I’ve just returned from an amazing five day visit to Washington State, where not only did I attend the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, but I was also one of 12 lucky winners of the WBC Or Bust contest with a plethora of pre and post conference activities. If you’re familiar with this site, you know I like to use photographs. Lots of them. At this moment I’m in the photo editing process and will probably be at it until at least tomorrow. I wanted to say the event was above and beyond all expectations. I hope the five days I spent there will help make this a more enjoyable and relevant place for you to visit. While I work on the photos, here are a few stories I thought you might enjoy from some of those who were a part of this great experience.

Lettie Teague from the Wall Street Journal gave one of the keynote speeches and brings a breath of fresh air to the party. Here’s her take on finding the right words to describe wine.

Joe Herrig publishes Suburban Wino and was part of a panel on Top Gun Blogging. He hails from Atlanta and we had a chance to visit on the bus ride back to Seattle from Walla Walla. He shares a few of his thoughts on the experience here.

Joe and Amy Power are from Houston and were two of the contest winners. Joe publishes Another Wine Blog and hopes Read more »

The anticipation is building. Minutes from now we will be tasting 12 red wines, with 5 minutes per wine to learn about, taste and write about each one. The tasting will begin in moments. I hope you’ll check back.

We’re beginning with a blind tasting. Beautiful deep color, interesting nose, I pick up some chocolate. This wine is smoky, big, chewy and finishes well. AOC travel guides, an iPad and iPhone app. We still don’t know what it is, but the app looks interesting. We’ll be told later what the wine is. Hmmmmmm. Aha! An Italian Lagrein, 2005 Nusserhof Sudtirol, priced around $20.

Dana and Manfred have poured us a 2nd wine, 2008 Sunce Mourvedre from the Russian River. Nice balance, bright.

Lisa from Jordan is pouring a 2006 Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I’m a Cab fan and this one is hitting the right notes. A lingering finish, fruit forward, blended with Merlot, Petit Verdot and a splash of Malbec. You can probably find it for about $45. I would drink this wine again.

Here’s the first Washington Zinfandel I have seen. It’s Maryhill’s ’07 Columbia Valley Zin. Production is 3600 cases and this is priced at $14.95. Not a big nose, but it’s lovely on the tongue and I think an excellent value. Alcohol is 14.3, relatively low for a Zin.

Co Dinn is here from Hogue Cellars with their ’07 Genesis Meritage. It’s a blend of 49% Merlot, 44% Cab Sauv with a touch of Malbec and Cab Franc. The mouth feel is exceptional and at $16 I would jump all over this. A real winner!

Buty (pronounced “beauty”) Wines from Walla Walla is pouring the ’06 Rediviva Phinny Hill Vineyard blend. It’s 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Syrah. Case production is 3000. Great fruit on the nose and palate, with the Syrah really showing itself. $48.

Chad is here with Boomtown Cab with a little Syrah and Can Franc. This is Dusted Valley’s entry level wine priced at about $15. Not a lot of nose, but it sure tastes good and for the price you’d be hard priced to find a better value. I love fruit forward wines and this one works for me.

Katy has arrived from Gordon Brothers and is presenting their ’07 Merlot from Washington’s Columbia Valley. They’re the oldest estate fruit winery in Washington State. This state is producing some outstanding Merlots and I would rank this one as very good, especially at $20. They also grow cherries on their property. A family owned operation.

Nicholas Cole Cellars was founded in 2001 and is named for owner/winemaker Michael Neuffer’s children. The 2005 Camille is a Bordeaux blend with Merlot the primary grape. It’s a unique tasting blend, perhaps not my favorite, but I my be experiencing a bit of palate burn out. $35. This is a Walla Walla wine.

James Leigh Cellars’ Lynne Chamberlain has stopped by and is pouring her ’04 Cabernet Sauvignon. Another Walla Walla wine, Lynne is owner/viticulturist/winemaker. At $18.99, it’s a tasty wine. I want to visit her winery.

It’s time to visit Italy now and the ’07 Banfi “Balnero” Sangiovese blend. $35 +, alcohol content at between 13 and 14%. I like the nose, but this wine may be better suited for food. Not wild about it by itself.

New and exciting is what we’re promised for the final wine. Monthaven’s 2007 California Central Coast Cab comes in an octagonal silver 3 liter box and is priced at $24. The fruit comes from Paso Robles and Monterey. It’s not especially complex, but the price is right at about $6 per 750 liters.

Whew! We’re done. This is hard work!!!

I was looking for a graphic to add, but I decided just to share a few observations. Old  habits die hard. I’m learning a lot at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla. Being genuine is crucial. If you ever feel I’m not, call me on it. Please. This is all about passion. I like to tell people “if you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”

Sometimes I question my palate. People often tell me I have a very good one, and I think I can usually spot a good wine, but I think there are a lot of mediocre wines out there and I think it’s a shame. I want WINEormous to be the best platform I am capable of producing. It will constantly evolve. I depend on you to help keep me honest. Thanks.

