Wine

1 min read

The Blanc de Noirs was my favorite of the Gloria Ferrer sparkling wines I tasted this season. A very delicate-seeming wine, pale red-gold with light aromas and flavors, made mainly with pinot noir. -- hence the name “blanc de noirs” which means white wine made with black (aka red) grapes.

What We’re Drinking – 2014 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée Marie-Antoinette Vincent

David Honig

1 min read

This has a lovely smoky aroma, white florals with flame-seared citrus peel. Lemon peel, smoke, and tart apple show first on the palate, then smoke and lemon linger. Acids are bright, mouth-feel creamy. This is an interesting and unique wine, with barrel smoke adding layers of complexity, without overwhelming vanilla

What We’re Drinking – Gloria Ferrer Brut

1 min read

This producer has been a sentimental favorite of mine for some years. This wine is a clear tan-gold with nice, small bubbles. It opens with fresh mineral aromas and a hint of raspberries. Green apple on the nose moves onto the palate. The wine becomes toastier and more raspberry-fruity as

What We’re Drinking – 2015 Hillersden “Legacy” Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

1 min read

This is a new import into the US, from New Zealand. If It wasn’t proudly proclaimed on the label, I would not have guessed this wine was made with sauvignon blanc. It’s produced in the Upper Wairu Valley of Marlborough, which is known for its Sauvignon Blanc. I guess it

Wine for the masses

Roger Morris

4 min read

As a long-time wine journalist, I have always taken a laissez-faire attitude when it comes to wine production. I have declined to be outraged at “industrial” wine production of millions of bottles of low-priced wine, as long as the wine is not unhealthy and if the claims made on the

Seventh Annual Palate Press Grand Tasting

David Honig

4 min read

Nearly one hundred fifty wine lovers came to the Seventh Annual Palate Press Grand Tasting, held in the home of our publisher, David Honig. The Palate Press Grand Tasting is a unique consumer-driven wine tasting event. More than two hundred wines were blind bagged and placed on tables throughout the

Holiday Traditions: The Mythical Wines of Beaumes de Venise

Jill Barth

6 min read

Beaumes de Venise and its neighbors – Lafare, La Roque-Alric, and Suzette – are Southern Rhône winemaking villages, a part of the Beaumes de Venise AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée). Here the landscape is shaped by the vineyards, which are grown in terraces stitched into the slopes and valleys of the

Trending: Holidays are time for Sparkling Whites and … Reds?