Ponzi Vineyards: Fifty Years of Original Oregon
Anna Maria, Dick and Luisa Ponzi and me At the Wine Writers’ Educational Tours, during my time in the Willamette Valley, I had the chance to sit down with Dick and Nancy Ponzi. They were participating in a panel about what it took to plant vines, harvest grapes and […]
Ushering out the Decade with Stellar Holiday Samples
It’s crazy that 2019 has passed in a flash and a new year/decade has begun. Why not usher in a new decade with a round-up article of a few favorite samples over the holidays? Due to the weather, there is always a rush of samples shipped when the weather breaks in Texas, so it’s […]
Uncovering the Differences in Willamette Valley Pinot Noir AVA by AVA
The Willamette Valley is a region that is planted with 80 percent Pinot Noir grapes and because of that, it’s very easy to have the misconception that Oregon Pinot Noirs are similar in nature. But once you factor in AVAs, clones, soils, temperatures and the seven regions, you’ll find that while the Willamette […]
A Return to the Willamette Valley: A Pre-Trip Exploration
A Return to the Willamette Valley: A Pre-Trip Exploration Mary Cressler, Ember and Vine; Amy Corron Power, Another Wine Blog, Marcy Gordon, Come for the Wine Podcast and me Returning to the Willamette Valley, Oregon’s leading wine region, was a homecoming of sorts. My first trip was in 2010, the year I launched my blog, […]
A Conversation with Denise and Bryan White: New Texas Owners Mesmerized By the Potential of Applegate Valley and Troon Vineyard
Bryan and Denise White, Troon Owners and Fellow Texans One of the great things about Troon Vineyard is that it has had several evolutions during its lifetime. Founded more than 40 years ago by Dick Troon, a displaced, eccentric and “larger than life” Scotsman, the property originally started as a cattle grazing property in Southern Oregon. […]
Final 2017 Sample Update: The Top 30 That Turned My Head in this Tasting
It looks like I have a New Year Resolution and that’s to get a little faster about reporting on the samples that I’m sent. This time I reviewed more than 65 wines and today I’m going to talk about more than 30 that made the list. Note that these encompass a number of countries, price […]