New Packaging Materials As Diverse As Wine Inside

Wine labels used to be as austere as fine Chablis, and bottles as heavy as one of Babe Ruth’s bats. The aura was highly classical, with labels displaying coats of arms, Renaissance-style lettering, and lines as fine as those inscribed by monks wearing dark robes and wielding goose-quill pens.

And then came the wind-down of the 20th century.

Area North of St. Louis Pushing Organic Food, Wine

Bald eagles are regular winter visitors to Clarksville, Missouri, some 70 miles north of St. Louis, where a working lock for river traffic keeps the water open and the birds well-fed. The area may seem unlikely as an epicenter of organic food and wine, but a handful of locals are pushing the envelope to make that transformation.

Christening the Missouri with a Missouri Wine

When a bottle of Stone Hill 2001 Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine was broken across the bow of the U.S.S. Missouri recently, it was not only a tribute to the winemaker, the winery and the state of Missouri, but also a nod to history.

Galatoire’s

That was the system, we recalled. One course at a time. Finish the course, think about the next, talk about it, order it. A perfect way to turn a dinner into a celebration, to have an opportunity to chat, to observe the people in the dining room, even to join in to a couple of choruses of “Happy Birthday.” We didn’t leave until nearly 10 p.m., comfortably filled but not stuffed.

2006 Joseph Phelps Insignia

A producer’s sample of a wonderful Napa red wine, 95 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 percent Petit Verdot from a half-dozen estate-owned vineyards.  A rich, plummy aroma and flavors of dark fruit and coffee make this a superior example of California wine at its best, with perfect balance and a long, robust finish, thanks to 24 [...]

Harvest Report: Missouri

All went well for grape-growing through spring and summer in Missouri, but uncooperative weather in September and October threw the state a curve, and while the whites and some of the red grapes came through swimmingly, the state’s most highly regarded grape, Norton, was so slow to ripen that some were still hanging on the vines in late October.

Texas Wines

DALLAS – Okay, let’s deal with the bad pun first. . . . The Wines of Texas Are Upon You Photo courtesy of The Last Best West And they were—some excellent, most good, a few not up to par—during a recent weekend wine event in Dallas. The Texas Department of Agriculture and some local groups, including the Le Cordon [...]

2007 Kracher Pinot Gris

With considerably more flavor and body than many American and Italian versions of this light, fruity wine, there’s quite a pedigree in the bottle. Alois and Gerhard are grandfather and grandson, respectively, but Alois Jr., who died two years ago, was a great winemaker. Notes of vanilla complement the crispness and there are familiar citrus [...]

Joe and Ann Pollack

Joe Pollack is a Palate Pres Contributing Editor. Joe has been writing and talking about sports, wine, food, entertainment and other happy subjects for more than 50 years for newspapers, radio and TV stations, magazines, newsletters, blogs and other means of disseminating words and opinions. He has children and grandchildren scattered throughout the world and [...]

Ann Lemons

ANN LEMONS began life as a picky eater in a world where sour cream and fresh blueberries didn’t exist, and pizza was only available in the next county. She’s spent much of her time making up for that loss. She’s written about food as a restaurant reviewer, cooking columnist and feature writer for newspapers and [...]