Over the last ten years, we have purchased wines from a
number of wineries -- both large and small. We have developed a short list
of favorites. We have met or talked with people from each of these wineries and
we have a comfortable feeling about the wine-making values of the winemaker.
Another
small Washington winery, this favorite of ours makes a marvelous
Bordeaux style wine from grapes grown in both the Yakima and
Columbia Valleys.
This is
probably the largest of the four small Washington State wineries
listed on this page with specialties in Bordeaux-style blends in
both red and white.
This is a remarkable little
vineyard in Napa. Besides the traditional varieties, the Tinto is a "field-blend"
(mostly Zinfandel but 11 other grapes contribute to the blend) from a single vineyard. Where to
buy: available direct from the winery.
Vincent Arroyo
Petite Sirah
We include this winery not only
for the wine but also because, last spring, we had a
casual, drop-in barrel-tasting (no advance notice!) with the winemaker/owner. Where to buy: only available
from the winery.
Although this is a new
winery, the winemakers actually have three generations of experience in Napa
growing grapes and working with other wineries. Now that they're on their
own, they are doing great things as early results are tasty.
Westrey
Winery
Call 503-434-6357
Pinot Noir (Croft Reserve), Chardonnay
David Autrey and Amy West make a nice, soft Pinot Noir from Oregon. This
is a really good value for the price.
For people interested in kosher wines, I have tried to create a list of
all that is not sweet and sticky.
The Wine Enthusiast is a great source of glassware, serving and
preservation systems, in addition to self-contained wine cellars and other wine
storage options. If you're not sure what you need, the company offers a list of 'Recommended' items that cover a wide range of needs
through their home page.
Serving and preserve your wine, from the most elegant decanters
to chillers, coasters, drip savers and more. When we want wine by the glass
(when we don't think we'll finish a bottle), we use the
WineKeeper
which automatically fills the bottle with nitrogen to preserve the wine.
Corkscrews
and cork pullers are essential tools.
Wine Enthusiast has a wide variety of devices including the traditional Laguiole
corkscrew to the smooth Rabbit Corkscrew leverpull types.
Storing your wine doesn't have to be difficult. Wine Enthusiast offers everything from