It seems as if it was only a few years ago that Northwest wineries wouldn’t be caught dead producing something with the generic, non-descript, “red wine” label. The reason? Too many consumers equated it with red table wine, which is sometimes perceived as a blend of leftover reds that might be slightly lower in quality. […]

A few weeks ago I attended a blind tasting with friends where malbec was the featured varietal. Eight wines were poured into identical decanters, numbered, and then ranked in order of preference after each was sampled two to three times. The tasting included six malbecs from Argentina and two from Washington. The overwhelming favorites – […]

When I pay $40 for a bottle of wine I want to be absolutely certain that I’m going to get my money’s worth. Why? Because it’s just as easy to take that same $40 and buy four decent $10 a bottle wines that will provide me with a good measure of enjoyment over a longer […]

One trend that I’m finding a bit troublesome with some Washington winemakers is the overemphasis they’re placing on the fruit flavors of their red wines. While fruit flavors in a wine are undoubtedly an important element of taste, there’s also the risk of having too much of a good thing. When this is the case […]