Paul Portteus has to be considered one of the pioneers of Washington winemaking. His first vineyards were established in 1981, when there were literally just a handful of wineries in the state. Portteus is rare in that he bottles wine under his own label and supplies grapes for other wineries. His reputation is so well […]

If you like Syrahs you need to give Glen Fiona wines a try. The winery specializes in this tasty varietal, with five of their six current releases either a Syrah or Rhone-like Syrah blend. Of all the wines I tried on a recent visit, the 2001 Cuvee Parallel 46 (about $25) impressed me the most. […]

Add Dusted Valley Vintners to your list of newer Washington wineries to try. They recently were named as the “Winery to Watch” by a media and trade panel at this years Washington’s Arriving Vintners Event. You can’t help but feel like one of family while visiting the winery’s Walla Walla tasting room, which is currently […]

One of the things that I like about Preston Premium Wines is that they don’t charge a small fortune for grapes grown in the Columbia Valley. While some wineries outside the region use these same grapes and tack on a good $10 a bottle more (what I refer to as a “reputation surcharge”), Preston provides […]

Added Note: Zerba Cellars 2003 Wild Thing received a gold medal at the Tri-Cities Wine Festival on November 12, 2005 Although they’re located just a quarter mile south of the Washington-Oregon border in Milton-Freewater, Zerba Cellars is part of the Walla Walla appellation and many of their grapes are from Washington vineyards. Despite the disarray […]