Wild 4 Washington Wine

Big bang for the buck here friends.

Master winemaker Rob Griffin brought out the big guns for this wine;  Counoise, Cinsault, Durif,  Grenache, and Mourvedre. This is no ordinary Washington wine.

One of my favorite jobs was working for the family owned Barnard Griffin Winery. Hand-selling wine, meeting and greeting visitors from around the world and sharing stories of Washington wine. These were some of my best experiences. Period. It also pushed me to learn more about wine. I strongly recommend seeking out the Barnard Griffin 2013 Cotes du Rob.


Tasting Notes 2013 Cotes du Rob Red Wine Barnard Griffin Winery

Color: Plum, cranberry highlights.
Nose: Engaging, cranberry, pomegranate, breath of fresh earth, orange peel, graphite.
Palate: Pleasant weight, bright, red berry flavors, dusted with light spice, electric on the tongue, modest spicy finish. Shy, friendly opening.

15 minutes: Soft berry and spice on the nose, a touch of armpit odeur. Très European. Sublime mouthfeel, tender and fluid,…

Welcome the new year in style with French bubbles - à votre santé!

Toast the season with bottles of crisp, sparkling Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé. At my home, we enjoy bubbles year-round. If you only drink Champagne or Prosecco, then it's time to try something different.

remuage: the periodic turning or shaking of bottled wine, especially champagne, to move sediment toward the cork.
The history of the Albrecht family as winegrower can be traced back to 1425 with Romanu Albrecht, who was settled in the town of Thann. During the fifteenth and sixteenth century in Thann, several generations of Albrecht were elected as Bangard vinegrowers. Lucien Albrecht pioneered Crémant production in 1971 and helped gain an Appellation Contrôlêe for the wine and for Alsace. The wines are vinified in the classic Champagne Method.





Tasting Notes Lucien Albrecht Crémant d'Alsace Brut Rosé

Method: 100% Pinot Noir free-run juice. Whole cluster hand picked grapes are softly pressed in a pneumatic p…

There Was a Time...

There was a time when I thought I would stop writing about wine. A time, between 2009 and 2010, when I thought my fascination with wine was at an end. Obviously, something happened to cause that thinking, and something happened to put me back on track. I'll address that further on.

This post has become rather long. It is in my nature to want to share. Ten years on and there's a lot I want to mention and get out of my thoughts. My thoughts pester me. I hope you find something interesting in these self obsessed musings.

There's a lot I left out. So the temptation to add and tweak is strong. Not sure I can resist.

When I began this blog ten years ago, I was working for Barnard Griffin Winery. After Fourteen months of hand selling wine, many industry events and daily customer interactions, my head was full of new to me wine related information. I was not sleeping well with a jumble of wine experiences and knowledge swirling around my head at night. I knew …

Sparkling wine is the perfect beverage for the holidays. 

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling dry white wine made primarily from Glera grapes. Principally grown in the Prosecco region of Italy, which includes Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, north of Venice in the Veneto region. Under European law, only sparkling wines made with grapes grown in this region can have the name Prosecco.

Located in the heart of the Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG production area, the Valdo Winery has been cultivating this unique location for generations.

Prosecco has become widely popular in the United States. Consumers have embraced these affordable and tasty sparkling wines. I often recommend bubbles to my customers, they are suitable for any occasion at home and compliment food well. For Mimosa fans, Prosecco is an excellent choice and works well as the base wine. You don't have to stick to OJ for your Mimosa, try mango, cranberry and berry cordials for an added kick of flavor.

I encourage you to …