Category: Wine

Online Wine Education AND Virtual Tasting Resources

Written by Allison Levine on
Lifestyle Wine

While we can not travel to wineries right now, wineries can come to us. Many wineries are offering virtual tastings where you can learn more about the winery from the comfort of your own home as I wrote about for California Winery Advisor.

Want to go wine tasting without leaving the house? Want to learn the basics of wine or how to describe what you are tasting? Now you can learn about wine in the comfort of your own home.

VIRTUAL TASTINGS

Many winemakers are offering virtual wine tasting experiences online. Buy some of their wines and then join them as they discuss the wines, how they were made and more. This is better than going to the tasting room as you do not always get to meet the winemaker but now you can.

The folks at the Priority Wine Pass have organized a number of virtual tastings with local wineries. This is a nice option if you want a curated list of wineries.

Click Here to see their list. Read More +

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County

Written by Allison Levine on
Wine

Bright aromatics and high acidity are two reasons I love white wine. So, when I took a sip of the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, I fell in love. And that is why the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

Chardonnay is the famous white wine of Burgundy, France. But, there is also Aligoté, the “other” white grape in Burgundy. This almost forgotten white grape of Burgundy almost disappeared when Chardonnay grew in demand. There is still some Aligoté planted in Burgundy, typically planted in less productive vineyard sections. Aligoté is also produced in Eastern European countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria. But it is not a typical variety in the United States.

Edaphos Wines sources their Aligoté from the Barbed Oak Vineyard in Bennett Valley in Sonoma County. Bennett Valley is an area with steep hillsides, alluvial soils and fog retention. Barbed Oak Vineyard is an 18-acre property and there is less than one acre of Aligoté planted. It is planted in a part of the vineyard that is too cold for Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

The grapes are crushed into press, fermented by native yeasts in concrete amphora and moved to neutral barrel for malolatic fermentation. The wine spends 17 months on the lees and is not filtered before bottling.

Aligoté is known for its acid and this one is no exception. Citrus fruit, grapefruit, stone fruit, floral aromas and mineral notes jump out of the glass. The wine has lots of texture and a chalky finish.

Only 116 cases are made of the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County which costs $36 and is only 10.75% alc.

California’s Wineries Are Adapting To The Coronavirus

Written by Allison Levine on
Lifestyle Wine

We are no longer able to go to winery tasting rooms but we can still buy wine from all of our favorite wineries. Not only do they ship wine but many are offering discounts on shipping and other incentives as I wrote about in a story for California Winery Advisor and you can read here.

Life as we know it is on hold. We now have a “new normal” in which we are relegated to our homes for the unforeseeable future. As of March 16th, all customer-facing wineries, breweries, bars, nightclubs in California have been closed to the public. The point is to help flatten the curve of the coronavirus spreading throughout the United States. We are home for the foreseeable future to protect ourselves and those around us.

Click here for reliable information on the coronavirus.

While we cannot travel to wineries and visit them right now. We can still buy their wines and support our local businesses who also need our help in this challenging time. Wineries in California are able to ship directly to consumer homes in most states around the country. With the closing of tasting rooms, many wineries are offering special deals on shipping and more.

Here is a list of the wineries included in this story:

SANTA BARBARA WINE COUNTRY

  • Lumen
  • Solminer
  • Tercero Wines
  • Imagine Wines
  • Brewer-Clifton
  • Nielson Wines
  • Cambria Estate

PASO ROBLES

  • Barr Estate Winery
  • Bianchi Winery
  • My Favorite Neighbor
  • Brochelle Vineyards
  • Copia Vineyards and Winery
  • Eberle Winery
  • Fermentations
  • Four Lanterns Winery
  • Fulldraw Vineyard
  • Grey Wolf Cellars & Barton Family Wines
  • Hearst Ranch Winery
  • Indigene Cellars
  • J Dusi Wines
  • Jack Creek Cellars
  • Locatelli Winery
  • Lone Madrone
  • Midnight Cellars
  • Opolo Vineyards
  • Sextant Wines
  • Still Waters Vineyards
  • TH Estate Wines
  • Tooth & Nail Winery
  • Villa San-Juliette
  • Vino Vargas

SONOMA COUNTY

  • Two Shepherds Winery
  • Pedroncelli Winery
  • Donelan Family Wines
  • Flaunt Wine Company
  • Benovia Winery
  • Alexander Valley Vineyards
  • Copain Wines
  • Matanzas Creek Winery
  • Capture Wines
  • La Crema Wines
  • Kendall-Jackson

NAPA VALLEY

  • Grounded Wine Co.
  • Galerie Wines
  • Terra Valentine

SANTA CLARA VALLEY

  • Jason Stephens Winery

LIVERMORE VALLEY

McKahn Family Cellars

For a full description of these offerings, read the original story on California Winery Advisor. 

About Please the Palate

Please the Palate is a boutique firm specializing in marketing, event planning and writing for the wine and spirits industry.