Javier Alfonso makes very good wines under the Pomum label. He's from Spain, and suggests that eastern Washington is the best place in the US for Spanish grape varieties. He's quoted in this article about the Taste Washington event.

I love what Abacela is doing in southern Oregon, but why not plant more Spanish grapes in Washington? How about some old vine Garnacha?

Spring!

It's been a tough winter: Record rainfall and cooler than normal, with more snow thrown in than we usually see. So it's a welcome transition to Spring flowers. Pictured is a wild plum that produces small, bronze-red, very tasty plums.

Wine snobbery versus lower-cost wines

This excellent opinion piece from the New York Times makes the argument that while wine snobbery is at an all-time high, the quality of cheap wines is closer to the quality of very fine wines than it has ever been. This is due to vast increases in winemakers' skills and toolsets.

The average price of a bottle of wine drunk in the US now is $10. I have long believed that it isn't necessary to pay $30, $50, or $100 to get a fantastic bottle of wine. Studies show that even if you work really hard to waste money, it's difficult for a winery to have fixed and variable costs greater than about $25 per bottle, so when you see prices of $125 for an Oregon Pinot, you are paying at least $100 profit PER BOTTLE to the winery's lucky owner. Meanwhile, there are countless (truly a vast number) of $20-and-under wines that are just as good. Wow.