About


Wine Recos


Winery Recos


Categories

Washington Wine Blogs

Amy Rootvik - Walla Walla
Grape Expectations
Justin Vajgert
Northwest Wine Insider
Seattle Wine Blog
The Walla Walla Wine Charlatan
The Wine Commentator
The Wine Knows
The Wine Offensive
The Wine Wall
Through The Walla Walla Grapevine
Washington Wine Report
Wine Foot
Write for Wine

Oregon Wine Blogs

Élevage
The Inspired Imbiber 2.0
The Oregon Wine Blog
The Pinotguy's Wine Blog
The Wine Commentator
West Hills Wine Blog
Willamette Valley Guide
The Wine Camp Blog
Wine & Food Experiences

State Organizations

Oregon Wine Site
Oregon Grape Growers
Washington Wine Site
Washington Grape Growers

Regional Associations

Columbia Cascade Wineries
Columbia Gorge Winegrowers
Columbia Valley Wineries
North Sound Wineries
Puget Sound Winegrowers
Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail
South Seattle Artisan Wineries
Southern Oregon Wineries
Spokane Wineries
Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance
Willamette Valley Wineries
Wine Yakima Valley
Woodinville Wine Country

Other Wine Blogs

Dr. Vino
Fermentation
Good Grape
Jamie Goode's Wine Blog
oenoLogic
The Pour
Vinography
Vivi's Wine Journal
Wine Cast

« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »

December 29, 2007

WIDWD: Christmas Dinner

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) If I were to choose my favorite holiday meal, then it would be Christmas dinner. I enjoy Thanksgiving for the opportunity to be with family and friends, but this large gathering usually generates a smorgasbord of wines, few of which end up being standouts next to a turkey buffet. On the other hand, I appreciate how Christmas dinner offers a much better opportunity to match the food with a few good bottles of wine. And it's usually an occasion to pull some of the older wines off the rack and give them a try....

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 07:24 PM | | Comments (0)

December 26, 2007

WIDWD: 2005 Adelsheim Willamette Valley Auxerrois

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) For Christmas Eve dinner, it's a tradition at our table to serve chopped salad, making meal time a bit easier on a day filled with various activities. Kari's version is crafted with a multitude of ingredients including salami, chicken, provolone, mozzarella, basil, garbanzo beans, green onions, iceburg lettuce, and a wonderful vinaigrette dressing that brings it all together into a fantastic meal. To pair with this dish, I chose a 2005 Adelsheim Willamette Valley Auxerrois and a 2006 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Riesling. Before dinner, we popped a 2002 Argyle Sparkling Wine,...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 04:15 PM | | Comments (0)

WIDWD: 2005 Erath Pinot Noir Estate Selection Dundee Hills

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) Last Sunday evening, Kari warmed up a Greek stew she had made a couple of days before that had been "resting" in our fridge for the weekend. It was yet another incredible slow cooked dish made in our red Le Creuset, a French oven that seems to create magical meals regardless of what ingredients Kari combines in it. Kari's parents were joining us for this meal which was kicking off the Christmas holiday weekend. I decided to pair the stew with a 2005 Erath Dundee Hills Pinot Noir Estate Selection, a wine that...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 07:48 AM | | Comments (0)

December 20, 2007

VinMaps: A gift of place

If you're looking for a last minute gift for someone who enjoys wine, I suggest giving them something that will provide a sense of place: a VinMap. VinMaps are the creation of Suzi Surbey, a cartographer who has transformed wine producing countries, states, and regions into beautiful expressions of wine geography. Suzi has recently released an updated map of Washington, detailing the state's AVAs and 500 wineries. If your interests extend beyond the Pacific Northwest, then Suzi has maps of specific wine regions and the major wine producing countries around the world. About a year ago, I purchased individual maps...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 08:01 PM | | Comments (2)

December 17, 2007

Is it the wine or is it me?

Over the weekend, I think my palate got out of whack. On Saturday evening, we popped a 2006 Elk Cove Willamette Valley Pinot Gris to go with the Asian chicken stir fry dish Kari crafted. I tasted the wine and thought it was a crisp, dry accompaniment to our meal. Meanwhile, my wife was drinking it and thought it tasted somewhat sweet, going so far as to think it was a riesling. Two glasses and all I could taste was a crisp, slightly flat pinot gris. On Sunday evening, we opened a 2005 Witness Tree Vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 07:18 PM | | Comments (0)

December 15, 2007

'Tis the season to being busy

It's been over a week since I've posted and I apologize to you, my readers, for my absence. I am looking forward to sharing more on my wine experiences in the coming days. In the meantime, I was glad to see my last post, "Breaking the Unspoken Code", receiving a considerable amount of attention and commentary in the blogosphere. It is gratifying when thoughts such as those conveyed in that post get traction with other wine bloggers. I'll be back to posting regularly as soon as I get all of my shopping and shipping done......

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 02:05 PM | | Comments (0)

December 06, 2007

Breaking the Unspoken Code

In a recent Seattle Times wine column, Paul Gregutt made an interesting statement regarding his colleagues in the wine press: "There is a sort of unspoken code among many in the wine press not to be too critical of specific wines or wineries. The logic is that it's better to point out the successes and let the failures slide." I would have enjoyed hearing Gregutt expound on the logic underlying this "unspoken code". I believe there is a clear reason for its existence: incentives compel reviewers to remain focused on writing only about successes, with those calling out failures risking...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 03:08 PM | | Comments (4)

December 05, 2007

WIDWD: Argyle '02 Brut and '05 Pinot Noir

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) I love duck. It's one of my favorite dishes, whether dining out or eating in. My wife, Kari, prepares a superb duck, searing it on the stove top to crisp the skin, finishing in the oven to a medium rare consistency, and then crafting a sauce that brings it all together. The other night Kari surprised me with a waterfowl dinner, which put me on a hunt in the cellar for an Oregon pinot noir. I was starting to come down with a cold, therefore wasn't sure if I should go big time...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 11:03 AM | | Comments (0)

December 04, 2007

Review: Tina's Restaurant

Along highway 99W in the heart of Dundee, you'll find Tina's Restaurant, which is across the street from the Argyle Winery. Since 1991, Tina's has been serving lunch and dinner to locals and tourists alike. The restaurant is named after its founder, Tina Bergen, who along with her husband, David, moved from Portland to Yamhill County in 1988, well before the Dundee Hills area was recognized for its superb wine. I arrived for lunch on a day when I was planning to visit a few wineries in the area. Like The Dundee Bistro, its next door neighbor, Tina's is a...

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 03:59 PM | | Comments (0)

December 01, 2007

Review: The Dundee Bistro

While recently visiting wineries in the Dundee area, I had the opportunity to dine at The Dundee Bistro, which is located off highway 99W across from the Argyle Winery. The bistro shares a retail space with a wine bar and a store featuring local food and crafts. This "culinary center" as it is called, was created by the Ponzi Family, who maintain over 100 acres of vineyards in northern Willamette Valley producing a variety of estate wines. On the evening I visited, the dinner crowd was just starting to build, therefore I opted for a seat at the chef's bar....

Continue reading »


Posted by Thad at 03:34 PM | | Comments (0)