Last spring I featured a column on the differences between oaked and unoaked chardonnay and how the addition of oak can influence a wine’s color, aroma, flavor and overall body style. At the time I included a number of oaked and unoaked recommendations, but I tasted them separately rather than side-by-side. So as an alternative, […]

Flying out of Seattle or having a lengthy layover at Sea-Tac after a flight originating from Bellingham can be a royal pain. Security checks, uncomfortable seating, and pricy airport food and drink only add to the misery. So I was pleased to find that there’s an oasis, of sorts, for wine-loving travelers that might have […]

Big, raucous, fun. Not only are these appropriate adjectives for the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) Grand Tasting I attended in San Francisco on January 28, they also aptly describe the red varietal that was poured at the event in copious quantities. ZAP touts its festival as the largest single varietal tasting in the world; […]

Not only is zinfandel a good candidate for sipping on its own, it also makes an excellent pairing partner with a variety of foods. This is the second of my three-part series on this flavorful red wine and today I’ll be emphasizing foods you might want to try with your next bottle of zin. The […]