Jim Barrett, RIP

David Honig
Features
2 min read
The following is from Chateau Montelena. We at Palate Press raise our glass in celebration of the life of a name that will be forever remembered in the wine world. CALISTOGA, Calif., March 15, 2013 – James L. Barrett (Jim Barrett), Napa Valley wine pioneer and owner of Chateau Montelena, passed

2012 Jean-Luc Colombo “Cape Bleue” Rose

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The color is a very pretty flamingo pink. The nose reveals aromas of roses and watermelon. On the palate it is fresh, bright but not quit zingy with acids, leading with roses, strawberry and lime, juice and pith, moving away from strawberry and to watermelon on the mid-palate. It closes

Wine Science 4 – Reduction, a Palate Press Video

David Honig
Features
1 min read
Tom Mansell, Ph.D., Palate Press' Science Editor, offers a seven-part lecture in the science of wine. He discusses yeast, esters, flaws, and even how to fix some flaws. Tom is an entertaining and informative speaker. We hope you enjoy Wine Science Part 4, Reduction. d d d Wine Science, Part

1995 Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha Vintage Porto

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
Smoke, espresso, red fruits and herbs show on the nose. On the palate dates, nuts, and espresso give way to sweetness from dried red fruits and toffee. Sweetness lingers, with grainy tannins and a surprising pop of lavender. Chewy, rich, with layers of dessert flavors and a moderate alcohol bite,

Has Yeast Domesticated Us?

Erika Szymanski
Features
7 min read
In his outstanding volume The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Ellix Katz makes the disturbing proposition that rather than us having domesticated Saccharomyces cerevisiae – the yeast used to ferment wine as well as (most) beer and bread – S. cerevisiae has instead domesticated us. Katz is a fermentation wizard, the

Tempranillo: the Spanish Side of Texas Wine

David Furer
Features
6 min read
As a state rightfully associated with sunshine and warm, Texas's ability to effectively ripen grapes to their full potential is often misunderstood. Soils stingy in porosity and friability, hail and drought during the vegetative cycle — and of course an excess of heat and sunlight — have contributed to difficulties