This spring, the Fries family and Duck Pond Cellars in Dundee, Ore., will celebrate 20 years as a Willamette Valley winery. During those two decades, though, they've expanded their vineyard program to more than 1,000 acres, nearly evenly split between Oregon and Washington, and created Desert Wind Winery in Prosser, Wash. Oregon Pinot Noir in the Umpqua Valley Greg Fries, … [Read more...] about Duck Pond Cellars invests in Umpqua Valley Pinot Noir
Sam Adams Utopias beer drinks like tawny Port
Want to coax a beer drinker into becoming a fan of Port-style wines? Introduce that friend to Samuel Adams Utopias. In fact, consider serving the Utopias 10 in a brandy snifter and see who will believe it is a tawny Port. After all, this remarkable beer is uncarbonated, resembles a Cognac while sitting in the glass and checks in at 58 proof. That's 29 percent alcohol by … [Read more...] about Sam Adams Utopias beer drinks like tawny Port
Northstar Winery’s guiding light
WALLA WALL, Wash. — Winemakers often will smirk and say, "It takes a lot of beer to make good wine." In the case of David "Merf" Merfeld, he was helping to make a lot of good beer for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates before he started making great wine for Northstar Winery -- its premier Merlot brand. "I would probably be making beer if I wasn’t making wine," Merfeld … [Read more...] about Northstar Winery’s guiding light
Taste Washington discount available through Dec. 31
The Washington State Wine Commission presented another Christmas gift idea to those who enjoy Washington wine — a $10 discount on general admission tickets to Taste Washington on March 23-24 in Seattle. It's grown to a two-day event, although single-day tickets remain available to what is billed as the country's largest single-region food and wine event. More than 200 wineries … [Read more...] about Taste Washington discount available through Dec. 31
Platinum winner Watermill to pour Thursday in Sumner
Watermill Winery in Milton-Freewater, Ore., produced another Platinum-winning wine last month in Wine Press Northwest's annual judging of gold-medal winners. On Thursday night, the magazine's 2010 Oregon Winery to Watch will be pouring at Sorci's Italian Café — a fun little restaurant and deli in Sumner, Wash. (It's a short walk from my brother's home.) Eric Brown, … [Read more...] about Platinum winner Watermill to pour Thursday in Sumner