Please The Palate |

Napa Comes to Beverly Hills

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

At the heart of Beverly Hills is the famous Rodeo Drive, considered the intersection of luxury, fashion and entertainment. But now as people walk down the street shopping at the likes of Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Armani, Dior, Cartier and more, they can also stop for a Napa Valley wine experience in the heart of Beverly Hills at the St. Supéry pop-up tasting salon.

St. Supéry, purchased by Chanel 2015, is the sustainably farmed winery in Rutherford, the heart of the Napa Valley. The new pop-up tasting salon is on the ground floor of the building next door to the Chanel boutique. This magnificent, three-story building was previously the home of Lladro porcelain. The 1.000-square-foot space has large glass windows looking out onto Rodeo Drive, a high ceiling that covers the three-story building and a grandiose staircase in the center.

07 November, 2017

On the Hunt for Hunter Valley Semillon

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

The world of white wines offers hundreds of varieties and one variety that has caught my attention is semillon, specifically from the Hunter Valley in Australia.

Semillon is perhaps best known when harvested late with botrytis to produce Sauternes and Barsac, some of the world’s greatest dessert wines. As a young wine, it is commonly blended with sauvignon blanc for Bordeaux blends. But in the Hunter Valley, Australia’s oldest wine region, semillon is a wine to watch out for.

Chuck Hayward, founder of Vinroads and the former Australian and New Zealand Wine Buyer at JJ Buckley Fine Wines, is a big proponent of Australian wines. “My interest in Aussie wine started in the late ‘80s when the first ‘cheap and cheerful’ wines entered the US. They were just really good values, full of flavor and easy to like,” he explained. Hayward started Vinroads as a consulting outfit dedicated to marketing and education for Australian and New Zealand wines in the U.S.

31 October, 2017

San Antonio Winery celebrates 100 Years

This story was originally published in the Napa Valley Register. There was a time when Los Angeles was the winemaking capital of California. This was back in the late 1800s but today there is still a living link to Los Angeles’ winemaking past. Located in Lincoln Heights on the east side of downtown Los Angeles, San Antonio Winery is celebrating their 100th anniversary.

Grapevines from Bordeaux were first brought to Los Angeles in 1833 by French winemaker Jean-Louis Vignes, the founder of California’s wine industry. As Italians migrated to Los Angeles, many started to make wine. In 1917, Santo Cambianica founded San Antonio Winery, dedicating it to his patron saint St. Anthony.

26 October, 2017