The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Lisette Hrapmann is the Assistant Winemaker at Day Wines as well as the owner/winemaker of Fizzy Lizzy wines. Her ancestral method bubbly, called Swampwater, is a fine example of the rising interest...

Walla Walla winemaker Kelsey Itämeri makes an interesting pair of Sémillons, this one fermented and aged in stainless, the other in neutral wood. Both wines are 100% varietal from the same block at...

There are bargain wines and value wines, sometimes but not always the same. A bargain is a cheap bottle, generally under $10, often less. Value wines, on the other hand, can cost more, but it's what...

My brother is on a rafting trip in SE Oregon and was bemoaning the fact that no glass is allowed, so no wine could be brought. Not true, I told him. What you want is wine in a can. Of which there are...

Lone Birch is the low-cost brand from Airfield Estates (Airfield’s Dauntless red wine was featured last week). Lone Birch is another of their brands worth seeking out, especially for...

Wine grapes were first planted at what is now Airfield Estates back in 1967! Today the family farm includes 830 acres of wine grapes. Airfield Estates Winery was established in 2005 and produces some...

The Velvet Devil 2019/2020 Merlot The Velvet Devil is one of several low-cost and high-quality brands that Charles Smith rolled out as he began building his wine empire. The distinctive names and...

Portlandia Vintners has just released a pair of non-vintage bubblies. I particularly like this Syrah-based rosé. It’s not expensive for a traditional (Champagne) method sparkler – that is not a...

This popular southern French blend is a great introduction to a style that is the basis for many more expensive Walla Walla wines. The grapes used are some combination of Syrah, Grenache and...

You'll have to look far and wide to find better deals on decent wine than the 3-liter Black Box offerings.This new California-sourced Sauvignon Blanc replaces and upgrades the previous vintage from...

I spotted this on sale at Albertson’s and it seemed like to perfect entry to our reluctant spring. Most of the local rosés won’t be released for a bit, and few if any will be available for under...

I have long been a fan of Lujon's Cabernets, and this may be the best vintage yet. It's toasty and compact, fresh with lovely cherry fruit at its core. The fruit comes from Birch Creek and Spofford...

This affordable Cabernet from the talented duo of Charles (Smith) & Charles (Bieler) is principally sourced from Goose Ridge Ranch. Goose Ridge is a stone’s throw from Red Mountain, where Cabernets...

Ponzi (est. 1970) is one of a handful of wineries that launched the modern era of winemaking in the Willamette Valley. Although second gen winemaker Luisa Ponzi is still in charge of production, the...

If you follow classic Oregon Pinot Noir, you surely know the wines of Ken Wright, one of the most important vintners of the past 40 years. But you may not know this family brand, named for his two...

Fresh, crisp and fruity, this well-ripened wine is brimming with flavors of pear, cantaloup melon and hints of papaya. Though it's finished dry, the intensity of the fruit adds lingering suggestions...

Riesling all too often gets a bad rap because so many of us cut our wine-tasting teeth on cheap sweet junk masquerading as Riesling. But it's one of the world's greatest white wine grapes, and the...

Oregon's Rogue Valley wineries are a different breed from their northern cousins in the Willamette. The scenery is even more stunningly beautiful, the wineries more isolated, the climate warmer and...

The entry-level Pinot from Stoller is as good or better than many of the top Pinots of 25 years ago. That's a measure of state-wide progress as well as a reflection of the many good grape sources...

This is pure Walla Walla Syrah – rich and loaded with black fruits, along with notes of coffee, chicory, graphite and baker's chocolate. Without the usual co-fermention with Viognier there is...

Troon's history dates back to the 1970s, and new ownership wanted to honor that past by reviving this blended red. The spiral on the label expresses the Druid's connections to the mysteries, energy,...

This southern Oregon winery is a bit under-the-radar but well worth a visit if you are traveling through the Ashland area. All of their wines are well-made and fairly priced, and they do especially...

Founded in 1987, Argyle jump-started the current trend for Champagne-caliber sparkling wines in Oregon. Nothing is more festive on a holiday table than a bottle of great bubbly. There’s nothing...

The national wine press unfortunately branded the 2020 vintage as a failure in Oregon due to wildfire smoke. But as the wines have emerged, and I've tasted hundreds of them, it's clear that the 2020...

Always a reliable budget bottle, this version of The Jack draws upon some well-known Walla Walla and Columbia Valley vineyards (notably Lewis!) for its fruit. In the blend are small amounts of...