Covering a total of 469 miles, the Blue Ridge Parkway is often called “America’s Favorite Drive.” It is certainly one of my favorites. It runs between Rock Fish Gap, Virginia, and Cherokee, North Carolina, and boasts 15 wineries along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. One of those wineries, Chateau Morrisette, sits on 38
Terragena: Excelling at Off-The-Grid Wine
Discover a maverick when you meet Terragena Vineyard’s Chris Buchanan. Making a dramatic career change in 2008, Chris moved from New Orleans to Humboldt County’s Myer Flat. As a mathematical researcher, Chris was keen on creating everything from scratch. He started with nothing and ultimately developed a small limited production off-the-grid winery. It began with
Ritual Wines: Exploring The Rituals of Organic Winemaking
A ritual is defined as a daily action performed regularly. It can be a custom, practice, or even a habit. We all have daily routines that inspire us to get through the day. During COVID, it might be the Ritual of a virtual wine tasting. We began this practice in 2020, and it will continue
Craft Wine: The best of America’s Small Wine Producers
For me, finding the small unique, and even obscure winery is part of the fun of drinking wine. The passion of the people creating these wines shines through and invites you to sip their wine and discover what they love about winemaking. To help these wineries succeed in producing their craft wine and get their
Rogue Valley Winery Kriselle Cellars
Like many budding winemakers, it starts in the garage, and suddenly their hobby outgrows their abode and overwhelms their lives until they take the big dip to start a winery. This predicament rang true for Scott Steingraber, owner, and winemaker of Kriselle Cellars, Rogue Valley winery located very close to Medford. As a Civil Engineer,
L’Ecole No 41: Pioneering Walla Walla Wine
A pioneering family helped establish the Washington Wine industry and Walla Walla as a prime wine region. Foresight is the foundation of this family’s legacy. Not only are the Ferguson’s a fixture in the wine business, but their ancestors established the Baker Boyer Bank in 1869 in Walla Walla, making it the oldest bank in
Day Tripping to Lompoc and Santa Barbara County for a Taste of Good Wine
It does not take much to entice my husband and me to drive up to the Central Coast to go wine tasting. Santa Barbara County has so many areas to visit, including Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, and Lompoc. The various appellations of Santa Barbara County open the door to many options for
Year In Review: Best Wine 2020
As a wine writer, 2020 took on a different significance in terms of wine tasting. You might say enjoying a bottle of wine brought us to a happier place. The virtual wine tasting was the norm and still will be in 2021. Wine get-togethers with friends are now virtual. Looking back at the wine I
Virtual Travel 2020: A Journey to Eleven Destinations
The year 2020 took on a different role when it came to travel. Any travel that existed came to a halt in March. Local travel was acceptable, but the bulk of traveling took place virtually. I thought I would share my 2020 virtual travel year as I discovered many places I hope to visit in
Dracaena Cabernet Franc: The Best in Cab Franc
Cabernet Franc Day, December 4th, has come and gone. However, the wine, Dracaena Cabernet Franc Classic and Reserve I enjoyed during a Grand Reserve Rewards Wine Tasting for this special day are still available. Owners Lori and Michael Budd would be excited for you to experience and learn why they love Cabernet Franc so much.
