Posts on this web site under the category “Bellingham Herald Articles” were originally printed in the Bellingham Herald…the source for Whatcom County, Washington news.

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Hardy’s Stamp of Australia 2006 (about $8): I served this along with a number of other international wines at a wine class and this was by far the group favorite. Spicy berry flavors abound, but you won’t find this to be one of those out of control Shiraz fruit bombs. The finish is fairly soft and I would recommend drinking this wine fairly soon.

The price on this wine is unbelievable and should entice you to buy it by the case. Try it with well-aged cheeses or better yet, barbeque meats and veggies for a delicious food/wine combination.

2008 Santa Rita 120 (about $8): Santa Rita does it again! This amazing Chilean white wine will leave you wanting more. All the classic components are here…lovely aroma, ample citrus and melon flavors and a sassy splash of acidity. Serve it chilled with a side of raw oysters, light seafood, or pasta with heavy cream sauce.

2008 may very well go down as one of the most unpredictable growing seasons for Washington winemakers.

Things got off to an incredibly slow start with a cooler than normal spring and the summer months were generally spotty, with on again/off again streaks of good weather. Then things turned downright ugly in Western Washington during August, with much higher rainfall than usual. But the critical month of September was absolutely beautiful and may have put the harvest into the above average category that would continue a string of terrific vintages the State has enjoyed as of late.

Ken Peck of Dakota Creek Winery notes, “The cool spring had us all anxious, but then a nice bit of heat in the late summer really put the concern to rest. Once again, the stage is set for some outstanding Washington Wines!”

A standard 750 milliliter bottle holds slightly more than 25 ounces. Double that to 50 ounces and divide it by, say, 5 ounces, which is a pretty decent pour for a single glass of wine. That gives you about 10 glasses of wine per 1.5 liter bottle – far too much for two people to enjoy at a single sitting for dinner.

At my house, and I’m sure at many of yours, you’ll always find a few wine bottles on the kitchen counter and in the refrigerator in various stages of completion. Provided they don’t get used in cooking, they’re usually poured out. It’s a sad ritual akin to throwing away a worn out pair of your favorite shoes; they were great for awhile, but all they’re doing now is taking up space.

So why buy a 1.5 liter bottle at all? The main reason is because it’s a great size to serve at large gatherings and parties. Unfortunately, there are a lot of marginal quality wines produced at this volume, with California the leading culprit. But if you do a little sifting around you can find a few good ones out there at some really reasonable prices.

I’ve also had good results with Washington’s Hogue Cellars Non-Vintage Harvest White (about $12). It’s a nice wine in the 1.5 liter size, with plenty of crisp apple flavors and a slightly sweet finish.

From Spain’s Rioja region, the Cortijo III 2006 Tinto (about $20) is a super buy for 1.5 liters. This red wine blend of 80 percent tempranillo and 20 percent Garnacha displays lots of dried cherry flavors, an underlying trace of smokiness, and a good dash of acidity.

If you must serve a California wine, Barefoot Cellars is probably one of the better options available. The wines are very fruit-forward and tend to appeal to those who drink wine less frequently. They also come in a variety of choices – ranging from chardonnay and pinto grigio to zinfandel and merlot – and all are priced at about $11 for a 1.5 liter bottle.