Great Wine - Great Buys - Your Store
About Wine / 02.03.2017

Deserved or not, wine has a reputation. Snooty. Pretentious. Elitist. Gary Grilli, the long-time wine steward at Walker Road Fred Meyer in Beaverton has a reputation also. It’s none of the above. Now in his 22nd year at the same store, Gary is one of the most down-to-earth people  you’ll ever meet. He’s the antithesis of a pushy salesman. “The last thing I want to be is ‘customer repellant’, Gary says. “I’ll help people if they want help. If not, I’ll leave them alone.” Most of Gary’s customers do tap into his expertise...

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All of Pat's Picks, Featured / 01.03.2017

Did you hear that explosion? It came from Oregon wine country. And the hits just keep on comin’. In 1970, there were 5 legit wineries in Oregon. Now, there are over 700 with more on the way. Californians have contributed to the rapid growth by coming north and staking a claim. But no need to go down to Ashland and build a wall. Some of the influx from the south has been positive. Take La Crema. The California-based mega-producer bought vineyards in Dundee a couple of years ago. Now, they’re producing a very tasty...

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All of Pat's Picks / 01.03.2017

The descriptors include the words “presence and persistence”. Are they talking about a  wine? Or Tom Brady? In this case, Wine Spectator is indeed talking about 2015 Intrinsic Cabernet. “The texture is rustic with a savory and inviting finish.” How’s that for flowery wine talk? I can’t wax that poetic but I can tell you that in the around-$20-cabernet-category, there’s a lot more bad than good. This 100% Washington cabernet is an exception. Personally, I wish it had just a touch more character but overall, it’s a good wine, a nice value and...

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