Building a base or a foundation is the center for any artist, musician, and also for creating wine. Those wineries that were the pioneers of the wine industry in the 1960s and 1970s laid the groundwork for California winemaking. One winery which played an important role in the establishment of the Sonoma County Wine Industry
Lenné Estate: The Best of Yamhill-Carlton AVA
On a recent visit to the Willamette Valley, I got to visit a winery, Lenné Estate, that you might call an anomaly because of its terroir. The soils are peavine series, a soil that is moderately deep, well-drained, and forms in clayey colluvium and residuum derived from sandstone, siltstone, basalt, tuffaceous rock, and shale located
Willamette Valley Winery: Tyee Wine Cellars
From a dairy farm to growing grapes, Tyee Wine Cellars is a family-owned Willamette Valley winery. Now in its 5th generation with Merrilee Buchanan Benson and her husband Brian Benson taking the lead on this boutique Oregon winery that produces 2000 cases of wine a year. Off the beaten path about 20 minutes from Corvallis,
Iris Vineyards: Showcasing the Southern Willamette Valley
On a recent visit to South Willamette Valley, I discovered Iris Vineyards. The winery’s production facility is located in Cottage Grove, but Iris’s tasting room is situated about 20 minutes from both Cottage Grove and Eugene. The drive is well worth the visit because of the spectacular views. Perched atop a knoll, the tasting room
Year in Review: Best Wines of 2019
It is that time of year when I like to think about the best wines I have enjoyed throughout the year and share those outstanding wines in my year in review. Here are my favorites from 2019. Best Wines from 2019 Please note there is no particular order to the best wines I list. I
Bells Up Winery: Wine Music Hits All the Notes
Music is an essential part of the wine message at Bells Up Winery in the Willamette Valley. Music comes in many forms for David and Sara Specter, owners of the winery. As you enter the winery you first encounter the wine music with their logo of the French horn. I would say in their own
Dancin Vineyards: The Delights of the Rogue Valley
Autumn is the ideal time of the year to visit Dancin Vineyards in the Rogue Valley AVA. Not only does the wine dance, but the fall colors of the foliage create an exquisite performance as if they are dancing in the wind. All this makes visiting this winery spectacular. The story of Dancin is a
Vidon Vineyard: From NASA Scientist to Winemaker
From space to the vineyard, life has taken many spins around this earth for Don Hagge of Vidon Vineyard. Visiting his hideaway gem of a vineyard with its magnificent views of the Willamette Valley, one would never know that Don had played a specific role in the Apollo space mission. You might call Don an
Innovative Autumn Menu comes to Napa Valley Grille
It is fall and for many restaurants, time to showcase their Autumn menu with a change in flavors of their cuisine. Such is the case with Napa Valley Grille in Westwood Village. LA Wine Writers had an opportunity to sample some of the food offered on both the lunch and dinner menu. Napa Daily Grille
Memorial Day Wine: Spring into Summer Wine
As I think about the ideal wine to serve this Memorial day weekend, I am reminded that Memorial weekend signifies the time we start to light up the barbeque as we move from spring to summer weather. We switch from the big, bold, more moody wines of winter to the brighter livelier wines of summer.
