The Wine Knows

Our dear friend and Wine Press Northwest columnist Braiden Rex-Johnson has joined my blogroll with the launch last week of Northwest Notes. She already has posted several items since launching Thursday.

Braiden is the author of several favorite cookbooks, most famously the Pike Place Cookbook and, most recently, Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining.

I met Braiden many, many years ago during a luncheon at Balcom & Moe Vineyard, north of Pasco, Wash. Later, we ended up at a dinner at the Salish Lodge east of Seattle. My wife, Melissa, suggested I approach Braiden about writing a food-pairing column for Wine Press Northwest, and we struck a deal the next day over breakfast.

Though Braiden had several cookbooks to her credit by that point, she has blossomed in the years since with her focus on wine pairings. In Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining, Braiden takes her talents to a new level as she helps define regional wine country cuisine.

Her new blog will be well worth reading.