Please The Palate |

Beckmen’s biodynamic farming in Santa Barbara County

I first met Steve Beckmen of Beckmen Vineyards almost 20 years ago. He was one of the first people I heard speak about biodynamic farming. Twenty years later, we sat down and tasted his wines. The maturity of the vineyards and the passion of Steve come through in the balance and complexity of the wines and you can read my story that I wrote in the Napa Valley Register below her.

When I first started in the wine business almost 20 years ago, I would take consumers on day trips from Los Angeles to the Santa Barbara wine country for a day of tasting and education. We would visit different wineries and the winemakers would meet with our group to share their stories.

11 July, 2019

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

Red Wine 101 Guide

This story originally appeared in Drizly. Jammy, fruity, earthy, bold…these are some common words associated with red wine. There are hundreds and hundreds of different varieties of red wines, each one different from the next. Not all red wines are alike and there is a style for every palate. You may say that you do not like red wine, but perhaps you have not had the right one yet. So, let's go over some basics of red wine and perhaps help you find one you will like.

How Is Red Wine Made? Red wines get their color from the grape skins. White wine can be made from either red or white grapes but red wine cannot be made from white-skinned grapes. The juice of all grapes is clear. The color comes from the skins. Once the grapes are picked, they are fermented with their skins. This means that the yeast is added to the grapes and the sugar in the grapes is converted to alcohol. As the process takes place, the juice leaches color from the skins. The longer the juice spends with the skins, the darker the color of the wine. Red wines are typically fermented at a warmer temperature than white wines.

18 October, 2017