During a recent visit to Fletcher Bay Winery on Bainbridge Island, owner and winemaker Jim Wilford and marketing director Brook Huffman talked about many things, since the winery was growing a lot and things were changing. For example, they have upped their overall case production from 850 to about 1,500 total gallons. Of those, 1,150 […]
Nick Tomassi, (in memoriam)
Having made his home in the Pacific Northwest in 1950, Nick Tomassi was trained as an engineer, receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Portland, Oregon, and a master's degree from the University of Southern California. He retired in Kitsap County as a civilian test engineer for the Navy in 1988. His passion for wine led to teaching wine appreciation classes in Kitsap County in 1992. In 1994, he began writing a wine and beer column for the Kitsap Sun newspaper and later wine and beer articles for Wine Press Northwest Magazine.
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The Wine Cabinet — White Wine and Some Recipes for the Summertime
Many of my readers prefer red wine, but this column is devoted to white wine for summertime. It’s time to think of summer entertaining and there’s nothing more refreshing than white sangria. White sangria is a dry white wine that has sweet fruit added to it. Look for a dry, crisp and unoaked white wine. […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Late Harvest, Ice and Port Wines
St. Valentine’s Day is always a special day at our house for a number of reasons: It’s the day we celebrate love, especially love of family because it was my father’s birthday. Marrying my wife was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life; we raised four lovely daughters and two sons; both sons […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Washington State Port Wines: An Excellent Gift for Thanksgiving and Christmas
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving or Christmas gift to give a wine lover, take a look at the many port wines made by our excellent Washington state wineries. In the United States, there is a problem calling wines “ports” because it is a geographical name. An agreement signed in March 2006 between the United […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Storing Wine
A reader recently asked, “What is the proper way to store wine that you intend to hold for some time?” Right after moving from Bremerton to Silverdale in 1998, another reader emailed me and asked if I knew anyone who was interested in a 50-bottle wine cooler he wanted to sell. My wife, Kathy, and […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Riesling Wine
Appreciation for riesling wines has never been as enthusiastic as one would expect. Its lack of popularity has confounded its winemakers as much as its history. The riesling vine is said to be traced back to Germany and the year 1435. Throughout the history of riesling, there are numerous writings about this grape, mostly coming […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Organic Wine
There appears to be an ongoing debate in the world of wine, and not just a little confusion, surrounding the terms “organic wine” and “wine made from organically grown grapes.” The same might be said about the terms “organic farming,” “sustainable agriculture” and “biodynamic farming methods.” Each winemaker, grower or farmer must abide by certain […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Choosing the Right Sparkling Wine
As the Christmas and New Year holidays approached, I started scanning the shelves of local stores for Champagne and sparkling wines. My goal is to decide which of the many available options are great choices for dinners we plan with family and friends. Readers may remember that Champagne comes from the Champagne region of France, […]
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The Wine Cabinet — The Italian Influence on Washington Wine, Part 2
Bert Pesciallo, whose father immigrated from Genoa, Italy, in 1900, doesn’t remember when he became interested in the winery business. He was pretty young and following in his father’s footsteps. “Things just happened naturally at that time, when you are a teenager and you grow up with it,” he said. “My interest and curiosity grew […]
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