An aerospace engineer who designed rockets, co-founded Oregon’s first craft brewery, and refined a Pinot Noir technique that traveled all the way to Burgundy.
Dick Ponzi: The Rocket Engineer Behind Oregon Pinot (and Its First Brewery) Read More »
A New York book editor who traded publishing for Pinot — and imported the Dijon clones that quietly remade Oregon wine.
David Adelsheim: The Editor Who Brought Burgundy’s Clones to Oregon Read More »
Oregon’s smallest AVA: a single island of a ridge, one soil top to bottom, and Pinot Noir far bigger than its 500 acres.
Ribbon Ridge AVA: Oregon’s Smallest, Most Singular Appellation Read More »
Wine can feel like a subject with a thousand doors and no obvious way in. The good news: a few well-chosen books will take you from nervous to confident faster than you’d think. KWWritten & edited by Ken Wytsma, Wine History ToursWillamette Valley wine-tour hosts Everyone starts somewhere. If you’ve ever stared at a wine
Best Wine Books for Beginners: Our Top Picks! Read More »
That whisper of vanilla and spice in a good red? It often comes not from the grape but from the barrel. Here’s what oak actually does — and what really happens as a wine ages. KWWritten & edited by Ken Wytsma, Wine History ToursWillamette Valley wine-tour hosts Aging is where wine is shaped after fermentation
Barrels and Beyond: The Science and Art of Aging Wine Read More »
The most famous story in wine — a monk crying “I am drinking stars!” — is almost entirely a myth. The true history of Champagne is stranger, and features an English scientist and a widow who changed the drink forever. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources,
Bubbling Over: The History and Impact of Champagne Read More »
“Wine is bottled poetry,” wrote Robert Louis Stevenson — and for three thousand years, poets and painters have agreed, reaching for the glass whenever they wanted to talk about pleasure, power, and what it means to be mortal. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI
Bottled Poetry: Wine in Literature and Art Through the Ages Read More »
Wine tasting rituals are an integral component of the vinicultural experience, and have evolved over the years to embrace both the cultural traditions of old and the ever-developing innovations of technological advancements. From the ancient Greeks offering libations to their gods to futuristic sommeliers aided by artificial intelligence, wine tasting has always been far more
Sip by Sip: The Evolution of Wine Tasting Rituals Read More »
The Middle Ages gave wine two of its most enduring gifts: the monks who first understood that where a wine grows changes everything — and a royal marriage that turned Bordeaux into England’s cellar. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified It is
Casks and Kings: Wine in the Medieval Era Read More »
The Swiss make excellent wine on some of the steepest vineyards in Europe — and then drink almost all of it themselves. It is one of the wine world’s best-kept secrets. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified Ask a traveler to name
A History of Wine in Switzerland Read More »