Wine & Words

King Estate is located southwest of Eugene, Oregon near the town of Lorane. The 1,033-acre certified organic estate (including 465 acres of organic vineyards, as well as 30 acres of fruits, vegetables, and flowers) provides a spectacular mountain vineyard site with elevations ranging from 800 to 1,100 feet and cool, prevailing northwest winds that moderate vineyard temperatures.
 
Read more ››

We've carried Four Sisters Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for several years, and they've attracted a loyal following of customers who find them well-made and reliable at an affordable price.  In April 2009, we introduced the Four Sisters Merlot.  At that time I wrote, "Wow! It's just what you'd expect from an Australian Merlot.
Read more ››

It's hard to be a "locavore" in downeast North Carolina. Our agricultural production runs more toward commodities like cotton, corn and soybeans than to small, sustainable, well-integrated family farming operations. That's not so, however, in the North Carolina Piedmont, just over 100 miles west of us. That's where we find the Chapel Hill Creamery.
 
Read more ››

If you go to the "Press+Trade" page of Charles Smith's website you're confronted with hip videos of Charles himself. I wasn't impressed - the Nirvana t-shirt, the "shades," the aging hippy long hair, the rock 'n roll allusions. As he takes you through his vineyards, everything is "hot" or "cool." It's a good thing I tasted his wines before I saw the marketing persona.
 
Read more ››

One of the things I like about Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, my favorite indie bookstore, is that they have little cards describing "Staff Favorites." These mini reviews show that the staff love books and actually read the books that they sell in the store. Well, since I'm not ready yet to start introducing new wines of the year to our Wine & Words stores, I thought I'd do a "staff favorites" from our Washington and Belhaven points of view.
 
Read more ››