PALATE PRESS

Round Table on Balancing Alcohol in California Wines

W. Blake Gray — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:00:10 +0000

Santa Barbara County is one of the youngest wine growing regions in California, measured by both vine age and the age and experience of its winemakers.

Made with Conviction: The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey

Kyle Schlachter — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:00:01 +0000

Wineries buy fruit all the time. However, The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey is the only one I know of that buys grapes from a prison.

Before the Bubbles: the Secrets of Champagne’s Vins Clairs

Caroline Henry — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:00:29 +0000

In my experience, vins clairs tastings are a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the wine before the bubbles, and to imagine their development over time; they are a unique foray into the magical kingdom of champagne.

Languedoc Paradox: How a Big French Region is Trying to Show its Identity

Remy Charest — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:00:29 +0000

In the world of marketing and sales, it is always good when you can keep things simple. Of course, this can be quite a challenge for an industry like the wine industry, where realities of place, grapes, vintages, styles, and terroir add up as so many variables to take into account—enough to confuse everyone but the aficionados.

Delamain Cognac: An Autumn Visit Where Time Stands Still

Hoke Harden — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:00:53 +0000

Cognac, the village and the AOC, is a quiet pastoral place. The village bustles at times, but primarily as a business hub and central marketplace for a largely rural community and only secondarily, it seems, as the world center for a unique iconic style of spirit.

Montalcino and the Hunt for Terroir

Marisa D'Vari — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:00:03 +0000

If you have read recent headlines in the world’s international wine magazines, you might realize that though terroir is a key word in all wine regions, it takes on a heightened meaning in Montalcino.

You Just Opened A What? Cooking Tips to Make Food More Wine-Friendly

Meg Houston Maker — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:30:56 +0000

In another recent article about wine and food pairing, I worked from the vantage point of trying to select the best wine to pair with any given food. But here the situation is reversed: you’ve got a wine picked out and now need some tricks to prepare the food so it’s more friendly with that wine.

A History of Washington Wine

Arianna Armstrong — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:13:39 +0000

From a space buried under 2500 feet of obvious winter, the earth suddenly spasms as an opening is ripped through a giant glacial barricade three miles long and ten miles across. Thunder pounds across the freezing desert as an ocean of churning, vicious water swallows the world.

Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Old and New

Craig Pinhey — Thu, 03 May 2012 03:00:24 +0000

One of the most controversial topics about Californian wine—and thus, one of the most widely discussed by wine lovers—is how much Napa Cab has changed over the years, or whether it has truly been altered.

Vinitaly Turns Over a New Leaf

Elisabetta Tosi — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:00:23 +0000

In Italy, we have a proverb: never change a formula that works. Vinitaly’s original formula—a combination professional exhibition and popular festival—has always worked, for 46 years … until now.