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...

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...

Exciting news! I jumped on the radio this past Saturday (June 25th) to talk about Vine Trainings with my friend Christopher Chan. We talked a bit about how I got interested in wine, discussed what exactly Vine Trainings is, and tasted three fun wines: the 2015 Riesling...

So I was reading this wonderful piece by Jon Bonné, where he details the ways in which the staggering success of Provençal rosé has, paradoxically, harmed not just the rest of the winemaking in the region, but the rosé industry itself. It’s well worth a read, but I thi...

We live in an era where we have unbelievable access to fantastic wines from around the world, often at surprisingly reasonable prices. Yet there are times when value shopping just can’t compare to splurging on the real thing. Champagne is one of those magical places th...

Lately, the wine community has been in a bit of an uproar at the news of a lawsuit alleging that a number of prominent California wines, which could be classified as “bargain” if you’re feel charitable or “cheap and they taste like it” if you’re being honest, have tes...

Aging a bottle of wine is a bit like cheating death, and a bit like playing the lottery. It’s a game I love to indulge in, but even in the excitement there’s a moment of panic every time I take a corkscrew to an older bottle.

As a sommelier, I always want to take the u...