When John Shafer uprooted his family in 1973 in Chicago and relocated to the Napa Valley, nobody - including Shafer - figured he would develop one of California's greatest wineries. That is the story behind "A Vineyard in Napa," a memoir written by Shafer's son, Doug, and co-author Andy Demsky. By the time the Shafers arrived in Napa Valley, the bad old days of … [Read more...] about Book review: A Vineyard in Napa
Archives for 2012
Top 10 Pacific Northwest wine stories of 2012
By most accounts, 2012 was a year of moving forward in the Pacific Northwest wine industry. After two difficult vintages, the weather cooperated in 2012 with what is expected to be a record-sized crop. New leaders entered the picture in Washington and Oregon, Gallo moved into Washington in a big way, and the wine industry continued to help drive the economy forward. In … [Read more...] about Top 10 Pacific Northwest wine stories of 2012
Book review: A Carafe of Red
A fair bit of wine writing can be rather uninspiring, whether it's a review of wine one might never taste or a story about visiting a winery. So it is a true pleasure to read beautifully written wine literature from someone who has visited the great wine regions of the world and provide a journey through words that transport us there, if only for a few moments. Such is … [Read more...] about Book review: A Carafe of Red
Your guide to Pacific Northwest sparkling wine
Inevitably, this is the time of year most people think about sparkling wine, thanks to holiday parties and New Year's Eve celebrations. It's also about time we say to ourselves, "This is delicious. I should drink sparkling wine more often." With that in mind, here is a guide to some of the Northwest's top sparkling wine producers, which you can use for your year-end … [Read more...] about Your guide to Pacific Northwest sparkling wine
Unshrouding sparkling wine
Between all the bubbles, the special methods for opening the bottle and the unusual glasses, sparkling wine can appear much more complicated than it really needs to be. And why should we call it sparkling wine instead of Champagne? Let's find out. Sparkling wine vs. Champagne Champagne is a grape-growing and winemaking area of France, northeast of Paris. The monk Dom … [Read more...] about Unshrouding sparkling wine