WOODINVILLE, Wash. - One of the finest gentlemen in the Washington wine industry also is one of its most talented winemakers. Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery has been an integral part of the state wine industry for nearly 40 years, having started at Chateau Ste. Michelle before the chateau was built - when the winery was on East Marginal Way in Seattle. We recently sat … [Read more...] about Bob Betz reflects on a most interesting life in wine
Podcast
The art of blending with DeLille’s Chris Upchurch
WOODINVILLE, Wash. - Back in the early 1990s, four men got together to start a winery. The result was DeLille Cellars, which has gone on to become one of Washington's most cherished and revered producers. Greg Lill got together with friends Jay Soloff and Chris Upchurch and his father, Charles, to launch DeLille at a property Charles owned just a couple of minutes' drive … [Read more...] about The art of blending with DeLille’s Chris Upchurch
Robert Smasne’s deep history, great winemaking in Yakima Valley
GRANDVIEW, Wash. - Robert Smasne was destined to be a winemaker. Smasne, owner and winemaker for Smasne Cellars, grew up in the Yakima Valley amid all kinds of agriculture. His family grew juice grapes and later wine grapes, and at a young age, he would sneak into famed Otis Vineyard near his home. After tasting the different varieties, his young mind would wonder why they … [Read more...] about Robert Smasne’s deep history, great winemaking in Yakima Valley
Lopez Island Vineyards a model for cool-climate grapes, simple living
LOPEZ ISLAND, Wash. - This part of the San Juan Archipelago has been home to Brent Charnley for as long as he can remember, as his parents spent many years during his youth on Lopez Island. So after graduating from Western Washington University, falling in love with wine in Europe and learning about winemaking and viticulture at the University of California-Davis, Charnley … [Read more...] about Lopez Island Vineyards a model for cool-climate grapes, simple living
Stuart Pigott: The Pope of Planet Riesling
All hail the Pope of Planet Riesling. Stuart Pigott, a British expat who splits his time between Berlin and New York, is on a Riesling crusade, and we are his knights templar. Pigott became fascinated with wine - and specifically with Riesling - when he took a trip to West Germany as a teenager. As the Cold War heated up in the late 1980s, Pigott moved to Germany just as … [Read more...] about Stuart Pigott: The Pope of Planet Riesling