Hop On, A Dry-Hopped Sauvignon Blanc

Written by Allison Levine on April 17, 2018

Wine

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

There is a saying in the wine business that “it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine.”

After a long day during harvest, many winemakers will agree that a refreshing, low-alcohol beer is exactly what is needed. So, what would happen if hops were added to wine? Would you get the best of both worlds? Well, that is what winemaker Karen Steinwachs did and wouldn’t you know it, hop-infused wine is quite tasty.

Steinwachs has been making wine in the Santa Ynez Valley for more than a decade and is the winemaker at Buttonwood Farm Winery and Vineyard. In addition to making wine, Karen sits on the board of World of Pinot Noir and each year during the technical symposium that takes place prior to the festival, 60-70 winemakers get together to taste the current vintage of wine.

They also bring interesting wines from new vineyard wines to experimental wines, to share and discuss. In 2014, Scar of the Sea winemaker Mikey Giugni, who also makes cider, brought a hopped cider for everyone to try at the symposium and “it was so delicious, it is what all of the winemakers drank at dinner that night,” Karen recalled.

Karen kept thinking, if Mikey can add hops to cider made with apples, why couldn’t she do it with wine? After all, like many winemakers, Karen loves beer and it might just be in her DNA.

Please The Palate Newsletter April 2018

Written by Allison Levine on April 5, 2018

Travel Lifestyle Cocktails Wine

Spring is here! Well, after the snow storms on the East Coast and rain storms on the West Coast, hopefully it is time for the flowers to bloom and the sun to shine! The first quarter of 2018 has flown by with restaurant openings, winemaker meetings, winery region visits, wine events and multiple airplane rides! Now, with Spring comes longer days and lots of great happenings!

Upcoming Events

Pebble Beach Food & Wine (April 5-8)
Pebble Beach Food & Wine is the premier epicurean lifestyle event on the West Coast, matching 250 acclaimed wineries and 100 celebrity chefs to create a hedonistic four-day destination on one of the most picturesque strips of coastline in the world. Throughout the weekend you’ll enjoy intimate access to the pinnacle of culinary and wine talent at wine tastings, cooking demos, and some of the most exclusive, unique dining opportunities available in the world.

Oregon Wine Trail Los Angeles (April 24)
We’re hitting the trail with 50 Oregon wineries and our friends at Olympia Provisions, Salt & Straw Ice Cream and Stumptown Coffee Roasters for a grand happening of Oregonian wine, food and personality. No white table cloths, no orange cheese cubes. Instead, a generous pour of Oregon’s fine wines and pioneering spirit.

Vintage Hollywood (June 9)
Vintage Hollywood is an intimate outdoor event attended that showcases an exclusive group of wineries and features food from some of the area’s top restaurants. The beneficiary for the 2018 Vintage Hollywood event is one of Los Angeles County’s largest social services agencies, The People Concern, which was formed in 2016 in a merger of two trusted social service organizations based in Los Angeles – OPCC and Lamp Community. Informed by more than fifty years of work in the community, The People Concern empowers the most vulnerable among us to rebuild their lives.

Check out www.pleasethepalate.com for upcoming events and if you want to be notified of blog posts when they go live, please sign up on our site, here.

Read the full April 2018 Newsletter.

Burgundy Vignerons in the Willamette Valley

Written by Allison Levine on April 3, 2018

Wine

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.

Often you will hear a domestic Pinot Noir described as Burgundian in style. But only Pinot Noir from Burgundy tastes Burgundian.

Each region has its own style. Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir has bright red cherry fruit aromas. Santa Maria Pinot Noir has darker cherry aromas as well as earthy spice and tea notes. Russian River Pinot Noir is noted for its cherry fruit flavor, bright acidity and earthy mushroom notes. Oregon Pinot Noir has raspberry, strawberry, cherry and floral aromas with earthy notes of mushroom.

What sets Burgundy apart is that it is a region driven by its terroir. