Wine has a will of it’s own. It is a living, breathing entity that has, in my opinion, an agenda – to nourish and make us happy.  Many of us drink wine simply because it complements our food.   We also include wine in many of the activities and events that mean the most to us each day – gathering with family & friends, celebrations and religious ceremonies to name a few.  Let’s face it – drinking wine makes us feel good, but it’s much more than that. This blog will show you that wine is not just a means to an end…

My name is Kris Blondin and I am an Oenophile [ee-nuh-fahyl], a person who enjoys and studies wine.  I enjoy wine and all of its brilliant colors and complexity so much that I have dedicated my career to it.   Over the course of more than 20 years I have owned and operated two restaurant/wine bars in Tacoma, WA – Vin Grotto Café & Wine Bar and STINK Cheese-Meat & El Tufo Wine Bar.  I have worked for a wine and beer distributor where I had the pleasure of working with restaurants and retail shops to assist them in building thoughtful, meaningful wine portfolios for their customers.  My writing career has been wine & food focused as well.  I have contributed articles to Culture Magazine and was a contributing Columnist for The Weekly Volcano where I authored “The Dirty Dish” and “Grocery Stories”.  I conduct cooking demonstrations and food & beverage pairing seminars for organizations like the Tacoma Farmer’s Market, Gig Harbor Food & Wine Festival, Tacoma Community College, Metro Parks of Tacoma and the Tacoma Holiday Food and Gift Festival.