Palate Press’ First Grand Tasting

For Palate Press: The online wine magazine’s first grand tasting, we collected sixty different wines and a group of wine bloggers and wine professionals …

2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés

The color is star bright pale straw with live green hue. It has aromas of citronelle, lemon pith, orange blossom & pineapple core. Medium body and medium alcohol, with a palate consistent with the nose. A very solid performer at a reasonable price. WHO Crios de Susana Balbo WHAT Torrontés WHERE Argentina, Mendoza WHEN 2009 [...]

2008 Espiritu de Argentina Mendoza Torrontés

I tasted this wine with a paired dinner at Destino in San Francisco, with winemaker Luis Villarreal. The color of the wine was light yellow and featured a nose that was filled with heavier florals that were almost Viognier-like with some tropical fruits, as well. The mouth also had those great tropical too, with a [...]

2008 Bodega Colomé Torrontes

On the nose I got pineapple, white flowers, honeysuckle, orange zest, fresh pear, and white pepper. In the mouth I found jasmine, lemon, tropical fruit, honeysuckle, and grapefruit. Oh yes, and the lemon Pledge…or what I would imagine lemon Pledge would taste like if I were so inclined to drink it. The wine seemed very [...]

2008 Michel Torino Torrontes Reserve Don David

On the nose I got pineapple, white flowers, apricots, tropical notes, honey, pear, lemon, spice, and white pepper. The nose on Torrontes wines is almost immediately recognizable…the florals and honey notes just float out of the glass without you having to get close to it. In the mouth I found lemon, orange zest, lemon zest, [...]

2007 Trapiche Torrontes

On the nose I found orange sherbet, flowers, honeysuckle, lemon zest, and spice. I didn’t find the nose on this one as aromatic as I’ve come to expect from Torrontes, but I enjoyed the orange sherbet notes. In the mouth I got sharp citrus, apple, lemon, lemon ice, spice, sharp lemon, and lemon sweet tarts [...]

New Economy Cuisine: Cheap Eats for Cheap Wines

Cost-conscious food and wine pairing can work fabulously, for the simple reason that these table partners naturally elevate each other. The most humble vin or vino perks up with simpatico nibbles. And vice versa.