If you’re looking for a place that sells some top notch wine & liquor, while offering the kind of personal service that is rather rare these days…look no further than Aligra Wine & Spirits. This fall they are also offering a luxurious trip to Chile & Argentina. 1. What interested you in having your own business? [...] read more»

I was tasting some dessert wine last weekend in Sonoma at Viansa Winery, which is a gorgeous setting reminiscent of Tuscany. Anyway, I saw several people walking to the register with these flat bubble-wrap thingies, which turns out to be called WineSkin. When you slip your bottle of wine into one, it protects it from [...] read more»

Many years ago when I first went “wine-tasting” in the old farming/lumber area of Woodinville, there was a choice of going to Chateau Ste. Michelle, or Columbia Winery…the end. Now, there are over 45 wineries in the area, as well as some really incredible restaurants and inns, which makes Woodinville well worth an overnight. (Since [...] read more»

60 Days of New York wines for free! Upper class passengers using the Virgin Clubhouse at London’s Heathrow airport will be tempted to taste wines from New York State. Samples from Fingerlakes, Long Island and the Hudson Valley areas will be available for sixty days from June 22nd 2008. read more»

Colorado will never be Provence. Or Napa. Or even Walla Walla. But the state’s wine industry continues to mature and grow, making a stop at any of the summer’s wine-related festivals a lot of fun. Wineries throughout Colorado offer tastings at regular weekend farmer’s markets and the grape-focused food festivals that seem to pop up [...] read more»

So many California wines have been bought by East Coast or European conglomerates, I’ve lost track of who owns what. But this week, five well-known Golden State wineries — Buena Vista Carneros (Sonoma, established 1857), Geyser Peak (Alexander Valley), Atlas Peak (Sonoma), Gary Farrell Winery (Healdsburg) and XYZin Wines (Geyserville) — were sold [...] read more»

One of my fave trade tastings each year is the Rieslings from Germany. Unfortunately, most of these incredible wines never see the light of day in the States. On the rare occasions that I do spy one on the menu and try to order it, I usually get the same comment from my (riesling ignorant) [...] read more»

What is it about dogs and wine that goes so well together? Maybe good taste and big hearts bring out the best in those of us who love both a Cab and a Lab. I’ve written before about the Dog Lovers Wine Club (www.dogloverswineclub.com) that sells California wines with dog art labels to support animal shelters [...] read more»