Sip, dine, repeat. McMinnville, Oregon, is what most people think a town in the “heart of wine country” is like — and they’re correct. With roughly 33,000 residents and just an hour south of Portland, historic McMinnville is a focus of flavor in the Willamette Valley....
By my count, there are 24 wineries in the greater Willamette Valley that start with the letter A. Full disclosure: my background is in journalism and math was never a strong suit, but after a recent trip throughout the Willamette Valley, the letter A’s high frequency...
“Fungi are changing the way life happens, as they have done for more than a billion years,” says Merlin Sheldrake in the introduction of “Entangled Life,” his 2020 love letter to the science and fascination of fungi. The omnipresent fungus, which ranges from your...
Baking spices, minerality, spicy earth, fruity, floral ... big deal! You’ve progressed past the elementary parlance of winespeak and are ready for the next level of this guide to translating wine tasting notes. While you might feel confident deciphering the...
You’re at a winery tasting room and are presented with the list of wines offered that day, each detailed with poetic verbiage describing the juice you’re about to taste. Or, you’re at home popping open a bottle of wine, skimming the back label which portrays itself...
2019 Red Blend, Columbia ValleyCataclysm Wine Co., Columbia Valley Sparkling new on the Washington wine scene, Cataclysm Wine Co. launches this fall as an ode to the Missoula floods that shaped the land of the greater Columbia Valley. The line of three wines includes...
Old Country WhiteGratsi, Columbia Valley You had us at Washington wine in a box. Equivalent to four bottles of vino, this Sauvignon Blanc with "Mediterranean inspiration" proudly states its low sugar content, fruity and dry combination, and affordability at just...
Dry SpritzVinH20, Portland OR You know when you try to convince yourself that a vodka soda is healthy because you're hydrating? Well, VinH20 is the wine version of that libation, but with Northwest-grown grapes, a berry-and citrus-forward palate and all the...
As if you needed another reason to drink the crown jewel of Oregon wine, today, August 18, is National Pinot Noir Day. This red wine grape of Burgundian (France) origin has long staked its claim as a variety-to-watch in this nation, from the Santa Cruz Mountains in...
2018 Black Label Reserve MerlotSuccession Wines | Manson, Wash. A sleek and sexy black label clings to an equally dark bottle, hinting at what might come from the wine inside. While cocoa, spices and vanilla connect with dark cherry to supply the expected richness,...
