This chardonnay is the product of grapes from an exceptional vineyard, yes, but also of a high-powered alliance between Rajat Parr (wine director for the Mina Group of restaurants, including RN74, in San Francisco), Charles Banks (former owner of Screaming Eagle, no less), and Sashi Moorman (a winemaker who worked
Having had a delightful lunch on the terrace at Chateau de Parenchère last fall, I was pleased to see their 2008 Bordeaux Supérieur had recently arrived in the States. I opened it before dinner one night. I inhaled, I sipped -- and I just wanted to drink it, not analyze it. It's a well-made wine with
In a previous article, here on Palate Press, I wrote just how impressed I’ve been with the sparkling wines from Nova Scotia, in Atlantic Canada. After visiting the province in August, while judging at the Canadian Wine Awards, I discovered many other good bubblies, as well as the Tidal Bay
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The nose is striking, different, confusing, the sort with aromas that make you tear through the spice rack trying to identify them. The smells are grassy, dry, piquant, and they proved to be basil, rosemary, and a light powdering of cardamom. On the palate it was very different. The herbal
This funky little can should fool you about what is inside. With less than 1% residual sugar, this is true sparkling wine and not a gimmick. This fruit forward bubbly also comes in a tradition glass bottle, but the straw-adorned travel-size cans add a bit of zestiness to the boring
This peony pink-colored sparkling wine is definitely not produced in the traditional méthode Champenoise (what, no cans in Champagne?). The bubbles dissipate rather quickly after being poured into a wine glass. Best to drink this straight out of the can. Beautiful aromas of roses and grapefruit rise from the glass
The relationship between tradition and innovation is not a linear one. Sometimes, it can even go full circle. Take appassimento, for instance, an Italian tradition of partially drying grapes before turning them into wine that is taking hold considerably in Canada’s Niagara region. The appassimento style of winemaking began in