In the two-plus years I’ve been writing this column, I’ve had the chance to see much of the Pacific Northwest wine scene, and taste even more of it. From the Rogue Valley in the far south to Kelowna in the north, from the San Juan Islands in the west to the Snake...
Standing in Double Canyon’s sparkling new winery, among a crowd of distinguished guests and various industry professionals, I found myself reflecting on the winery’s ambition to make what they deem “benchmark Washington Cabernet,” and what it is that might mean...
I had a fascinating conversation last week that I wanted to share, because I think it’s extremely enlightening about the current state of the wine market in the Pacific Northwest. In talking to a winemaker friend who will remain anonymous, they mentioned that...
If you’ve been almost anywhere in the Pacific Northwest over the last week, you’ve noticed a persistent and unpleasant haze, the highly visible effect of massive wildfires in British Columbia. While most might have worried about air quality or the risk to people...
Summer is perhaps the best season for wine, but it’s also the best season for not taking wine too seriously. It’s the time of year to throw expectations and customs a bit out the window in the name of having a bit of fun. After all, who wants to lug wine glasses to...
Wedding season means buying wedding presents, and if you're like me, that means buying lots of Pacific Northwest wine to give as gifts. Not all wines and weddings are created equal of course, but here are a few suggestions when it comes to finding the right local...
When a heat wave sweeps through the Pacific Northwest, like the one that just passed, it presents a new set of challenges for wine lovers: how best can we continue to enjoy wine while not melting into little puddles of goo? While I typically extol the virtues of...
For all that we talk about rosé, we don’t often discuss which grapes are best suited for it. While Americans still shop for wine overwhelmingly based on varietal, I don’t think the same holds true when it comes to pink wine: if anything, people choose based on the...
After several consecutive years of hot, early vintages, the Pacific Northwest looks poised for something rather different in 2017. A cold, wet winter turned into a cold, wet early spring, with early stages like bud break several weeks to a month behind previous...
Standing on top of Owen Roe’s Union Gap Vineyard in Washington's western Yakima Valley, I got a sense for the incredible convergence of powerful geologic forces that shaped the very ground I stood on. From massive lava flows out of the Cascades that defined the...
