A beginner lesson on the wines of the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region of France. Good Burgundies can be life changing. They are the kinds of wines that, in the 60’s and 70’s, motivated crazy folks to pack up and plant vineyards in Oregon, because they saw the potential for the kinds of life changing wines they…
Pinot Noir
Thanksgiving Wine Guide (Updated)
Trying to figure out what wines to serve with Thanksgiving Dinner this year? You’re not alone. Below is a fool-proof guide to finding great wines in all budgets for your holiday meal. I haven’t written a “what to pair with Thanksgiving dinner” post in yeeaaarrrsss! This is because I am a traditionalist when it comes…
15 Awesome Summer Wines
I like to review wines the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see on this site are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of various styles that we think will work, then write about the best pairing. But often…
February Wine Favorites
I like to review wines the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see on this site are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of various styles that we think will work, then write about the best pairing. But often…
Maple Chipotle Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon
Cedar Plank Salmon is amazing when coated with a sweet and spicy dry rub, cooked on the grill giving it that smoked influence, and finished with a maple syrup glaze. Sweet, spicy, and absolutely incredible. And if you don’t have a grill you can easily do this in a hot cast iron pan and finish…
Winter Reds — January 2018
I like to review wines the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see on this site are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of various styles that we think will work, then write about the best pairing. But often…
Sparkling Wines to Ring in the New Year!
10 Great Sparkling Wines and Champagnes to ring in the New Year With Y’all know bubbly is our beverage of choice around here, and (almost) every Friday you can catch my weekly bubbles toast over on Instagram. We love our sparkling wine here! And while we drink bubbles weekly, we also realize it’s the time…
Smoked Meatballs in a Cranberry Pinot Noir Sauce (recipe and video)
Smoked meatballs braised in a sweet and savory cranberry Pinot Noir sauce is one of our all time favorite holiday appetizers. It’s always a hit at a party! Guess what? The mystery of the Cranberry Pinot Noir Meatballs has been solved!!! The first time I wrote about this recipe I told you about how we…
12 Wines for Fall Sipping
I like to review wines the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see on this site are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of various styles that we think will work, then write about the best pairing. But often…
12 Wines to Keep Summer Alive!
I like to review wines the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see on this site are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of various styles that we think will work, then write about the best pairing. But often…
Easy and Tender Smoked Salmon Fillet (recipe and video)
The Best Smoked Salmon ever! Brace yourself for the easiest, freshest, tender-est, and most flavorful smoked salmon fillet. And I’m not talking about lox, we’re talking fresh salmon, slowly smoked to perfection. We’ve got our secrets to great tender salmon, along with a video. Salmon is one of my favorite things to cook on the…
Red Wine Marinated Smoked Tri Tip (recipe and video)
An award-winning recipe for Marinated Smoked Tri Tip from our very first BBQ competition, made with a wine marinated Tri Tip and smoked slowly to perfection. Serve alone or with a delicious chimichurri sauce. Da bomb! Scroll to the bottom for the the video. We have learned a lot about smoking tri tip over the years….
12 Wines for Spring Sipping
I like to review wines the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see on this site are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of various styles that we think will work, then write about the best pairing. But often…
Smoked Lamb Burgers with Rosemary Aioli and Pickled Onions
Change up your burger routine with a killer Smoked Lamb Burger with Rosemary Aioli! We’ve been talking a lot about Easter lately, and how I’m just not into ham (what I was raised on eating for Easter dinner). We’ve done Prime Rib a few years in a row now. But this year I’ve had mad…
Weekend Wine Love — Winter Comfort
I like to review wines here the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see here are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of different styles that we think will work, then write about the one that was the best…
Weekend Wine Love – A baker’s dozen
I like to review wines here the way most people taste them, with food. Many of the wine reviews you’ll see here are accompanied by a recipe. When we test recipes we usually open a few different wines of different styles that we think will work, then write about the one that was the best…
Smoked Coq au Vin — and wines to pair
How to add smoked flavor to a traditional Coq au Vin. After several requests from the photo I posted on Instagram of our Christmas dinner I decided to share some insight… It was just the four of us for Christmas this year. No family. No traveling. Just us. Typically we go big and smoke a prime…
Smoked Meatballs with Cranberry & Red Wine Sauce on AM Northwest (video and recipe)
Guys, we got to back on AM Northwest! This time cooking up one of our favorite holiday appetizers – Smoked Meatballs with a Cranberry & Red Wine Sauce. Scroll to the bottom for the video, or just click here. Several years ago I discovered a very cool use for canned cranberries at a very unlikely…
Smoked Tri-Tip and Wine Pairing
A simple recipe for smoked Tri -Tip. Tri-Tip is an easy, quick, and affordable alternative to smoked brisket. Learn the secrets to perfectly smoking this lean and delicious cut of beef from a BBQ caterer. We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again. We friggin’ love Smoked Tri-Tip around these parts! It’s the #1 cut of…
¡Salud! — 25 years of Making a Difference in the Willamette Valley
Vineyard work can be dangerous. In fact it can be deadly. Every year around harvest time we hear about accidents either in the vineyard or winery. Some of them are freak accidents. Many of them are preventable. Some of them are health related. But what happens when the vineyard or winery employee has no healthcare?…
Weekend Wine Love – Fall Wine Finds
Well this post is a bit overdue! Originally intended as my “September Wine Highlights” and then look what happened. It’s now nearly the end of Oct-friggin-ober. How did that happen?! That being said, it’s never too late to share some great wine finds, and I’m sure most of these wines are still hanging around waiting for…
Milestones – ROCO 2013 ‘RMS’ Brut Sparkling Wine
Rollin Soles (the man behind Argyle Winery’s reputation for amazing sparkling wine) is back making bubbles with the release of the 2013 RMS Brut Sparkling Wine. Spoiler alert: it’s awesome! A legend. At least by Oregon sparkling wine standards that is. I’m talking about Rollin Soles; the man behind the first sparkling wine facility…
Weekend Wine Love – Sonoma Wine Country Weekend
Sonoma Wine Country Weekend wrapped up last night with its closing auction, raising a total of $5.7 million throughout the three-day weekend ($4.6 million of that was raised at the Sunday auction alone). The event, which is considered Sonoma County’s signature (and largest) charity event, brings together over 200 of the regions top winemakers, growers,…
The Brooks Blending Experience Photo Essay & New Print Article on Oregon Wine Press
“In early May, five top sommeliers from around the country gathered at Brooks Winery to create a personalized Pinot Noir blend for each of their respective restaurant programs. In order to create a successful wine, they first had to understand what goes into a blend, and at Brooks, that means getting to know upwards of…
