There are always a lot of wines to choose from, and it can be difficult to know what are suggested purchases without having tasted a wine. Few are willing to spend $30, $50, or more on a wine, hoping it will be money well spent.

Vintages change, picking decisions change, blendings can change, and sometimes even winemakers change. I am fortunate enough to taste many wines each year. Some wines I taste at various events and dinners, some are samples sent to me, while others may be tasted in the tasting room. When I see a wine scores a 95 ...

On occasion in the wine industry, there are inspiring and interesting wines, people, and places. In rare instances, one might discover a trifecta of all three. 

J Wrigley (Family) Vineyards hits the mark for everything people look for when hitting the wine trail. Kind hearted real people, a welcoming sense from them, a beautiful location, and of course great wines. A visit to the tasting room of J Wrigley in McMinville Oregon inside of the Wilamette Valley, would likely be the highlight to wine travelers day. 

I had a unique opportunity to meet with John and Jody Wrigley, in southern ...

(This wine was a sample provided by R.Stuart) 

When it comes to food and wine, most of us gain some type of excitment when we see things like: that special dish that only your grandmother makes at Thanksgiving, or when someone brings me guava jelly from Flordia or Hawaii, or a Pizza from a 50+ year old Italian restaurant that is 35 miles away. These types of special things that you only have once in a while, but when you even just see or hear the thought of having it simply gets you excited, and may even make your ...

Sample supplied by Kandarian Wine Cellars 

I have heard some wine experts mention various number of wine varietals in the world. Some have said the number is unknown and new discoveries continue. I have also heard other winemakers suggest 7,000,10,000, and even 14,000+ different varietals. That means if  an adventourous wine lover wanted to try two new wines a day, it would take them nearly 20 years  just get through them all with no sick days.

When it comes to Rhone's, there are many that I would call, "Rhone to the bone." Those Rhone hounds ...

There are times you drink a wine and you have an instant response. Then there are some wines that the more you drink them, the more you like the wine. The 2010 Tendril Pinot Noir is just that type of wine that keeps you coming back to ponder.

Have you ever wanted to blend your own bottle of wine? Blending my own wine is something I have thought a lot about over the years, Pinot Noir in-particular. Wine blending has been a frequent topic between my wife and I, to the point that despite being untested or proven, my wife believes I could blend well. I on the other hand am not so sure.

While attending the Wine Bloggers Conference in Oregon last August, I was honored to receive an invitation to join about 25 others by our very gracious hosts, Maria, and Rob Stuart of R.Stuart ...

When visiting the local grocery store, Trader Joes, or COSTCO to shop for wine, I see many people staring into an abyss of wine. I can see the struggle in some of their eyes of not knowing what they should purchase. Most people simply do not want to gamble their money on plonk wine. Research statistics indicate the vast majority select their purchases on price point being the number one contributor.  

Of course there are many different circumstances someone might want a bottle, but at the end of the day, everyone wants something that tastes palatable or better for a ...

Top wines of 2012 - There are wines to save up and splurge,wines to stand upright in your cellar when company visits to show off that '45 Bordeaux. Then there are the wines for the people in the villages…..like me. 

This is the Wandering Wino second edition of wines that blow up your skirt. As I stated in last years post, I am not a cross dresser, but this is a simply American phrase used to say these are wines I really like and stood out to me. These are wines that are mostly available without the need for ...

After driving through what appeared to be fairly rural country of Carlton Oregon on a two lane highway, two police squad cars were stopped in the middle of the road. The police were waving cars one by one to pass, until bus #8 ...

Rustic elegance might be the best way to describe the on-set of a recent Eugene Oregon excursion I took through wine country. Our wine blogger conference excursion group was courted by some great people from  Eugene Cascade Coast and AMTRAK. This historic restored 19th century barn is the home to Heidi Tunnell Catering Company. Heidi may live in a small town, but this is no run of the mill catering as she took home the title of Iron Chef OR in 2011.

We were happily greeted in the barn by Heidi and a cold glass of bubbles on an unusually ...