Tannin, malolactic, cuvée, brut, lees… wine has a language all its own. Here’s a plain-English glossary of the terms worth knowing — grouped by where you’ll meet them. KWWritten & edited by Ken Wytsma, Wine History ToursWillamette Valley wine-tour hosts Wine talk can feel like a secret code. But most of the vocabulary falls into
Winemaking Terms and Their Meaning Read More »
The most demanding grape in the world will only make great wine in a handful of cool, carefully chosen places. Here is where on earth Pinot Noir truly thrives — and why. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified Because Pinot Noir is
Top Pinot Noir Growing Countries Read More »
When Lynn Penner-Ash arrived in Oregon in 1988, the state had fewer than fifty wineries and no female head winemaker. She changed both facts — and the way the valley farms Pinot. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified Every wine region has
Lynn Penner-Ash: The Female Wine Pioneer Who Revolutionized the Oregon Wine Industry Read More »
Italians have welcomed travelers to the table for millennia. But the modern idea of touring a country by its vineyards — open cellars, wine roads, farm stays — is surprisingly recent, and Italy built it almost from scratch. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI
The History of Wine Tourism in Italy Read More »
Two grapes, a thousand tiny vineyards, and centuries of monks obsessing over which slope makes the best wine — Burgundy is the spiritual home of Pinot Noir, and worth every bit of the puzzle. KWWritten & edited by Ken Wytsma, Wine History ToursPinot Noir tour hosts, Oregon Burgundy, in eastern France, is holy ground for
Self-Guided Wine Tour of Burgundy Read More »
At the bottom of the world, ringed by mountains and glacial lakes, the planet’s southernmost vineyards make Pinot Noir of extraordinary intensity — in some of the most dramatic scenery in all of wine. KWWritten & edited by Ken Wytsma, Wine History ToursPinot Noir tour hosts, Oregon Central Otago, on New Zealand’s South Island, sits
Self-Guided Wine Tour of Central Otago New Zealand Read More »
Every vineyard in the Willamette Valley grows on Kalapuya homeland. Long before the first vine, this was their country — and it is a history worth knowing before you raise a glass here. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified It is easy,
Willamette Valley and Native Land Read More »
In barely fifty years, a country better known for sheep became one of the most exciting wine nations on earth — on the strength of a single, unforgettable white and a Pinot Noir grown almost at the bottom of the world. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent
Touring New Zealand Wine Country Read More »
Rolling hills stitched with cypress and vine, hilltop towns that have not changed in five centuries, and in every glass a piece of history. This is how to see the wine country of Tuscany. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified If there
A day of wine tasting is one of life’s great pleasures — and a few small essentials make it smoother, safer, and more memorable. Here are the ten things we’d never head out without. KWWritten & edited by Ken Wytsma, Wine History ToursWillamette Valley wine-tour hosts Whether you’re spending the day in Oregon’s Willamette Valley
Top 10 Wine Essentials for Wine Tasting Read More »