The Wine Knows

Have you ever visited AppellationAmerica.com? It's a Web site that is a terrific resource for winery information as well as well-written articles.

We had a small discussion on wine discounts and shipping deals from NW wineries a few weeks ago.

I have another one to add to the list.

Cinder wines in Boise, ID.

If you order 6 or more bottles then shipping is free.

For the past half-decade, a group known as the Washington Wine Ambassadors has worked diligently to promote Washington wine by volunteering at events. It has been a wonderful program and has operated under the umbrella of the Washington Wine Commission.

The Seattle Aquarium Society and Seattle Uncorked co-sponsored a first-time event featuring wines from over 50 new and relatively new Washington and Oregon (two) wineries. Held June 25th at the Aquarium, the well-attended event (dubbed "Debuts and Discoveries") offered an excellent opportunity to taste wine from a large group of geographically dispersed wineries many well off the beaten path.

Tim Ray, our man in Spokane, attended Sunday night's Taste Washington event at the fabulous Davenport Hotel and took some photos, which we have posted here.

Dusted Valley Vintners of Walla Walla, Wash., known for its superior-quality Syrahs and other reds as well as its value Boomtown label, is opening a tasting room across the Cascade Mountains in Woodinville.

Apparently, our report last week that Ste. Michelle Wine Estates was planning to discontinue its Stimson Estate Cellars line struck a chord with wine lovers.

So much so that the Washington wine giant is reconsidering the move after an outpouring of calls and emails from consumers and retailers alike.

Paul Gregutt put a post on his blog recently about why Washington syrah doesn't sell particularly well. One of the reasons he lists, which I agree with, is that there are not very many good Washington syrahs in the value category (less than $15). I would love to be proven wrong on this as I like syrah and enjoy a good deal as much as the next person.

I put post up on my blog today listing wines $15 and under and $30 and under that I thought represented great values for the price point. You can check out the post at the link below. Questions I would be interested in hearing people's thoughts on are:

I half-jokingly refer to my dad, Ken Degerman, as the North Idaho bureau chief of Wine Press Northwest. Well, dear old Dad came up with something that was news to me.

While my folks appreciate most any wine that I bring to share with them, they aren't shy about enjoying Stimson Estate Cellars as their Tuesday night wine. And Dad bought these 1.5-liter bottles long before he began referring to his 401(k) as his "101(k)."

Is anyone planning to attend Vintage Walla Walla this weekend? If so, how about sharing your experiences in real time via Twitter at #vintagewine.

This is always one of the best tasting events of the year -- the Vintage Pour on Friday features wines from 2002 or older. Word is that about 20 wineries are pouring this year.