Thanksgiving strikes fear in just about every host. Preparing a giant bird is a herculean task. Cooking gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce is always more complicated than expected. Then there’s the anxiety of any family gathering — will politics or off-color jokes derail the dinner? Add wine to the list
Understandably, Nebbiolo Prima, an annual press and trade event in Alba, Italy, is all about tasting tight, tannic Nebbiolo; but, it is the afternoon visits that offer glimpses into what these wines will become and the people behind the wines that make it magical. A Tale of Two Terroirs While
It would be hard to fault Eric Asimov for taking shortcuts or being too categorical in his new book, How to Love Wine. The New York Times’ wine critic is a careful man, who doesn’t hide his opinions but does express them in nuanced, detailed ways, giving readers the lay
Tasting notes are the hardest thing for me to write about wine. I have strong opinions about the elements of a good tasting note. But while I love a good argument, I have stayed out of this one because I don't feel comfortable telling other people how to write them.
This fall, instead of just talking about the Champagne Harvest, I decided to join the army of pickers who, every year, descend upon the region. In order to immerse myself in les vendanges (the harvest) I contacted Champagne Jacquesson, a small Champagne House that farms about 19 hectares of vineyard
Almost all Italian wine regions have a wonderful tradition of “medicinal wine” used to restore strength to new mothers, to accelerate healing in those who are suffering from a bad flu, and to nourish old people. In Trentino, the wine to be uncorked “in case of sickness” or, as they
When Ciro Biondi announced that he was going to abandon his career as an architect, in order to revive the generations-old family wine business, his father was not impressed. In fact he was so unimpressed, he refused to even taste a bottle of the estate's wine when it was put
A few weeks ago Palate Press published a story entitled WBC12 - Observations and Opportunities. In that story we first introduced the new idea of Palate Press Group Websites. The idea flowed from a few observations at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon. There, we noted that the growing