When I decided to write about the Italian influence on Washington wine, I looked at it as just another story about wine. My wife, Kathy, and I traveled to Eastern Washington to meet with and interview the descendants of those early Italian pioneers. We visited the men and a number of the sites they told […]
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 — Sweet Wines
A wine is rendered sweet due to its residual sugar (RS) content. Sweet wines are usually named ice, late harvest, fortified or dessert wines and can be either red or white. The wines selected herein can be found in many of the local wineries and local stores. When grapes are brought in from harvest, they […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Sparkling Wines
There are a wide variety of sparkling wines made throughout the world. Lets first establish the idea of champagne vs. sparkling wine. Sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it comes from the region of Champagne, which is just outside of Paris. Further, champagne can only be made using chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Slaughter County Brewing Co.
Before starting his Slaughter County Brewing Co., Scott Kirvan had been home-brewing for about 30 years. “That’s how I got started, and Slaughter County Brewery is my first time doing professional brewing,” he said. “‘Been doing this, at this location, for about two and a half years now.” Part of those 30 years he was […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Origins of the Names of Wine
I have been curious about the origin of wines and their names since I began writing about wine in 1988, so I decided to start researching the information. Here is the first look, along with some tasting notes, so be prepared for more in the future. Cabernet Sauvignon The word “sauvignon” is believed to be […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Bainbridge Vineyards
Bainbridge Vineyards is the new name of what was once Gerard and JoAnne Bentryn’s Bainbridge Island Winery and Vineyards, located at the same address. The winery closed in 2009 following the Bentryns’ retirement. Ms. Betsey Wittick and a group of volunteers maintained the vineyards to keep the grapes alive while the winery was closed from […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Slippery Pig Brewery
The grand opening of The Slippery Pig Brewery in Poulsbo in June saw a huge amount of excited craft-brew lovers pack the brewery rooms. These were people who enjoy the craft-beer trade and knew that Slippery Pig beers were some of the best in the area. When the doors on both sides of the brewery […]
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The Wine Cabinet — Riesling Wine
Riesling is a white grape variety that is said to have originated in the Rhine region of Germany. It is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semisweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. The wines are usually varietally pure and are seldom […]