Spirit Reviews - Palate Press

1 min read

If you’re ever thinking you might want to be drinking more French, try this Burgundian-style chardonnay. Compared to many California chardonnays this wine is refined; in Burgundy, it would be a beautiful everyday wine. The wine has typical aromas and flavors of earth, lime, limestone with apricot on the end-palate.

2015 Nals Magreid Kerner, a wine for a warm summer evening

Becky Sue Epstein

Wine Reviews

1 min read

For relaxing with friends on a warm summer evening, this wine turns out to be a great choice. It comes from the far northern region of Italy called Alto Adige – an area so close to Austria that it is also known by its German name, Sudtirol. The wine is

2016 Edna Valley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – a white wine to ease you into dinner

Becky Sue Epstein

Wine Reviews

1 min read

Start as an aperitif, and pour another glass for lunch or your first course at dinner. Some earthiness and creaminess mixed with herbs in the aroma. Clean and light on the palate, with a subtly citrus, refreshing end-palate and a touch of orange oil in the finish. WHO: Edna Valley

2017 Olema Pinot Noir, Sonoma County – a lightly exuberant wine

Becky Sue Epstein

Wine Reviews

1 min read

In the glass, the wine’s pinkish red color and clear edges indicate that this California pinot noir has a touch of French style, too. An aroma of red berries flows into the flavors the palate, with some sharp bramble character too. Light tannins close the finish nicely. And the winemaker

Stags Leap: A Hidden(ish) Piece of Paradise Within Napa

Kathleen Willcox

Features

10 min read

In many ways, the Stags Leap AVA embodies everything the Napa Valley is most celebrated for: a heterogeneous mixture of soils, elevation and climactic influences, with a steady Mediterranean climate. This area also avoids some of the clichéd criticism of too much traffic, flash and cash often lobbed at the

The Sweet and The Bitter: Ambrosia Aperitivo

Becky Sue Epstein

Wine Reviews

1 min read

If you’re new to embracing the Italian style of aperitifs, the new Ambrosia Aperitivo is a good place to start. It’s on the sweeter end of the bittersweet style, with an emphasis on aromatics and flavorings including blood orange, cantaloupe and a variety of botanicals. This drink was developed in

Two Winemaking Couples Embody Oregon Wine’s Spirit of Collaboration

Kathleen Willcox

Features

7 min read

When a small industry becomes wildly successfully very quickly, conventional wisdom will tell you that the relationship among the leaders of said industry will fracture. On a recent trip out to Oregon for Willamette’s Pinot Noir Auction, I saw firsthand that the Oregon wine industry is contradicting that trend. Instead

A Giant Steppe in Vodka

Gary Thomas

Features

2 min read

I am a ginhead, and have always been pretty dismissive of vodka -- until now, when a particular bottle came into my possession. It bore the name “Taiga Shtof” and came from Siberia. It also bore a hefty price tag. As you know, modern vodka is a triumph of marketing.

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2016 Amici Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast: an everyday Burgundy white wine – but it’s from California

2015 Nals Magreid Kerner, a wine for a warm summer evening

2016 Edna Valley Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc – a white wine to ease you into dinner

2017 Olema Pinot Noir, Sonoma County – a lightly exuberant wine

Stags Leap: A Hidden(ish) Piece of Paradise Within Napa

The Sweet and The Bitter: Ambrosia Aperitivo

Two Winemaking Couples Embody Oregon Wine’s Spirit of Collaboration

A Giant Steppe in Vodka