Washington Wine Country

Washington Reds

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Washington Reds and Wine Country I recently received a sample of the 2019 Trothe Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in the state of Washington. As soon as I tasted the wine, I instantly recalled the times we’d spent exploring the wine regions of Washington State. The Columbia Valley is the main wine … Read more

Wine, Food, and other Delights in Seattle

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Seattle and the Olympic National Park If you like wine, food and nature, you will enjoy the activities of our dazzling six-day excursion in the Pacific Northwest.   Our Stay in Seattle For our three-night stay in Seattle, we chose the Seattle Courtyard Marriott at Lake Union. The hotel is 20 minutes from the SeaTac Airport. Beautiful … Read more

Walla Walla Wineries and Tasting Rooms

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Walla Walla Wineries and Tasting Rooms – Wine Country Bonanza The town of Walla Walla is one of the great wine towns in the Western US. It rivals that of Calistoga, St. Helena, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and Los Olivos.  A stay in Walla Walla puts you within easy reach of a plethora of tasting … Read more

Yakima Valley Wine Country instead of the Napa Valley? We Say Yes!

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Elephant Hill Vineyard

Are you and friends planning a trip to the Napa Valley? Be prepared to spend a small fortune and battle hoards of tourists. Your money might be better spent by taking a trip to the Northwest, to the Yakima Valley wine country in Washington State. Yakima is off the radar for most wine country travelers, but … Read more

Wineries in the Columbia River Gorge

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Following the Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon, we took one last look at the Northwest wine country with a trip to the Columbia Gorge wineries in Oregon and Washington. These wineries are about an hour to an hour and a half just east of Portland on Highway 84. What a terrific and scenic ride along the Columbia River! Without a doubt, this is one of the most different and varied wine countries we have visited in recent memory.

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Jim Holmes: The Man Atop Red Mountain AVA

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When we were in college we used to drink Red Mountain wine, a very bad tasting but cheap gallon of wine you could buy at Walgreen’s for $1. It was bulk wine from the Central Valley in California made by Gallo and now a long discontinued label. Last week in the Yakima Valley we tasted several wines that had on the label the designation “Red Mountain.” We could not help but chuckle a bit as we thought about those long-ago Red Mountain college days in contrast to the wines we now tasted from the Red Mountain AVA vineyards of the Yakima Valley. These wines are lush and complex and some of the best wines we have ever tasted. The man most responsible for the development of the prized-Red Mountain AVA is Jim Holmes, who began growing grapes here in 1975. We were lucky enough to do a vineyard walk and listen to how he manages and grows the grapes of his Ciel du Cheval Vineyards.

Jim Holmes at his Ciel du Cheval Vineyards
Jim Holmes at his Ciel du Cheval Vineyards

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Yakima Wine Country and DuBrul Vineyards

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Here we are in the Yakima wine country at the DuBrul Vineyards, what many think are among the very best vineyards in the state of Washington.

Wine Adventures in Washington

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We are in the state of Washington until Monday for the 3rd annual Wine Bloggers’ Conference. We have tasted Washington wines before but never to the extent that we will be tasting over the next few days. Over 50 wineries are set to pour and entertain 300 wine bloggers. I’m anxious to find out about … Read more