In the mid-1990s I was first introduced to the wines of Quilceda Creek, one of the early producers in Washington’s Columbia Valley. Julie was representing a client in a case in Seattle and she brought home a bottle. We just did not understand what we had. A year or two later, our friend Steve Hamm, a wine professional for 35+ years who I have mentioned in previous articles, hosted a ten-vintage vertical tasting of Quilceda Creek. None of us who were there, including Steve, can put a finger on exactly when the tasting was or which vintages were involved. But…
This is the first of a two-part series on Ohio wines, featuring last weekend’s North Market Ohio Wine Festival in Columbus, and some of my Ohio wine travels. There is so much history, and so many questions yet to be answered about where Ohio wines are going that this piece would be too long if I were to include it all. This article will look more broadly at the industry that is Ohio wine. Next time, I will review a number of Ohio wines that I would gladly recommend. __________________________________________________________ For a long time I have believed that there are…