Cocktails for All, Not Just the Professionals

Entering the lobby of the august Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter—conference headquarters—I found myself sampling drinks even before I checked in. Dashing to a seat in my first seminar, I heard the promising rattle of ice behind me, and sure enough, there were several cocktails to be served during the hour.

Thank you, Meg

Meg, I raise a glass to you in thanks, and in best wishes for the future. We look forward to seeing your byline again in Palate Press: The online wine magazine.

Forget Napa, Head for Sonoma

Napa Valley is noted for its abundance of wineries, wine tastings, warm/hot climate (even in winter), lavish restaurants, and compact access to literally dozens of wineries—currently numbered at over 700. But, with notoriety also comes popularity. Let’s face it—in the summer and fall, Napa is a zoo of tourists and locals. The two main thoroughfares, St. Helena Highway (Route 29) and the Silverado Highway, are usually jammed with vehicles, as are the tasting rooms.

The Lagrézette Challenge: The Verdict on Le Pigeonnier 1999

As we drove slowly around the estate, passing the old 17th Century pigeon house that stood as a portent of what had brought me to Château Lagrézette, I took a good look around me and thought that this was a truly magnificent place: the 16th Century Château, with its four round towers and elegant shape, the woods that surround it, the location, everything was pretty much picture perfect.

Scholarship Provides Assistance to Wine Bloggers in Need

Blogging has become a mainstream component of many businessess. While blogging and social media may not entirely replace traditional media, it is becoming an increasingly important segment in media and sales tactics. The same holds true for many in the wine industry, and this growing importance will be marked by the third annual American Wine Bloggers Conference, or WBC, this June in Walla Walla, Washington.

The Gentleman of Prosecco: Remembering Antonio Carpenè Jr.

All over the world, the word Prosecco is synonymous with a fun, vibrant Italian sparkling wine, isn’t it? In America, for example, there are hundreds of thousands people who are avid fans of this Italian wine. Yet, despite its festive personality, we are in mourning for one of the great fathers of Prosecco wine. Antonio Carpenè, Jr. died on April 25, 2010 at the age of 97.

HR 5034: An Analysis

Call your Congress-critter or the wine wholesalers will eat your children.

Blogging Kerfuffle at Barbera Week 2010

The organizers of “Barbera Week 2010,” this year’s version of the annual festival held in Asti, came up with a concept to give the event a contemporary slant: invite a team of bloggers to participate in the tastings and winery visits and have them post to their blogs as events occur.

Kiss the Cook

Years of themed dinner parties, bake sales, Fourth of July picnics, and cookie swaps have left us feeling like kitchen veterans, and maybe just a smidge overconfident at the stove. A one-day class at the renowned Culinary Institute of America seems like the perfect learning vacation.

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.

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