“Let’s just get a bottle of Cab.” Ah yes, employing the use of the safe nickname to avoid pronunciation mishaps. It is an acceptable and reliable strategy, however, it is time to up your game. Many wine consumers steer clear of mentioning, reading or recalling the names of and/or drinking wines they cannot pronounce, but it is time to get brave and venture … [Read more...] about Behind the Tasting Bar: Step out rather than call for a Cab
Northwest wine
Idaho bubblehouse 3100 Cellars tops 10th annual Cascadia International Wine Competition
RICHLAND, Wash. — When the 3100 Cellars 2017 Whitewater methode Champenoise won the Cascadia International Wine Competition sweepstakes by a landslide vote, it meant the judging panel had selected a wine from Idaho as best of show for the second straight year. And for the first time in the event’s 10-year history, a bottle of bubbles burst through as the top wine of the … [Read more...] about Idaho bubblehouse 3100 Cellars tops 10th annual Cascadia International Wine Competition
Barnard Griffin rosé again leads NW producers at San Francisco Chronicle judging
CLOVERDALE, Calif. — Family-owned Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Wash., rose to the top of the field of 176 rosé wines as the 2021 Rosé of Sangiovese captured the sweepstakes award at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. “Beats a nail in the foot!” quipped founding winemaker Rob Griffin. “I’m pleased that we won with a robust color.” It marked the … [Read more...] about Barnard Griffin rosé again leads NW producers at San Francisco Chronicle judging
Glass shortage, supply chain bottles up Northwest wineries
Amy Prosenjak was at a leadership seminar in 2018 when someone asked her to write down the No. 1 problem she faced as CEO of A to Z Wineworks in Newberg, Ore. Her answer: getting enough glass bottles. That answer turned out to be prophetic. Although procuring enough bottles has long posed a challenge, it’s become a critical problem since the beginning of the … [Read more...] about Glass shortage, supply chain bottles up Northwest wineries
A Vine Start: 2 decades later, it’s point-counterpoint starting at 100
In 1998, the difference in the marketplace between an 89-point wine and one at 90 points was subtle yet massive. For a couple of copy desk jockeys working at a small daily newspaper, albeit in the middle of Washington wine country, the responsibility of going up to 90 points was something we didn’t feel comfortable with when we judged Merlot for the first issue of … [Read more...] about A Vine Start: 2 decades later, it’s point-counterpoint starting at 100