PORTLAND — It is known as the City of Roses for its annual Rose Festival and abundance of rose gardens, but considering its proximity to Oregon and Washington state's great wine regions — and the selection of wineries, wine shops and fine dining — maybe Portland could also be called the City of Rosés. And Reds. And Whites. Although City of Pinot Noir would be closest to the truth.

Our 10th annual Platinum Judging was remarkable in many ways.

Be honest. If you read this magazine, life must not be treating you too poorly.

A decade ago, I began thinking about how we could come up with a year-end list of top wines from the Pacific Northwest. For ages, wine writers have come up with their "best of the year" columns and national magazines have put together "top 100" lists.

A report some months ago in the Journal of Wine Economics strongly implied that the results of wine competitions were more likely to be random than replicate-able evaluations of professional palates.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright. But for Northwest cooks, succulent shellfish, heavy meat and game dishes and rich desserts paired with the proper wines make our holiday seasons bright.

Chenin Blanc was the wine that helped hook me on drinking something better than jug wine. Now, it seems to have almost disappeared. Where can I find some good Northwest examples?

Soon, hot bodies in cold weather will be descending on our neighbor to the north, and if you have a front-row seat, clearly 2010 is off to a great start!

For years, people entering downtown Walla Walla, Wash., from Highway 12 drove past the secretive winery and wondered when it would open.

It's a compliment when a wine is said to have good legs; this wine has three of them.

When you have an entire book about your state, you know you've arrived in the wine world.

A couple of years ago, I was asked to give an impromptu wine-tasting demonstration to a group of friends.

Finding bargain-priced wines among gold-medal awards may seem like a foolish pursuit for old Bargain Bob, but I've come up with some dandy nuggets.

It was a year of extremes in two Northwest wine-growing regions and a rather normal year for two others.

By any name, Port-style wines are fascinating. And in the Pacific Northwest, more and more wineries are making these rich, age-worthy, high-alcohol, sweet wines.

Celilo Restaurant

Maryhill Winery, voted Wine Press Northwest's 2009 Washington Winery of the Year, celebrated its 10th vintage this fall.

Reds