Author Archives: The Vine Guy

Last week, I talked about the wonderful pinot noir wines from the Willamette Valley, located just an hour’s drive southwest of Portland, Oregon. And while Oregon has certainly moved up on the proverbial inside rail of Pinot Noir production, California … Continue reading →

Last week, I was at a friend’s house for a pinot noir tasting. He had put together an assortment of pinot noir wines from around the globe, including California, France and New Zealand. I was going through the lineup, tasting … Continue reading →

With all three of our son’s attending – or on their way to – college, getting them all together for dinner during the summer takes an act of congress – and we all know how hard that can be. But … Continue reading →

When I was growing up in a “small town” in Central California, the Fourth of July meant ice cold watermelon, cookouts, a parade down Main Street, and fireworks at the community college stadium. And beer. Lots and lots of beer. … Continue reading →

Celebrating the birth of our nation in our nation’s capital is about as patriotic of an experience as it gets. Between the National Symphony Orchestra playing on the lawn of the Capitol and the fireworks on the Mall, it’s enough … Continue reading →

Recently, my wife was out with several of her friends for dinner and, of course, she was charged with bringing the wine. Now, when it comes to providing and paring wines with dinner, Cindy considers it her obligation to bring … Continue reading →

In 1972, after finishing his formal education (degree in Civil Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Northwestern), David Stare packed up his family and set sail in a westerly direction to pursue his winemaking dream.   He made port in … Continue reading →

Summer has arrived in Washington, bringing with it a bounty of charity events, graduation ceremonies, and weddings. Unfortunately, these events are likely to feature standard “Reception Wine.” Ugh. Need I say more? Unless attending an official wine tasting event, the … Continue reading →

Italy has been making wine for a very, very long time. There is evidence that Etruscan and Greek explorers cultivated wine grapes as far back as the 5th century BC. But it was the Romans who, three hundred years later, … Continue reading →

While the June 21st solstice may mark the official start of summer, Memorial Day kicks off the psychological beginning of the season. And while we’re no longer a slave to fashion and restricted to wearing just white shorts, white pants … Continue reading →