Palate Press

5 min read

I never understood the appeal of Brunello di Montalcino. I haven't bought many because it's expensive, and it usually tastes like a bulky Super Tuscan to me, even though it should contain only Sangiovese. Last year I went to an oenophile's dream tasting in Montalcino. Sitting at a table with

The Annual Amarone Tastings: Who Was There, Who Was Not, and Why

Elisabetta Tosi

Feature Stories

4 min read

For true wine lovers, appreciating the rich, decadent Amarone della Valpolicella is almost a given (despite W. Blake Gray's opinion). In fact, 11% of all the Amarone sold abroad ends up in American wine glasses. Concentrated and wonderful, long-aged and long-lived, Amarone is created in Italy’s Veneto region by intensifying

Discoveries: Tasting Newly-Made Wines from the Past

Becky Sue Epstein

Feature Stories

4 min read

Every so often, someone digs up an ancient clay amphora with grape residue and we all hold our breaths, waiting for scientists to try to re-create the wine stored inside 8,000 years ago. Occasionally it even works, and we’re thrilled we could be tasting the same wine that Biblical-era peoples

Breaking: Wine Writer Prefers Cheapest Wine over Greatest

W. Blake Gray

Feature Stories

3 min read

I went to Valpolicella to learn about the region's most expensive, highly regarded wine: Amarone. Made from dried grapes, this wine is hotter than ever and the Italian press now gathers annually to taste new Amarone releases. I tagged along, hoping to discover what I have been missing. Instead, I

Bollinger’s Newest R.D.: “Recently Discovered”

Roger Morris

Feature Stories

3 min read

Who knows what lies beneath? It’s not always something scary. Sometimes, it’s just scary good. A few years ago, Bollinger CEO Jérôme Philipon was chairing a routine meeting of his corporate management committee when someone brought up the business of a cache of some 600 old bottles found in one

Discoveries: Graves is not the same old Savvy

Becky Sue Epstein

Feature Stories

3 min read

So you’ve tried a lot of the regular wines you find on wine lists and in shops. You’ve been to a few (or more than a few) tastings. You know what you like. And now you’re looking for the next type of wine to try. Not just something that is

For Valentine’s Day, Go Sweet and Red with Traditional Italian Wines

Elisabetta Tosi

Feature Stories

4 min read

In recent years we have seen many wine myths debunked in the US and Europe. However, some of them still resist fiercely, mainly with older people. For example, in America, many older people believe that only dry wines are quality wines. In Italy there’s a wine myth that “sweet wines

One nation under an ocean of booze

Simon J Woolf

Beer Reviews

2 min read

For Brits like myself, 2016 got off to a decidedly queasy start, with the extraordinary proclamations of the UK's Department of Health as it released new, draconian guidelines for alcohol consumption. Let's begin 2017 on a more positive note, ignoring for a moment the various political calamities on both sides of

Wine

The Col Vetoraz Winery Viewpoint on Prosecco

The Philosophy of Rosé: From the Costaripa Winery on Lake Garda

The Story of Spain’s Top Wine Estates

Random

2009 Monteviejo Lindaflor Chardonnay

Spirits

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

A Dog, a Mountain Hike and Gin

A Life-Saving Whiskey of Forests and Caramel

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Wine Country Cocktails

Travel

Wine Country Hospitality in Amador County

Why is Arianna Occhipinti a Winemaking Legend?

Top of the Mark Lounge in San Francisco Celebrates 85 years

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Luxury Hotels That Love Dogs Maybe More Than Their Owners

Hospitality

Wine Country Hospitality in Amador County

Top of the Mark Lounge in San Francisco Celebrates 85 years

Women Chefs Seed Plant Forward Dining at The Grove in Napa

Random

Women Chefs Seed Plant Forward Dining at The Grove in Napa

Brunello: Beyond the Hype

The Annual Amarone Tastings: Who Was There, Who Was Not, and Why

Discoveries: Tasting Newly-Made Wines from the Past

Breaking: Wine Writer Prefers Cheapest Wine over Greatest

Bollinger’s Newest R.D.: “Recently Discovered”

Discoveries: Graves is not the same old Savvy

For Valentine’s Day, Go Sweet and Red with Traditional Italian Wines

One nation under an ocean of booze