Wine Spotlight | Palate Press

3 min read

I’m a long time fan of Dalmatia, Croatia’s southerly Mediterranean paradise. It was the first part of the country I ever visited, back in 2003 when the scars of civil war were much closer to the surface than they are now. Arguably the most strongly differentiated part of the nation, Read More

Discoveries New Zealand: High Quality, Low Awareness

Becky Sue Epstein

Features Wine Spotlight

4 min read

In a way, my entire recent trip to New Zealand was three weeks of “discovery”, so it was hard to figure out what to write about here. I finally settled on the most basic element: there is so much more to New Zealand wine than the Sauvignon Blanc it has Read More

Alice Bonaccorsi's extraordinary 18th century terraced vineyards (Photo Simon Woolf)

Return to the Volcano

Simon J Woolf

Features Wine Spotlight

4 min read

Almost five years ago, I visited Mount Etna for the first time. Back in 2012, it already seemed like the world's most famous volcanic wine region was exploding in terms of global interest, having transitioned from near abandonment in the 1980s to 60 serious producers. But that was only the beginning. Read More

The Good Wines of Lirac

Jill Barth

Features Wine Spotlight

7 min read

I’m in a vineyard on top of a graceful hill overlooking the Rhône River from the right bank. Right bank meaning not Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In the Southern Rhône Cru Lirac. The morning was incredibly rainy; driving to Lirac from Avignon, water poured down the sloped roads and normally-sunny Provence was saturated. Read More

California’s Champagne Affair

Roger Morris

Features Wine Spotlight

7 min read

Can California wineries make Champagne? Of course they can! Over the past three years, at least four California wineries have started doing so. Before I get sabered by a regiment of WSET candidates for dealing in alternative facts, let me hasten to add that these Californians are making their signature Read More

Seeking Great, Affordable Barolo

Elisabetta Tosi

Features Wine Spotlight

5 min read

Imagine waking up in a place surrounded by some of the most famous Italian vineyards - the wineries of Barolo. Picture opening the window and seeing the sun’s rays stretching along the hills, brightening a carpet of grapevines. To a wine lover, this may be the absolute best way to Read More

Brunello: Beyond the Hype

W. Blake Gray

Features Wine Spotlight

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 Read More

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

Elisabetta Tosi

Features Wine Spotlight

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 Read More

Dalmatian Rarities

Discoveries New Zealand: High Quality, Low Awareness

Return to the Volcano

The Good Wines of Lirac

California’s Champagne Affair

Seeking Great, Affordable Barolo

Brunello: Beyond the Hype

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

2018 Ghost of a Chance Wines “Gangster of Love” Red, Sierra Foothills

2020 One Flock Sauvignon Blanc

2020 One Flock Red Wine, California

Bellenda San Fermo, Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore, Brut

2021 David Frost Sauvignon Blanc, Western Cape, South Africa