My associate Douglas and I are up for the big Napa Valley Wine Auction, more specifically the barrel auction portion of the event. If you haven’t been, it is a wild orgy of Napa wineries that come together at the Trinchero winery to auction off their wines for worthy causes. An endless sea of barrels fills the enormous warehouse space that holds the barrel auction, while white wines and food from local chefs are served outside. Continue Reading »

“Hops shortage you say? I had no idea. Really? Tell me more.” Sidetracked near the coat check, I stopped, captured in conversation by this idea. Talk of hops at a wine event? But why not mention her fair cousin, Beer? The young man leaned forward, pushing up his light gold frame glasses and said, “Crop damage actually. It’s hard to get at the moment and local breweries are going under. You can check it out online.” No way… the hop crop got creamed? That can only mean we’ll have to make more wine! Luckily, here we are at the “New Vintage” wine event put on by the Washington State Wine Commission in the very hip W Hotel in downtown Seattle. Continue Reading »

The Gibson tonight was a hive pleasantly abuzz with wine lovers and musician-winemakers for this first annual, Wine Rocks Seattle. The showroom glowed with the redwood ambiance of hard wood floors and walls covered with the most beautiful guitars you’ve ever laid eyes on; wine stands standing seductively in every corner like high-class call girls promising intoxicating kisses. Live music played in a rotating cast as the winemaker-musicians took turns playing, or watching, or pouring us glasses of wine… Continue Reading »