With five decades of family history in farming, Robert Van Westen is most at home, sustainably cultivating the soils of his Naramata Bench estate for Van Westen Vineyards. He was born on the Bench, grew up farming and planted his first grapes here in 1999 (hence...
Humans, as a species, are visually driven. When we see a photograph or watch a movie that is visually pleasing, we are drawn in and take notice. By being guided by these ocular clues around the world, many decisions are made on the basis of sight alone. Take, for...
Benton City, Washington’s Col Solare Winery isn’t yet licensed to sample their exceptional grappa at their tasting room, but let me take the guesswork out of the equation for you—it’s worth diving in and buying a whole bottle. Col Solare was born as a Red Mountain...
Red blends can be a roller coaster of sensations for your taste buds. A Merlot is a distinct, almost trademarked, flavor that can be easily identified. So too can the Malbec variety be pinpointed after one sip. However, when combined, they can produce a wine that...
Rock and wine is one of those combinations that sounds strange at first, but begins to make sense shortly after. Think milkshakes and French fries, or crackers and milk (seriously, it’s good). For everything that wine pairs well with, the first to come to mind may...
There are a few different thoughts that run through your head when you’re sitting in a room for hours, tasting dozens if not hundreds of wines, all while trying to figure out which ones are the best of the bunch. Most of them are variations on “what in the world...
Founded in 2013 with just a Riesling to boot, Patterson, Washington’s ANEW Winery is produced by Chateau St. Michelle and produces light-bodied, fruit-forward wines. The young winery currently offers three wine varieties in very elegant custom bottles with a...
Tucked between amber folds of grain on the sunny east side of Mount Hood is the town of Dufur, Oregon, population 607. For most, it’s a pin prick on a map roughly 15 miles south of The Dalles and the mighty Columbia River. For certain, it offers one of the biggest...
Drinking wine in the summertime is great if you like white, rose or sparkling, but when you’ve got temperatures up near 100 degrees it can be damn hard to enjoy red wine. While I don’t have any real advice to offer when it comes to full-bodied red blends (other...
If you haven’t sipped at the SE Wine Collective yet, move this urban wine destination located just off of SE Division in Portland to the top of your list. Since opening in the fall of 2012, the winemaker incubator has continuously expanded offerings—what began as...
