With a degree in fermentation science from in U.C. Davis (not to mention the title of "Cum Laude" at graduation), Rob Griffin moved to Washington state, taking a job at the now shuttered Preston Wine Cellars in Pasco in 1977. As one of the few single-digit wineries...
Best known for chartering unknown territories (like Zinfandel in the Northwest), Angel Vine Wines has recently renovated and reopened as an urban winery in SE Portland. The Urban Crush Winery, the 14,000-square-foot production facility and tasting room that opened...
Blasted Church is not a winery of conformity. With creative, edgy and borderline controversial animation decorating the bottle labels, this Okanagan Valley winery pushes the boundaries of thought-provoking creativity by drawing inspiration from religious themes,...
There are few combinations of words that offer more false hope than the phrase “wine bar.” Maybe “fat free” or “no money down,” but that’s a column written by someone else. Wine bars should be the kind of place that I adore, and yet almost universally they fail in...
Rollin Soles is a familiar name in the Oregon wine industry. He is a pioneering winemaker with global knowledge of the craft, co-founder of Oregon sparkling wine trailblazer Argyle and investor in the Radiant Sparkling Wine Company, the nation's first mobile...
Bill Stoller never strayed far from the land that is now Stoller Family Estate in Dayton, Oregon. He was born on the property and grew up mere miles outside out town, received his undergrad from Pacific University (25 miles away) and his MBA from Portland State...
The best way to time travel in the Willamette Valley is at The Vintages Trailer Resort in Dayton, Oregon. Stocked with more than a dozen mid-century trailers, the park is a well-choreographed nod to the travel-hungry baby boomers that took summers by the scruff of...
If you’re anything like me, August is a stressful month. Besides trying to keep on top of all the news about this year’s crop of wine grapes, August is also when my many fantasy football drafts happen, and preparing for those is tough (and thirsty) work. In a...
It’s no secret that good wine starts with good grapes. What started with a few vines in 1997 on the family farm grew phenomenally, and now co-owners and brothers Butch and Jerry Milbrandt lead the farming of their grapes on 12 different estate vineyards on more...
Washington Wine Month is upon us, and while of course the state’s wines get attention the other 11 months of the year, I figured I’d take this opportunity to shine a bit of light on a few places in Washington that I think deserve a bit more attention: growing...
