In America, you'll find viognier from the central coast region of California. Although the acreage planted with viognier grapes in Oregon (a mere 210 acres in 2011 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture) makes it one of the rarer grape varieties in the state, a growing number of Oregon winemakers are turning out wonderful viognier

The Washington state House has passed a pair of bills to make it easier for certain businesses to serve alcohol.

Kropf is president and founder of Mutineer Magazine, which explores fine beverages from wine to coffee to spirits.

The Oregon Winegrowers Association and southern and central Oregon wine associations are backing a bill they say protects against conflicts between farm uses and winery activities while allowing wineries to pursue revenue from on-site activities.

Why is Portland such a great wine city? Much less has actually been said about that. And yet Portland has lots of impressive restaurant wine lists and first-rate shops with interesting wines from all over the world.

For the first release of Seven Falls, Gore and his team made more than 50,000 cases of wine at Columbia Crest in Paterson. He made Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the 2010 vintage and Chardonnay from 2011. The wines are sold primarily at restaurants in Washington and Oregon and online at www.sevenfallswine.com.

Recent research indicates Oregon can boast at least 39 head winemakers who are female, and yet that represents only about 10 percent of those all-important jobs within the state's wine industry

Wine grape growers could save 50% on new sprayers or retrofits

Charlie Hoppes, one of Washington's veteran vintners and Fidelitas owner and winemaker, announced plans today to devote Fidelitas to making Red Mountain wines exclusively, promising singular focus on a diverse collection of vineyard-designated Bordeaux varieties and blends from Washington's smallest AVA.

Wine grape vines are waking up across Washington's Columbia Valley, and growers could not be more pleased.

Breweries and distributors are lobbying lawmakers to let the state's temporary beer tax increase expire

"The first time I worked with Red Mountain fruit was 2005," said Hoppes, who has been making Washington wine since the late 1980s. "I was restricted by the fact that the fruit was hard to come by."

When PBS NewsHour told the story of budding Walla Walla winemakers Jeremy Petty and Jody Middleton in a segment last September, the broadcast created one very happy ending. Almost immediately the two were flooded with requests from all over the country for wines from their J&J Vintners. But there was one hitch: The winery had not yet had its proper beginning.

Last fall, Washington grape growers harvested 35,900 tons of the noble Bordeaux grape, effectively doubling its output in the past decade. In fact, Cab is not far from being the state's No. 1 wine grape - trailing Chardonnay and Riesling by about 2,000 tons in 2012.

The production floor of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars turns into a festival for devotees of Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir

Amy Mumma, director of CWU's Institute of Wine, Beverages and Gastronomy, plans to settle in Aix-en-Provence

"Last week, we learned through a third party that other events were not receiving permits from the City of Portland. When we reached out to the venue, we were informed of the problem. We looked at over 40 venues as possible substitutes, but at this late date, it was impossible to find a suitable venue."

The owners of J&J Vintners, Jody Middleton (left) and Jeremy Petty, have a laugh together at their winery. It opened for the first time this weekend.

Two men from Walla Walla are using their college educations to start their own winery in Milton Freewater.

A recurring topic of conversation across the Pacific Northwest remains the need and opportunities to boost the region's wine profile-collectively, as well as each state's individual wine industry-with wine consumers.