Home › Wine Regions

United States

Q&A with Caleb Foster, Winemaker at Buty Winery, Washington

by Michael Cervin

Throughout a winemaking career spanning two decades, three continents and with experience gleaned from working at wineries like Woodward Canyon, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Rapaura Vintners, and Bookwalter, Caleb Foster has established himself as one of Washington State’s best winemakers. As the winemaker for Buty, which he founded with his wife, Nina Buty Foster in 2000, he has created an acclaimed portfolio of Washington State wines that includes several pioneering blends, and are some of the defining wines of Washington winemaking.

Pinot Noir from Oregon's Willamette Valley: Foods to Pair With, and Meals that Call for, Willamette Valley Pinot

by Erin Brooks

Great Pinot Noir—the Holy Grail of winemakers from France to Australia and the US, and one of the most notoriously difficult grapes to grow. The thin-skinned varietal is susceptible to rot, viruses and diseases and needs a perfectly cool climate and exacting vineyard management to thrive. After the grapes are harvested the winemaker has plenty of decisions to make, including whether or not to fine and filter the wine, how much tannin the final product should have and choosing a precise regimen of oak aging, since Pinot’s delicate flavors can easily be masked by the flavors of wood. It’s easy to make a disappointing, thin-tasting wine from this grape, but really fine Pinot is the stuff of the gods and the combination of ripe fruit and spice flavors, low tannin and high acid make Pinot Noir one of the most food friendly wines in the world.

Baseball and Wine: Seattle Mariners

by Nancy Parode

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Seattle Mariners themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Mariners fan?

The Seattle Mariners first took the field in 1977, after the city's former baseball team, the Pilots, moved to Milwaukee.  The Mariners are owned by Nintendo of America and have the unfortunate distinction of never having played in a World Series.  Nevertheless, Mariners fans proudly stand by their team; fan loyalty is one of the team's greatest assets.

Football and Wine: Pittsburgh Steelers

by Nancy Parode

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Pittsburgh Steelers themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Steelers fan?

 Steeler Nation

 Wherever you go in the U. S., you will find fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In fact, the team is so popular that its fans are called the "Steeler Nation."  You can join Steelers fan clubs in nearly every major U. S. city, including Atlanta, Kansas City and Tampa.  Part of the reason for all of this enthusiasm is the team's long history; founded in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Steelers are the fifth-oldest National Football League team.  The main reason, however, for the Steelers' popularity with fans is the team's outstanding record.  No other team has won as many Super Bowls – six – as the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers' all-time roster includes some of the greatest names in professional football history: Ernie Stautner, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Lynn Swann, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, Jack Lambert, and, of course, current quarterback "Big Ben" Ben Roethlisberger.

Football and Wine: Dallas Cowboys

by Nancy Parode

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Dallas Cowboys themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Cowboys fan?

 Whether or not you hail from Texas, you probably know the Dallas Cowboys as "America's Team."  From coast to coast, you can buy Dallas Cowboys gear at retail stores, thanks to the team's enormous national fan base.  Although the Cowboys have their fair share of detractors, no one who follows professional football would dispute the claim that the Cowboys have proven that an expansion franchise can achieve legendary status.

The Dallas Cowboys came to life in 1960 as the first modern NFL expansion team, although they were originally called the Dallas Steers.  The name was quickly changed to Rangers, then to Cowboys when the new team's owners learned that the name "Rangers" was unexpectedly unavailable.  Coach Tom Landry built the Cowboys' program year by year, taking the team to its first NFL championship game in 1966 but losing to the Green Bay Packers.  The next year's NFL championship rematch against the Packers quickly became famous as the "Ice Bowl," played in freezing conditions with wind chills plunging below minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  The Cowboys lost Super Bowl V to the Colts in 1970, but came back the next year to win Super Bowl VI under the leadership of quarterback Roger Staubach.

Q&A with Winemaker Spencer Sievers and Jennifer Gregory, General Manager From Ash Hollow Estate Vineyards and Winery

Ash Hollow Estate Vineyards and Winery is a boutique winery focusing on producing ultra-premium quality wines. Located in the Walla Walla Washington Wine Country, they offer a fun take on wine during this Halloween season that can be enjoyed year round.  IntoWine recently caught up with Spencer Siever, Winemaker and Jennifer Gregory, General Manager from Ash Hollow to discuss winemaking and current trends.

Spencer Sievers, Winemaker: Ash Hollow Ash Hollow Estate Vineyards and Winery

What prompted you to pursue winemaking as a career? 

I was working at an illegal restaurant in Lawrence, KS and was introduce to some of the great wines of the world. I'd always been a big fan of wine, but it was a bottle of Penfolds Grange that really blew my mind. After some traveling with my family, we decided to try living in Portland for a bit, where I bought half a ton of grapes to ferment on my apartment. I fell in love!

Baseball and Wine: Washington Nationals

by Nancy Parode

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Washington Nationals themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Nationals fan?

The Washington Nationals may not be the newest team in Major League Baseball – that honor is shared by the Tampa Bay Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks – but when Liván Hernández threw the Nationals' first pitch on April 5, 2005, the team left its past behind forever.  The team first formed in 1969 as the Montreal Expos, but when the Expos moved to Washington, DC after the 2004 season ended, they quickly and wisely embraced their future in the U. S. capital, donning patriotic red, white and blue and displaying the signature "Curly W" everywhere.  In return, Washingtonians enthusiastically embraced them, building a classy new ballpark and patiently waiting out the team's rebuilding efforts.

Baseball and Wine: Houston Astros

by Nancy Parode

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Houston Astros themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Astros fan?

The Houston Astros team started its Texas baseball adventure as the Houston Colt .45s, definitely an appropriate name for a team from the Lone Star State.  Founded in 1962, the Colt .45s changed their name in 1965 when the team took up residency at the high-tech Houston Astrodome.  Highlighting Houston's connection with the space program, the Colt .45s became the Astros.  Fortunately, the team did not change its name when it moved again to newly-built Enron Field, now known as Minute Maid Park, in 2000.

Baseball and Wine: Pittsburgh Pirates

by Nancy Parode

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Pittsburgh Pirates themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Pirates fan?

 If you've ever met a Pittsburgh sports fan, you know that the city's identity is so closely aligned with its professional sports teams that an outsider could be forgiven for thinking that Pittsburgh wouldn't exist without them.  In fact, one of Pittsburgh's nicknames, "City of Champions," comes straight from its long history of winning teams.

Baseball and Wine: Texas Rangers

by Nancy Parode

What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Texas Rangers themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Rangers fan?

 If you've ever met a native Texan, you already know that residents of the Lone Star State love their state, its history, its culture and, especially, its sports teams.  Although the Texas Rangers are a transplant to the Lone Star State – the team began its Major League Baseball existence as the expansion Washington Senators team in 1961 – residents of the Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington metro areas have learned to love their baseball team.  Named for the world-famous Texas Ranger Division of law enforcement officers founded by Stephen F. Austin, the Rangers baseball team has transformed itself from losing transplant into a winning franchise.

Syndicate content