industry veteran in his later years, was not happy to see me. It was clear when I walked in the doors that-read more-
Tasting wine can be a wonderful experience that incorporates nearly all of your senses with a wide variety of aromas, flavors, and sensations. However, it can also be an intimidating experience if you’re a wine novice. While learning about all-read more-
This past June, I had the good fortune of attending the Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Walla Walla, WA. Now in its third year, this conference brings together the best and brightest from the wine blogosphere as well as many industry-read more-
Common wisdom often has it that to make its mark in the wine world, a region has to have a specific wine—often, a specific variety—that will be easily recognizable by average wine drinkers. A wine that provides a signature, a-read more-
Passing through a guarded gate, my wife and I, on an anniversary trip to Spain, entered the bucolic 1000-hectare estate of the storied Vega Sicilia. This Bordeaux-style winery, founded in 1864, originally was a small village inhabited by the wineries’-read more-
The coffee finally started kicking in somewhere around the outskirts of Spokane. I had just spent the previous five days on a non-stop tour of wineries in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, then moved on to the Yakima Valley in Washington, followed-read more-
En route to the first Chardonnay Symposium, the city of Santa Maria appeared in all its incarnations. Hosted at Bien Nacido Vineyards’ historic Adobe, the morning began, like most in this winemaking region, wrapped in tangible veils of fog. As-read more-
A fine rosé is a wonderful thing. Not only does it massage the palate, but it’s also an intellectual exercise, a philosophical study, and a work of art. That’s a lot of gravitas for what’s often dismissed as a lightweight-read more-