A Total Wine store opened this weekend in Sarasota. Curious to see just how many wines from the Willamette Valley region of Oregon and from Washington State’s Walla Walla wine region might be sold there, John and I went shopping. I don’t ordinarily shop Total Wines. For those who do not know me well, I am not a fan of big box stores or malls. … Continue reading What the Big Box Store has……
Artisan Cheese Company in Sarasota offers a fun, very interesting, enjoyable cheese course: Cheese 101. For Christmas our daughters gave us gift certificates for the course. We finally made a point of signing up for a class before Christmas arrived again! The course consisted of 10 cheeses, 3 wines and 13 pairings. Louise Converse, owner of Artisan Cheese Company hosted the class with her talented cheesemongers. They guided us … Continue reading Not too Cheesy: Cheese 101
There is a unique wine shop in Sarasota that I am embarrassed to say we had never been to until last week. It is Sarasota Fine Wine & Tastings. It offers tastings on Thursday and Friday evenings so, at the urging of a good friend, we accepted an invitation to go with him on a Friday evening. The shop is small and well stocked with … Continue reading Friday night in Sarasota…………
Our favorite visits are to family wineries. There appears to be an involvement by all family members, young and old, in these places that is visible and comfortable, making the visit so enjoyable. There almost always is a dog, often a winery cat, and sometimes an array of other animals meandering about. Photo courtesy of Isenhower cellars The conversations we have with our host or … Continue reading A family winery called Isenhower…….
The first winery you visit in a region can have a tremendous impact on your visit to a new area; it absolutely did for us in the Willamette Valley. We began with a 10 am appointment at Soter Vineyards, a sustainable producer of Pinot Noir and sparkling wines in the heart of the valley near Carlton. Their first vintage was produced in 2005. The vineyard … Continue reading Setting the stage……….
Driving along the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon to Walla Walla, Washington is an experience. The diversity of landscape is amazing. It’s a four hour trip with Mt. Hood looming to the south, forested mountains, desolate desert, gorges and rolling grasslands dotted with amazing green oases. Walla Walla appears as a big oasis in the southeastern corner of the state of Washington. The wine region … Continue reading Grasslands, desert and giant reds!
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a huge region of rolling hills covered with majestic landscapes of farms and vineyards. The first pinot noir grapes were planted there in 1965 by David Lett, the Eyrie Vineyards. According to the Willamette AVA, today there are 316 wineries in the region stretching from Portland to Eugene. Our recent trip focused on the north region of the valley an hour … Continue reading The land of pinot’s………..
Dinner last weekend with friends offered a perfect opportunity to serve a fine bottle……. Quilceda Creek’s 2005 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon came to the table to serve with a pork tenderloin with a Gorgonzola Sauce. It is definitely a wine you want to take care to plan the right entree with to get the most enjoyment. The wine scored high marks in all professional ratings. … Continue reading Bring out a lovely bottle……..
We shared a bottle of Abstract last night. It’s a full-rounded luscious blend that is easy to drink and enjoy. I would have selected it for the excellent labeling! Our friend Richard chose it for more appropriate reasons. Abstract is one of Orin Swift’s very imaginative creations. You are probably familiar with his former, very popular wine, The Prisoner. We paired the wine with delicious … Continue reading Concrete abstract………
This was a fantastic wine dinner held a few weeks ago for a crowd of friends at the Field Club. The selected wines were all highly rated choices by Robert Parker, our favorite wine guru, along with the Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator. Charles Smith “Kung Fu Girl” a Washington State Riesling started us off followed by a 2012 Jean Marc Lafage Cote’ … Continue reading A delicious evening……
John's Wine Cellar 