If you ever need a new nose for your 1983 Mercedes 230E, Chtaura in the Bekaa Valley is the place to go. It’s full of workshops keeping Lebanon’s extraordinary range of 1970s and ‘80s European and American cars on the road. Yet, while this area looks like the last place you'd expect to
This rosé is a lovely, light coral pink. Aromas of Indian River Ruby Red grapefruit flow up from the glass. The palate is all citrus, sweet nectarines and bright pink grapefruit. Well integrated but very light tannins are detectable. This is a very pretty, very refreshing, classic provencal rosé. Drink
What's your image of South African wine? Big-boned, smoky Pinotage, highly extracted Bordeaux blends, or super-ripe oaked Chenin and Chardonnay perhaps? These were the wine styles that put post-apartheid South Africa on the international wine map. You might be surprised if you tasted Jurgen Gouws's refreshing bottles. Visitors were scratching
Never one to mince words, W. Blake Gray visited South Africa this year and in this and a companion piece on his own site, explored the effect of wind on terroir and wondered how much progress has been made in South African wine post-apartheid. South Africa makes 4.2% of the world's wine.
South Africa makes 4.2% of the world's wine. But in the U.S., its wine world is a dark continent. You see some under-$10 South African wines, but I have never seen a South African wine over $30 in a California restaurant. I'm not sure I've seen one in a store,
With a curvy bottle and a delicate, pale-salmon tinted color, this is not a naive rosé: it is French, after all. The aromas are hearty stone fruit with a hint of tangerine. Stone fruit continues onto the palate which is balanced by light acidity and minerality. A biggish mouthfeel continuing
The Washington state wine industry is almost unbearably diverse. Just when you think you have a handle on the shapes and styles of Walla Walla – a name shared by eastern Washington’s most well-developed wine-town and one of its more populated American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) – someone pulls a Barbera
Palate Press has selected our top ten stories from 2012 and will publish a 2012 Redux article each weekday until January 4, 2013. These stories highlight our featured columnists, widely recognized contributors, and most popular works published through the year. The Palate Press editorial board hopes you enjoy these highlights as we look