Archive - Palate Press

2 min read

Back in my bartending days (many, many years ago) we rarely ventured outside of anything more complicated than a martini or a Manhattan, and we hated anyone asking for a blender drink. (“Sorry, the blender is broken. “) But now we are in the grip of the craft cocktail craze.

Glass sippers: Keeping abreast of fashions in sparkling stemware

Michelle Locke

Features

3 min read

Sparkling wine has always been a glass act. It was the invention of stronger bottles in 17th-century Britain that made the beverage cellar-safe, solving the problem of exploding bottles which had plagued effervescent beverages. And the glasses used to serve sparkling wines have gone through more than a few incarnations

Countdown to New Year’s Eve: Vintage Champagne and more

Becky Sue Epstein

Feature Stories

5 min read

This is the final week of our exploration of different types of sparkling wines –Champagne included, of course – so you’ll be able to make a great choice for your New Year’s Eve occasion. Rather than an exhaustive explanation of champagnes and sparkling wines, this series is meant to provide

In praise of the “mouth rinse”

W. Blake Gray

Features

3 min read

Kermit Lynch once described a wine he imported as "a mouth rinse." He meant it as praise. I saw this a decade ago and have never forgotten it. Nobody speaks well of simplicity in wine. It doesn't matter which side of the power vs. elegance debate you're on. Power fans

What We’re Drinking – 2009 Dry Creek Vineyard “The Mariner” Meritage

David Honig

Wine Reviews

1 min read

Umami and tannins, bacon and herbs. Single vineyard may be the rage, but blends let the winemaker play with the whole palette, for your palate. This is dark, inky black at its core, and almost as dark on the nose. Blackberries, cassis lead, followed by a touch of bacon fat

The trials of being organic

Simon J Woolf

Feature Stories

4 min read

Last week, the New Zealand Organic Focus Project gave a public presentation on three medium to large NZ wineries who participated in a side-by-side organic versus conventional agriculture trial. The aim was to demonstrate the relative ease or difficulty of conversion to organic viticulture. Palate Press's own Erika Szymanski reported

Countdown to New Year’s Eve: South Africa, France, and Gilding the Lily

Becky Sue Epstein

Features

3 min read

Each week until the end of the year we’ll take a look at different types of sparkling wines – Champagne included, of course – so you’ll be able to make a great choice for your New Year’s Eve occasion. Rather than an exhaustive explanation of champagnes and sparkling wines, this series is

What We’re Drinking – 2010 Giordano Lombardo Sangiovese “Toscana Collection”

David Honig

Wine Reviews

1 min read

The color is very pretty, light, bright, and garnet. The nose shows dusty cherries on leather. The palate shows cherries with mesquite smoke, graphite, then tart cherry-rhubarb, with firm tannins and very fresh acidity. Feel free to pair this with anything from pizza to burgers, but it would be just

Wine

A Surprisingly Versatile Pinot Noir; Affordable, Too

Ten Reasons to Drink Port Wine

Wines Made by the Wind

Random

Hagafen Cellars, a Full Lineup of Kosher Wines for Passover

Spirits

Palio Wins San Francisco Dining after 35 Years

Wohlfert Distilling Craft Spirits Ride on Prohibition Heritage

Why Low-Alcoholic Wine May Be Increasing & An Adult Beverage Option; Even No-Alc can be Tasty

Random

Old fashioned virtues

Travel

Palio Wins San Francisco Dining after 35 Years

Santa Rosa Craft Beer and Food Take Center Stage

Downtown Healdsburg for Fine Wine and Gourmet Dining

Random

Downtown Healdsburg for Fine Wine and Gourmet Dining

Hospitality

Palio Wins San Francisco Dining after 35 Years

Classic Chinese Fine Dining at Z&Y Peking Duck

Montréal Chefs Star in the Culinary World

Random

Classic Chinese Fine Dining at Z&Y Peking Duck

Good Spirits for 2015

Glass sippers: Keeping abreast of fashions in sparkling stemware

Countdown to New Year’s Eve: Vintage Champagne and more

In praise of the “mouth rinse”

What We’re Drinking – 2009 Dry Creek Vineyard “The Mariner” Meritage

The trials of being organic

Countdown to New Year’s Eve: South Africa, France, and Gilding the Lily

What We’re Drinking – 2010 Giordano Lombardo Sangiovese “Toscana Collection”