Monthly Archives: March 2009

Wine Drinkers Bring Viognier Back From the Brink of Extinction

Add viognier to the list of white wine varietals that are becoming increasingly popular among Northwest wine drinkers. Originating in France, viognier was virtually non-existent in the United States as little as 20 years ago, but it has gradually gained a foothold here – particularly in California and Washington. It’s an amazing comeback, considering that […]

Umami Provides a Savory Element of Taste in Both Food & Wine

The basic elements of taste in food – sweet, sour, salty and bitter – are familiar to most everyone, but did you know there’s a fifth element as well? Discovered by a Japanese scientist, umami (oo-MAH-mee) is a taste sensation that’s best described as meaty or savory and is produced by several amino acids. You […]

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival

March 23 to March 29 – A week long schedule of wine-related events including seminars, tastings, lunches and dinners. The highlight of the festival is the international tasting; a three hour extravaganza of wines from around the world beginning at 7:00 pm each evening on March 26, 27, and 28. British Columbia will be the […]

Wine Class at BTC

3:00 to 5:00 pm – Viognier & Malbec. Learn more about these two up and coming varietals that are becoming increasingly popular while tasting several samples of each. Click on the Wine Classes Page for more information.

Eagle Haven – Fun, Folksy, and Good Wines

A recent outing to Eagle Haven Winery, located on the North Cascades Highway about 4 miles east of Sedro Woolley, turned out to be much more fun than I anticipated. The tasting room is apparently quite popular with the local crowd, and in fact, a few of them dropped by for a glass of wine […]