In a gap between visiting wineries in the Willamette Valley, I had the chance to visit the Oregon coast for the first time. We stayed at Cannon Beach. It has…
The 2014s from Evening Land: Oregon’s new pacesetter
Yesterday I got to taste the as yet unreleased 2014s from Evening Land Vineyards. This is the first step in a new phase of the project, which is based on…
Extended tasting note: Brooks Ara Riesling 2008 and Brooks Janus 2008, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Sometimes, short tasting notes don’t really tell you all that much about a wine. So, in the past, I’ve tried to write the occasional extended tasting note, bringing in the…
In Oregon: Goodfellow Family Cellars
I visited Matello/Goodfellow Family Cellars last a couple of years ago (see report here), and it was great to go back on this trip to catch up with Marcus Goodfellow…
Walking through the historic Eyrie Vineyard, Dundee Hills, Oregon
For the last few days I’ve been in Oregon, staying in a house with a view of one of the great historic Pinot Noir vineyards of the world. It’s the…
Mount Abora Saffraan 2014 Swartland, South Africa
This is a lovely wine. It defines smashable. I had it while I was solo dining last week, and if you are solo dining then you need something like this…
Two rarities from Eyrie Vineyards, Oregon: Pinot Meunier Rosé fizz and Chasselas Doré
I’ve just arrived in Oregon, after landing in Vancouver via Calgary last night. It’s a fair drive down, but on the way back I’ll be stopping in Seattle for the…
In the Okanagan, BC, Canada: Laughing Stock and Bella
The last couple of visits in the Okanagan were really interesting. The first was at Laughing Stock Vineyards on the Naramata Bench. Cynthia and David Enns (above) were financial people…
Flying long haul budget: what’s the WestJet experience like?
I’m flying quite a bit at the moment. This year I’ve been to New Zealand, Portugal twice, France three times (Beaujolais, Alsace, Champagne), Germany, Spain, South Africa (twice), California (twice)…