In preparation for Open That Bottle Night (live, only on Palate Press; Saturday, February 26 from 7 pm - 10 pm EST), contributing editor Erika Szymanski shares some thoughts on the bottle she plans to open for the event. When: February-read more-
Put your ear up to that glass of wine in your hand. Can you hear the tiny voices shouting, “Hey! How about some credit for us little guys down here?” From a certain point of view, winemakers don’t make wine;-read more-
Today, the third Thursday in November, marks the launch of the 2010 vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau. The young, light, fruity wines are often made with a special process called carbonic maceration, which leads to some of their characteristic aromas and-read more-
If this is a raspberry, it's a slightly dusty purple raspberry rather than the showier red type. A very peppery nose prevents intense grapiness from being cloying. Classic raspberry jam flavors come through in the mouth but, again, with an-read more-
If someone switched the label to one reading "Dry Raspberry Wine," I wouldn't question it. Light raspberry in color, like a cool, late-evening sunset. Smells like my kitchen mid-raspberry jam production, and tastes like the raspberry puree sans heat, with-read more-
Have you met Brett? Brett is mentioned so often in the wine industry that you might think he’s Robert Parker’s protégé nephew. Not so, but the truth is just as controversial. Brett, known technically as Brettanomyces bruxellensis, is a yeast.-read more-
A rich, full nose begins with cherry and chocolate over hugely coffee underpinnings for a velvety effect. Promises made by the aroma are fulfilled by a big, beautifully chocolaty mouth-feel. Dense flavors of chocolate and coffee predominate, effectively lightened and-read more-
Open a refrigerator in the back of many wineries and you may find some leftover pizza, cheese and fruit for tomorrow evening’s mixer, and a few rectangular foil packages that look suspiciously like the bread-baking yeast you used for pizza-read more-