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A first time for everything I’m at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla and Craig Camp from Cornerstone Cellars Napa has just poured us a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, their 1st of this varietal. 500 cases produced. Dry, crisp, elegant… Nice way to start.

Each winery has 5 minutes to tell us about each wine as we taste it. John Concannon has just joined us and has a 2008 “Conservancy” Chardonnay. He is a 4th generation Concannon. The winery has had a Concannon at the helm for 127 years. Priced under $15. Good value, food friendly, 13.5% alcohol.

Tom Lynch from Worthwhile Wine has brought us a 2009 South African “unwooded” Chardonnay from Neethlingshof. Great nose, good finish, one person at our table described it as complex. Again a value wine priced around $15. Enjoying the finish. Nicely balanced.

It’s time to pay a visit to Australia and taste a Verdelho from Molly Dooker called the Violinist. It retails at $25. 2.7% RS, but it doesn’t taste overly sweet. Molly Dooker is Ozzy slang for left handed. Sparky Phillips is the winemaker, wife Sara designs the labels. From Adelaide, Australia.

House Wine from Charles Smith of the Magnificent Wine Company. $13, a Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat blend designed as an affordable, everyday drinking wine. Faint nose, but easy drinking with good balance and a long finish. Comments at the table included caramel and orange.

Sonoma County is in the house with Dry Creek Vineyard’s ’09 Dry Chenin Blanc. No wood at all and no RS, but a beautiful representation of the varietal. A versatile wine, crisp and refreshing and at $13 won’t bite your wallet or pocketbook. What a nice summer wine!

We’re in the Walla Walla valley and L’Ecole No 41 is tasting us on their ’08 Columbia Valley Semillon. 11% Sauvignon Blanc has been blended in. It presents a subtle nose, but it’s anything but a meek wine. I can see drinking this with linguini and clams or sipping poolside in the summer. Average retail price $15.

We’re taking a taste of Mendocino County now with Parducci’s ’08 “Sustainable White”. I love this nose! Keep in mind this is live and it’s a challenge to listen, write and taste at the same time. Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and one other varietal. Yummy!

Pithy Little Wine Company is now pouring their ’09 Sangiovese Rose. They leave the skins on the juice and then blend in a little Syrah to add more color. “Jolly Rancher” watermelon is one description and it is apt. This $22 wine hails from San Luis Obispo, due west of Paso Robles.

It’s Ortman Family Wines time from Paso Robles and their ’07 Edna Valley Chardonnay. Another great nose. Nice and buttery, priced at around $22. Mathew Ortman says the Paso climate is ideal for this wine and loves the tropical notes. This is wine number 10 with 2 to go.

Oh my, here comes a box wine!!! It’s Pepperwood Grove’s “Big Green Box”. A Chardonnay blend from the famed Sebastiani family, I’m very pleasantly surprised by the quality. I may have to change my mind about box wines. At about $19 for 3 liters, this is hard to beat!

Okay, here we go, the final wine. This is Desert Wind’s ’09 Viogner from the Wahluke Slope, the hottest growing region in Washington State. The nose offers what I like about Viognier. It has very little time on oak, less than 10%. Again a great value and a wine I would jump on at $15.

I hope this has been as fun for you to read as it has been for me to write. Tomorrow we do live blogging with reds.

Wicked good. That’s an expression well familiar to anyone who has spent time in Maine. I spent nine days in this majestic state with fellow writers from the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) and I’m already itching to return. I arrived in Portland on a Wednesday evening and longtime friend Charlie Ross picked me up at the Jetport. Charlie and I became acquainted thirty years ago when we both lived on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He now manages the Portland Country Club. We grabbed a quick bite at The Porthole (steamers and chowder) and headed home. The next morning he gave me a tour of the Country Club, we had a great lunch at J’s on the waterfront, said our goodbyes and Read more »

Being with a group of writers from the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) in my home town for three days was an eye opening experience. It’s not often you get the chance to explore where you live as a visitor. That’s exactly what happened to me. Until this visit, I had never visited the ranch where Temecula Valley Olive Oil Company makes their oils. I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t even visited their gift shop and tasting room in Old Town. It’s the type of thing Read more »

Temecula Valley Olive Oil Company Ranch

A hot air balloon ride provided by D & D Hot Air Balloon Adventure was on the schedule for 5:30 Tuesday morning. Mother nature had other ideas. We slept in, grabbed a bite of breakfast and took for for Aguanga for a visit to the Temecula Valley Olive Oil Company Ranch. Owners Thom Curry and Catherine Pepe were on hand to welcome us and gave us great insights into the hows and whats of olive oil. Thom started as a winemaker and winery owner, and after several visits to Europe began developing a palate and appreciation for olive oil. He says he discovered that Read more »