Domaine Carneros: A pure expression of Carneros

Written by Allison Levine on July 18, 2019

Wine

There is no need to wait for a special occasion to enjoy a glass of bubbles. Sparkling wine should be drunk everyday, especially Domaine Carneros, inspired by France but a true reflection of Carneros. With a range of sparkling wines, there is one for every day or every occasion. I had the pleasure to meet with sparkling winemakers Zak Miller and wrote about it in the Napa Valley Register, which you can read here.

Domaine Carneros is an unmistakable landmark in Napa Valley. Sitting between Napa and Sonoma in Carneros, the magnificent chateau at Domaine Carneros sits on a hill overlooking Highway 12.

While the winery is modeled after the Chateau de la Marquetterie in Epernay and inspired by its French legacy, Domaine Carneros is a pure reflection of the Carneros terroir.

Established in 1987, Claude Taittinger of Champagne Taittinger selected a 138-acre parcel in the heart of Carneros, Napa Valley. From its beginning, Domaine Carneros has been a sparkling wine house and a worthy counterpoint to its French sibling.

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Prosecco DOC

Written by Allison Levine on June 8, 2019

Wine

It is the National Prosecco Week so naturally, Prosecco DOC is the Please the Palate pick of the week.

Prosecco is not the name of the wine or a grape but an area. Prosecco comes from two regions in the northeast of Italy – Veneto-Fruili and Venezia-Giulia. The Prosecco DOC was establisted in 2012 and there are nine provinces where Prosecco can be made – Traviso, Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia, Trieste, Venezia, Padova, Vicenza, Belluno. Read More +

Watch Out Champagne! British Bubbles Are Here!

Written by Allison Levine on May 16, 2019

Wine

The world of sparkling wines is vast and the king of sparkling wine is Champagne. When I sat down for a seminar at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, the glasses in front of me looked like Champagne and had some of the same mineral, citrus and brioche aromas. But, in fact, it was not Champagne in front of me. Nor was it Italian sparkling wine or California sparkling wine. It was, in fact, British sparkling wine, a category that I had been hearing about but had not had the opportunity to taste, until now. British Bubbles are a very exciting category which I wrote about in the Napa Valley Register, which you can read here, and I look forward to continuing to explore British Bubbles in the future.

I took a look at the glasses on the table. The liquid was a pale gold with a stream of small bubbles. The nose ranged from mineral and citrus to apple and brioche notes.

A simple guess was that Champagne was in front of me. But it was not. I had eight glasses of British Bubbles in front of me as I sat down for a seminar at Pebble Beach Food & Wine titled “Oysters, Pearls and British Bubbles” led by Champagne-lover Kim Beto, Sommelier Tim Smith, an American living in England, Master Sommelier Joe Spellman and English-born Master Sommelier Laura Rhys. Kim recalled a few years ago when Chef Gary Danko first asked him about English bubbles. He had no answer then but today, make no mistake that British Bubbles is a serious category of wine.