Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Berryessa Gap Paella Cook-Off

Written by Allison Levine on November 17, 2018

Lifestyle Food Wine

There is something beautiful about watching paella being cooked over an open fire in a large open pan. This image was magnified this past week where at least a dozen different paellas were being made for the Berryessa Gap Paella Cook-Off, the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Berryessa Gap is a winery based in Winters, in Yolo County, California, located 30 miles from Sacramento and 60 miles from San Francisco. Owned by the Martinez family who originates from Spain, they celebrate their Spanish heritage each year with the annual Paella Cookoff and Dinner. This year marked the 11th annual event and more than a dozen local chefs came out to make paellas, many from their own family’s recipes. Read More +

A Wine and Food Pairing Experience at Jardin d’Hiver at Domaine Carneros

Written by Allison Levine on November 1, 2018

Wine

A visit to Napa or Sonoma is not complete without a stop at Domaine Carneros. Located in the Carneros AVA, between Napa and Sonoma counties, the eye-catching Domaine Carneros sits on a hill in its grandiosity. Owned by the Tattinger family, the magnificent château was inspired by the 18^thcentury Château de la Marquetterie, the Taittinger family residence in the Champagne region.

To get to the château, you walk up a large set of stairs. At the top, you will be greeted and seated at a table along the outdoor terrace where you can enjoy a flight of wine or a glass of wine. It is a relaxing, elegant wine tasting experience. But, Domaine Carneros has now taken it to the next level with the Jardin d’Hiver, a garden conservatory.

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Diversity of Madeira Wine

Written by Allison Levine on October 20, 2018

Food Wine

I spent the past week drinking Madeira wines and I am still licking my lips. If you have not had Madeira, it is time to try it. It is not like any other wine you have ever had. And that is why it is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Madeira is a fortified wine, in which a neutral grape spirit is added. But, Madeira is also heated and oxidized, two things that we are always taught should never be done to wine. But, Madeira is the result of a centuries-old history. In the 1600s and 1700s, the wine was fortified in order to survive traveling on the sea. As the ships sailed through the tropics, the wine would be heated and cooled repeatedly, as well as exposed to oxygen. And that is how Madeira came to be. Read More +