Through the looking glass at Woodinville’s Sightglass Cellars
Sean Boyd of Sightglass Cellars in Woodinville grew up in the wine industry.Born in Colorado, Boyd spent his early years in San Diego where his father, Gerald D. Boyd, was editor of Wine Spectator in its earliest days when Read more...
2022: Washington’s “impossible” vintage
A cool, wet start to the growing season contributed to a delayed harvest and a very large crop. An unseasonably warm October both rescued the vintage and resulted in high quality. Longtime Yakima Valley and Read more...
A word on closure listings after tasting notes
After my tastings notes, I am now listing certain closure types, specifically, wines that use alternative closures. Personally, I am much more likely to buy a wine and buy it in some quantity if I know Read more...
Wautoma Springs offers a lesson on how to start a winery
When Jessica Munnell of Wautoma Springs had her first child, she did what any winemaker would do. She started a winery. “I decided this was my opportunity to start my own thing as a way Read more...
The Year in Review & Current Trends in Washington Wine, 2023
There’s no question 2022 will be looked at as a year of dramatic changes in the Washington wine industry. Here, I review the stories that defined the year as well as current trends in the Read more...
An interview with David Adelsheim, Willamette Valley pioneer and founder of Adelsheim Vineyard: Part II
Since first purchasing land in the area in 1971, David Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyard has been involved in nearly every aspect of the evolution of Willamette Valley. This spans from near the valley’s earliest days as a Read more...
An interview with David Adelsheim, Willamette Valley pioneer and founder of Adelsheim Vineyard: Part I
In 1971, David Adelsheim and his wife Ginny purchased a piece of property near Newberg, Oregon with the aim of planting a vineyard. As that site produced commercial fruit in 1978, Adelsheim Vineyard became the Read more...
Jøyus puts the enjoyment back into non-alcoholic wines
Jessica Selander’s reasons for starting Jøyus, a Seattle-based alcohol-free wine company, were simple. She doesn’t drink alcohol, having been sober for 17 years.“Drinking is a huge part of our culture in the United States,” Selander says. Read more...
Starting a winery is Foolhardy
"It must have been something in the air in Brunswick, Maine," Foolhardy Vintners co-founder Jonathan Edelman wryly says of starting a winery. Edelman’s freshman year roommate at Brunswick’s Bowdoin College was Hugh Davies, now long-time president of Read more...
Eight thoughts on reviewing Oregon for Wine Enthusiast
At the start of this year, I began reviewing Oregon wines for Wine Enthusiast magazine. (I had been covering Washington as a contributing editor since 2013.) I subsequently ended my tenure at the magazine in July.While I have Read more...
Quiddity: Washington wines at their essence
"It's somewhere between retirement and a job," Greg Peiker says starting his winery, Quiddity Wines, in Woodinville. Peiker worked at nearby Microsoft on the operations side of the software business for nearly 20 years. Realizing Read more...