The Wine Knows

I'd like to think that our little magazine has some kind of effect on a winery's future. In fact, when we recommend a wine, there can be a bump in sales, and when we feature someone, the winery sees an effect.

But it's tiny compared with what finishing anywhere on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list will do for a producer.

This evening, I was grilling tri tips and Peruvian purple potatoes grown in Eltopia, Wash. This called for a robust red wine, so I went to the cellar and picked out a Fidelitas Wines 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley.

Doug Charles of Compass Wines in Anacortes, Wash., announced in an email blast to customers today that Quilceda Creek Vintners in Snohomish, Wash., has earned another perfect 100 from The Wine Advocate, Robert Parker's publication.

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?

When he was a rookie with the Mariners, Ken Griffey Jr. had a chocolate bar named after him (unfortunately, he's allergic to chocolate).

Now the former Seattle star is releasing three wines to raise money for the Ken Griffey Jr. Family Foundation charity.

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?

An ounce of sanity is emerging from a sea of overripe California wine - and there are lessons here for the Pacific Northwest.

An article in Wednesday's Los Angeles Times has famed Santa Barbara cult winemaker Adam Tolmach of The Ojai Vineyard saying he's served two masters long enough.

And since he can no longer enjoy drinking his own high-scoring wines, Robert Parker has to go.

I don't normally pass along items I see in advertisements, but this is too interesting to not mention.

Doug Charles, owner of Compass Wines in Anacortes, Wash., just sent out a blast to his online customers that he has a vertical of Quilceda Creek Cabs and Merlots for sale.

I recently opened a Barnard Griffin 2002 Syrah (Tulip label) from Washington's Columbia Valley. I would have to say this wine, which retailed for $17 when it was released in 2004, was at its peak. It got me to thinking about the age-worthiness of Syrah.

It's getting late, and I'm plugging in data for the Platinum Judging, which starts in a mere 11 hours. I just got done putting in the prices and case productions for four wines from a little Spokane, Wash., producer, Barrister Winery. It's run by a couple of attorneys, Greg Lipsker and Michael White, who started up in 2001. Go ahead and insert your favorite lawyer joke, if you'd like, but these guys are vastly undercharging for their wines.