The Wine Knows - wine shops

Washington Wine Month list

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:52:49 -0400

Looking for some bargains? I've prepared the annual Washington Wine Month list - the prices for Washington wines at state liquor stores.

You can download the PDF here.

Cranky wine steward even crankier about Washington Wine Month

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:12:44 -0400

You could almost set your calendar by the emails either I or Tasting Editor Bob Woehler get in late July or early August. It always comes right after Bob writes his annual "Washington Wine Month" column about the great bargains at the state-owned liquor stores.

Searching for wine shops

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:03:18 -0400

You might recall awhile back that I posted a list of Northwest wine shops, wine bars and wine clubs, seeking feedback on which I might be missing. I received information on more than 50 places I didn't know about.

More on Syrah's softening with wine lovers

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:26:08 -0400

As a follow-up to last week's blog item about how interest in Syrah appears to be waning in the marketplace, I got the following note from Chuck LeFevre, owner of Esquin Wine Merchants in Seattle.

Coastal wine

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:29:12 -0400

With high gas prices and flying becoming increasingly less convenient, many folks are staying close to home this summer.

If your travels keep you within the Pacific Northwest and you decide the Oregon Coast is your destination, be sure to stop by The Wine Shack in Cannon Beach. Dean Reiman has operated this wine shop in the downtown area of this resort town for several years and provides an eclectic collection of regional and international selections.

Self-serve wine tasting

Sun, 18 May 2008 16:40:45 -0400

If you've read about those self-serve wine-tasting machines but haven't yet seen one in action, check out our video below.

The Enomatic has been around for at least a couple of years and has been in action in various areas of the country. Now, it's in Oregon wine country.

Hellams Vineyard

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:11:23 -0400

Jeff Hellam is the owner of Hellams Vineyard, a wine shop in La Conner, Wash., that specializes in Northwest selections.

Wine Press Northwest correspondent Jon Bauer recently caught up with Jeff at his wine shop and asked him to talk about some of his favorite picks from Washington.

Award-winning Toasted Oak for sale

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:02:33 -0400

The Toasted Oak restaurant and Wine Country Welcome Centre wine shop in downtown Oliver, B.C., is up for sale. No price is listed, but you can view the listing here.

Do we have your favorite wine shop, wine bar in our database?

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:06:41 -0400

We're busy working on giving our Web site an overhaul. Part of this will be a much easier-to-use searchable database of wine shops, wine clubs and wine bars.

I have compiled a list of 161 wine shops, wine clubs and wine bars from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho. I am inviting you to look over the list and let me know of any I'm missing.

What's your wine price threshold?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:37:38 -0400

A user comment over the weekend about Leonetti being overpriced made me wonder what the price threshold is for wine lovers.

For example, would you spend $2k for a special bottle of Screaming Eagle, or do you get squeamish about any bottle of wine over $35?

Buying wine online

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:56:35 -0500

Today, the Financial Times published an article about Seattle online retailer Amazon.com planning to sell wine.

There's already some buzz about this amid wine blogs.

Here is my question to you: Do you buy wine online, and what has been your experience?

BevMo's in-house wine critic

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:03:35 -0500

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting article today on Wilfred Wong and Beverages and More, a large California wine retailer.

At issue is the fact that Wong, who tastes 8,500 wines per year (not the 3,000 mentioned in the article), rates wines on a 100-point scale for the company, which then takes his ratings and uses them to promote the wines in their dozens of locations. The article questions whether the consumer can trust Wong's evaluations, or if they are just there to help the company sell wine.

Taste Wa?

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:48:52 -0500

A wine merchant - who wishes to remain anonymous rather than be labeled a whiner - is a bit incensed that someone from a New Jersey wine shop - Wine Library - is being featured at this year's Taste Washington in Seattle.

Fascinating inside look at the wine industry

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:05:11 -0500

Earlier this month at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Wine Press Northwest Managing Editor Eric Degerman caught up with Wilfred Wong. Now, you might not know Wilfred - or even heard of him - but he is one of the country's leading experts on wine. And he shared a fair bit of information that could interest you.

Gourmet grocery another reason to visit Walla Walla

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:59:04 -0500

There are about 100 good reasons to go to Walla Walla. Start with the wineries, then move on to the Marcus Whitman Hotel and the superb restaurants that have opened in the past half-decade.

I recently wrote about Cugini Import Italian Foods, a terrific Italian grocery near Walla Walla. On Saturday, I finally got a chance to stop by Salumiere Cesario, a gourmet food and wine shop downtown, next to Spring Valley Vineyards' tasting room. It opened about 18 months ago.