Please The Palate |

Yes, they make wine in Tunisia

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

This past week, I had the opportunity to try Tunisian wine. Yes, Tunisian wine.

From what I understand, this is the first time that Tunisian wine is available in the U.S., thanks to Kathy Bailey who has started to import them through her company Travis Wine Imports.

I was intrigued when Kathy contacted me a few months ago about putting together a small trade and media lunch with the wines. I was all the more impressed after I tried them and think that it is an interesting story to share.

Tunisia is located on the northern coast of Africa. Wine has been made in Tunisia for more than 2,000 years. In fact, Tunisia is home to the world’s first documented viticulturist, Mago (or Magon), who was an agronomist, viticulturist and writer in Ancient Carthage (200 BC). Mago wrote the first known guide to growing and cultivating vines and making wines.

29 May, 2018

Talking About Terroir with Capçanes

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

Wine grapes are grown in a variety of soils. The influence of the soil is one of the many factors that contribute to a resulting wine. But can you taste this difference?

There are general descriptors that say that sandy soils produce highly aromatic wines with low tannins and clay soils produce muscular wines with high extract. And there are examples of wines from around the world that demonstrate the influence on wines from sandy, volcanic, clay, limestone, slate and other soils.

But to really understand the influence of soil on wine, what if you could narrow down all of the other elements -- same grape, same vintage, same region, same viticulture practices, same vinification but four different soils? You can with Capçanes’ La nit de les garnatxes series.

20 February, 2018

The wines of Cariñena Spain

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

Cariñena may not be very well known, but according to Wine Enthusiast, it is the “region to watch.” Located in the heart of the Ebro Valley, between Barcelona and Madrid, in Spain’s northeast region of Aragón, Cariñena is the birthplace of the garnacha grape and the second oldest wine region in Spain after Rioja, receiving its DO status in 1932.

I was introduced to this up-and-coming region at the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Rosa. Miami-based wine educator and writer Lyn Farmer led the seminar covering what he says is one of his favorite regions.

Cariñena, in addition to being its own appellation, also has its own grape variety, cariñena. Tight clusters with thick skins and thick stalks, the resulting wine has high acidity, medium tannins and alcohol, medium plus body and a deep red/purple color. Cariñena typically has aromas of raspberry, cranberry sauce and spice (cinnamon and star anise). As this wine ages, it can develop notes of cured and smoked meats.

27 December, 2017