The red volcanic hill where modern Oregon Pinot Noir began — Jory soil, the first plantings, and the day Burgundy moved in next door.
The Dundee Hills AVA: Birthplace of Oregon Pinot Noir 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 »
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 »
The true, sourced story of the Valley’s first vineyards: Lett’s 1965 Corvallis nursery, Coury beside him, the 1966 moves to Dundee and Forest Grove, Erath’s 1969 Chehalem Mountain Vineyard, and Hyland in 1971.
The Earliest Vineyards in the Willamette Valley Read More »
A wine trip isn’t a beach holiday or a city break — it has its own rhythm of gravel paths, cool cellars, warm afternoons, and bottles you’ll want to bring home. Here’s how to pack for it. KWWritten & edited by Ken Wytsma, Wine History ToursWillamette Valley wine-tour hosts Wine country rewards a little planning.
What to Pack for Your Next Wine Vacation Read More »
A History of Wine Tasting Wine tasting has been around as long as the history of wine itself. While tasting is an obvious part of wine drinking, the specific practice of wine tasting as a group or for purposes of evaluation and critique has developed in various ways throughout history. Below we will look at
A History of Wine Tasting Read More »
Great wine does not have to be expensive. Some of the most rewarding bottles in the world come from historic regions that, for reasons of fashion rather than quality, remain wonderfully affordable. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified Price and quality are
The Most Affordable Fine Wine Regions Read More »
Red wine gets the glory, but the world’s greatest whites can be every bit as profound — and they come from a handful of cool, luminous places where freshness and minerality reign. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified For the white wine
The Best Wine Regions for White Wine Lovers Read More »
Two and a half centuries before the French invented the appellation, a Portuguese statesman drew a line around a river valley, marked it with granite pillars, and created the world’s first regulated wine region — to protect a wine the British could not stop drinking. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched
The Magnificent Douro Valley as a Wine Tasting Region Read More »
Wine Tasting and Tours FAQs Are you planning a visit to a winery or wine region in the near future? If so, you probably have a few questions regarding logistics, wine tasting, or even how to act on a wine tour. Here is a list of the most common FAQs people ask us regarding wine
Wine Tasting and Tours FAQs Read More »