So, you would think that by now I would know not to be so easily taken in by the word “winery” in the name of a winery. [Haha!!] By this, I mean that when I find out about a new winery, I get all excited about going for a wine tasting... but then sometimes when I get there, I find out that they do not actually serve wine like the wine I am used to tasting. I’m usually not too disappointed, though, because it is still a new experience and I always have fun; there simply is no

Remember how I was telling you in last week’s blog that I was debating whether I was even going to write about my next wine tasting?? I’m going to be honest and start off by saying the reason I hesitated was becuase I didn’t want to offend anyone. With a winery name like Naughti Wines, I’m sure you can imagine why I might think such a thing. But, as you can see… I decided to go ahead and write about it. I mean, I did stop for a wine tasting here, and this is a wine blog!! You

I found this little winery not far from the campground where we were staying while we were in town visiting Mt. Rushmore. If you explore the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota it will eventually lead you to Prairie Berry Winer!! They have the best location with fabulous views from the tasting patio, steeped in history going back to the 1870’s. Why don’t we take a quick walk down memory lane, all the way back to 1876 when Anna Pesa Vojta and her husband Jon emigrated to the

Welcome back to Montana!! By now, we are about halfway through our summer in Driggs, Idaho, and my involuntary winery sabbatical. [Hahaha!!] Do not feel sorry for me, though… what an amazing summer it has been so far!! The time off from the operating room, the views, the outdoor activities, and the ballooning are all just what the doctor ordered. Plus, there is still wine available and places around to drink wine, just no tasting rooms or vineyards in the area. I have survive

We are on the road again!! Whoop whoop!! As you know, we are headed to a new location this summer, Driggs, Idaho. As you also may know (since I mentioned it when we went to a new location last summer HA!!) that when we go to a new location, we usually travel a different route, and that leaves things wide open to discover new and never-seen-before wineries!! Hahaha!! Y'all know what a wino I am, and that I am always on the lookout. I do my due diligence and research the areas

I had no idea when we decided to check out D.A. Ranch Vineyard that its humble beginnings were as an actual working cattle ranch. The story is quite interesting, with its history going back to the 1870s. This is around the time when the first settlers were starting to arrive in the Verde Valley area. Around 1910 [and I love this part] a pioneer woman by the name of Gertrude Gates bought 360 acres here and named it Delta Alpha Ranch, better known today as D.A. Ranch. Gertrude

As I mentioned last week, I loved the wines from Birds and Barrels. To visit their vineyard was the sole reason we planned this little camping weekend to Wilcox. I had no idea how amazing it was going to be here, or how many vineyards were in this area!! I also did not that Wilcox was Arizona’s second, and largest established AVA in 2016. [I didn’t even know what AVA meant!! LOL] Sonoita was first in 1984, and Verde Valley joined the ranks in 2021. AVA means American Viticult

Holy wine tastings, Batman… can you believe this week marks Wine with Wixy’s 100th wine blog!? Where does the time go!? You know what they say… "wine flies when you're having fun" [meaning hours feel like minutes when you are fully engaged in an enjoyable activity, making time seem like it is passing much faster.. Haha!!] And let me tell you, it sure has been a fun ride!! [so far] It’s the perfect time to write about the General Store, known as The Wilcox Commercial Building.

Carlson Creek has always been my favorite Scottsdale Wine Trail tasting room. [seen in the photo below] Not only do I enjoy their wines, but the tasting room is also so comfortable to hang out in, and the staff is so fun and engaging. I always make sure I get a taste of my favorite wine, Rule of Three. I’m not sure if it is because it’s so good or if I just love the story behind how it got its name. Rule of Three… a beautiful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah but

As I mentioned last week, we are heading down to Willcox, Arizona to visit a few vineyards of wineries I have really enjoyed at various Wine and Art Festivals. Since Willcox is about three hours South of our place, we decided to take the Motorhome and make a weekend of it!! Totally Shawn’s idea but isn’t it grand!? The city of Willcox is a historic little town known for their Farms, Ranches, Orchards and Vinyards!! Willcox is in the Coronado National Forest, which brings us t

I saw an ad on Facebook about becoming a wine cause entrepreneur. I was intrigued, I mean I buy and drink wine, so why not make some money while doing it?? All the while supporting a good cause [of my choice] with a portion of the sales!? It really sounds too good to be true, the wine must not be very good right?? So, before I was going to tell a single soul what I was going to try next.. I needed to sign up and get my wine kit [pictured below] to taste this wine before I tol

