Monthly Archives: August 2008
Flying Trout and Gifford Hirlinger: Two Smaller Walla Walla Wineries Worth Noting
Washington State is home to a growing number of winemaking facilities that define themselves as boutique wineries. These wineries are generally characterized by limited production, handcrafted attention to detail, and personalized service that you might not find at a large scale operation. One of the best parts of my job is seeking out boutique wineries, […]
Boutique Wineries Finding Their Niche in Washington State
The term “boutique winery” gets tossed around a lot these days, and it’s nice, almost fashionable designation that smaller, startup wineries like to use. The irony behind this is that most state wine commissions have no hard and fast rules as to what defines a boutique winery, so no one can really say what should […]
Horse Heaven Hills Appellation Features Big, Flavorful Wines
Like all other wine producing states, Washington’s grape growing regions are categorized into federally designated areas called American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) or appellations. What is an appellation? Quite simply, it’s an area with unique climatic, soil, and physical features that distinguish it from surrounding areas. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is one of Washington’s newer […]
Summer is the Perfect Time to Reacquaint Yourself With a Versatile Rose
Rosé has to be near the top of the list of ideal summertime wines. Unfortunately, many of us (me included) don’t drink a lot of rosé outside the summer season, while some wine drinkers won’t even touch it at all. Perhaps it’s because of the bad connotation some feel that rosé still carries from the […]
Mount Baker Vineyards Has a Plethora of New Releases
I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news: Mount Baker Vineyards has a ton of new releases, and I’m pleased to say that they’re all really nice wines that deserve a try. The bad news is that there are so many new wines, I don’t have enough space to cover all of them […]