Since 2016 is drawing to a close, I thought now was as good a time as any to put together my ultimate case of the year. Since any list requires at least a few guidelines, here’s what I went with:

1. Pick 12 wines.

2. Pick wines that I tried within the 2016 calendar y...

One of the great tragedies of wine is having a bottle that lacks magic, transforming what should be a memorable experience into merely an act of intoxication. Some bottles, naturally, possess more magic than others, but any bottle worth drinking will have at least a li...

Perhaps no word has caused more confusion in the world of wine in the last few decades than terroir, that nebulous combination of land, weather, and tradition. Many would hold that the goal of wine-making should be to allow the sense of place to shine through, to be tr...

The latest Disgorged podcast is live, an interview with Erin James (of CiderCraft and SIP Northwest fame), and it was a fascinating discussion about a beverage with a fascinating and complex history. I won't be able to do it justice in a short blog post, or even in a c...

Just a quick dispatch from the 2016 Washington Wine Road Trip.

Yesterday I got the chance to compare two different barrel samples of Champoux Vineyard Chardonnay at Powers Winery on Badger Mountain. Everything about the wines was the same except the strain of yeast used...

I'm very excited to announce that starting this month, Vine Trainings will have a regular home for classes! The Court in the Square offers a wonderful space to learn about and enjoy wine. Located at 401 2nd Ave S in the heart of Pioneer Square, Seattle's oldest neighbo...

In my most recent piece for the Seattle Weekly, I explored a bit of the natural wine trend that's happening around the globe. As with any buzzy wine term, there's a lot of uncertainty, and through that uncertainty comes the opportunity for, well, opportunism.

I was spur...

One thing I've found in my years writing about wine is that virtually every grape grower and winemaker is more than happy to talk forever about their wines. The one glaring exception is wines that for all accounts and purposes is not really made by people, but by large...

Having just completed another year of judging for the SIP Northwest Wine Awards, it's time for me to reflect again on a few trends and developments that two days of blind tasting and judging reveal. If you're interested in reading about some of the unique challenges of...

Summer is the time for cold drinks, froze if possible. Yet getting frozen drinks right at home can be surprisingly difficult. I played around with a few options, then wrote about it for the Seattle Weekly. I didn't get a chance to mention this, but it's important to ke...