Tag: Willamette Valley
Red, White, and Rosé Wine Values for Summer Sipping, Parties, and Picnics
We tasted several hundred value wines over the past six months and narrowed this selection to those priced under $25 and scoring 15/88 to 17/92 on the respective 20-point and 100-point scales. The 22 wines are from five...
Read MoreGlobal Masters 2026 Pinot Noir Winners
Patrick Schmitt, master of wine and chairman of the Global Masters competition in the UK, asked: “What is the perfect Pinot Noir? It’s a question I found myself asking after our blind tasting of wines made in a wide range of...
Read MoreFavorite Wines of 2025 – Burgundy and Pinot Noir Edition
In reading through my tasting notes from 2025, a couple of themes stood out: wine drinkers are enjoying an excellent supply of well-made wines under $25 from around the world; direct-to-consumer offers from discount and flash...
Read MoreTasting Notes from Domaine Drouhin, Duckhorn, Far Niente, and Frank Family
Winery dinner tastings are a quick way to learn more about the wines from each operation, their philosophies and stories, and how the selections pair with food. The approach is less clinical and much more fun than at blind...
Read MoreGlobal Wine Masters Judges Find Gold in Pinot Noir
Patricia Stefanowicz, Master of Wine (MW), reported on findings from the recent Global Masters blind tasting in London. She said judges had high expectations for the Pinot Noir category and entrants from eight countries. “The...
Read MoreCome Over in October – For Wine, Friendship and Fun
Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and a positive force in the wine industry for decades, was chagrined last January when she started reading an increasing number of negative and divisive pieces about wine from the media...
Read MoreRed, White and Rosé Wine Values
The hunt for values in summer sipping wines continues and with some success. The following finds from the past two months have good flavors and quality for the money, at prices from $16 to $25. Each scored well in tastings and...
Read MorePinot Gris for Summer Sipping from Global Masters 2023 Awards
Pinot Gris originated in France and has become popular worldwide, mainly as Pinot Grigio. It is boosted by wines of good value and wide distribution from Northern Italy (200 million bottles annually from its largest region...
Read MoreRed, White, and Rosé Wine Values for Picnics, Parties, BBQ
From the big box stores to the national chains to your neighborhood grocery store, you can find excellent selections for those occasions when easy sipping and value are the order of the day, rather than delving into the nuances...
Read MoreValues in Oregon, California and New Zealand Pinot Noir
In going through tasting notes looking for fine values in Pinot Noir, wines from these regions tended to shine: Willamette Valley, Oregon; Russian River Valley, Sonoma; Santa Lucia Highlands, in Monterey County; and further...
Read MoreFun summer sipping with Rosés and white Rhone varietals
After tasting through an ever-broadening array of Rosé wines over the past two months, we were pleased to find several excellent values, including some with depth and style. Our favorites were mostly from Cotes de Provence and...
Read MoreExploring New World Pinot Noir, $12 to $88
The following notes are from Pinot Noir wines tasted from the New World over the past six months and rated as good, very good and excellent. For background on Pinot Noir in the New World, versus its home in Burgundy, France,...
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