Well, at least I have always thought of Postino as a wine bar anyways, but no memory is ever perfect. [especially mine!! LOL] In fact, no timeline is ever perfect either. I was wracking my brain to try and remember how I found out about Postino, and to figure out which location I visited first. I then realized [with the help of my FB posts] that I have visited Postino years before, like in 2002 [and probably several times in between] with my very good friend Katrina Kaczmarek

Happy New Year and welcome back to the Scottsdale Wine Trail!! Now I have been on this particular wine trail multiple times, but I have also been to many of the wineries independently. Key stops along the trail include… Aridus Wine Company, [which I bumbled through in last weeks blog.. LOL] Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, Carlson Creek Tasting Room, LDV Winery Tasting Room, Merkin Vineyards , Salvatore Vineyards Tasting Room, and The Wine Collective of Scottsdale. Now, a coupl

Remember how I said this week was going to be a little “off” ?? well… maybe I am the one who is a little off!! Hahaha!! I mean, I have visited a lot of places and tasted a lot of wine, but I do not remember [which is the problem-LOL] ever totally forgetting a tasting. The date, the location, the building, the wine. It is almost even a little bit embarrassing that looking back at my photos still doesn’t jog even the slightest of memories!! Is wine amnesia a thing!? I have even

So, last week I mention “a newly rediscovered tasting room." The reason I said that is because Shawn and I visited Cooper’s Hawk Winery back in 2001. I think the main reason was to get lunch or dinner [I can’t remember which] and even though it was pretty good, that was the only time I was there… until a couple weeks ago!! [February 2026] I don’t think, at the time I was a huge fan of their wines either. However, with several years to condition my palate [Haha] it turns out t

Hello from Albuquerque!! We are just making a quick pitstop this year as we head back to Phoenix for the winter. It’s pretty amazing how many friends we have made here over the years and it’s always so fun to catch up with as many of them as possible when we’re passing through!! I do not know if y’all have been formerly introduced to Amanda Rae Warren [pictured in the last photo] yet or not, but she has made several appearances in multiple wine blogs in the past. The at home

I’ve always felt like I’m so lucky to meet and know so many wonderful people due to my travels. Let me introduce another travel nurse friend, Natalie Marr!! I actually met Natalie for the first time back in 2019 when I was on assignment at University of Washington. She was part of the permanent staff, but we worked different shifts, so we were kind of more like acquaintances back then. When I got to Spokane and started working at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital we were [re]intro

As I mentioned last week, we are still in Kalispell, Montana where my friend Deb, and I have found another winery to visit!! I don’t have to tell you since you can see if from the photo below, but we are big wine fans… hahaha!! Aren’t these just the cutest? I mean for those of you who even remember what a paper “fan” like this is actually looks like and is used for. I am pretty sure this is a quick stop; it is either in between am and pm hot air balloon flights or maybe it is

Wine with Wixy has been visiting the Glacier National Park area [Kalispell Montana to be exact] for the last couple of years, usually for one week during the summer. You see our friends, who I have talked about before, the Flying Flanagans summer in this area and it’s that time of year again!! [for us to go for a visit!!] It is kind of a vacation, but we do take our balloon along with us, and we have often flown a couple of flights while we are here so maybe a “workcation” wo

Soooo, I may have said that this week my blog was going to be about a road trip to Montana, BUT long story short... I was wrong!! LOL This week, Wine with Wixy will be telling you about a different road trip, one with my very good friend, Katie Gordy!! Katie came up to visit us in Spokane, and we revisited many of the wineries that I have already talked about this summer. However, part of our EPIC adventure included a trip to Cannon Beach, on the Oregon Coast. [you may rememb

What to do when you have the day off , the air quality is poor, and you’re looking for something to stay indoors!?? You find and try out new wineries!! Haha!! Since coming to Spokane area, I have loved walking around the Riverfront. Not only did I think it was beautiful, but there were is also an upper and lower falls, as well as numerous shops. It was in the shops that I found several tasting rooms, though I will only be blogging about one… Nectar Wine and Beer!! It was a pr

Anyone who truly knows me or has ridden with me in the car, knows how dependent I am on my GPS. If you look up “directionally challenged” in the dictionary, there is probably a photo of me!! Haha!! As dependent as I am… GPS sometimes steers me wrong, it is not always 100% accurate, you know!? That is the case on this particular day. I feel like because the winery was in an alley [which I didn’t know prior to going, even though the address was Railroad Alley!!] it was hard for

Due to my love for wine and wine tastings, every time we take a road trip [wether it’s a day trip, a long weekend, or changing our home base location… it doesn’t matter] I always do a little research to see if there is a winery that is on our route. Or at least one not too far out of the way. LOL!! I especially love when I can find a place that we have not been to before!! Sometimes I get lucky and hit the mother lode of three or more wineries in the area. There is usually, a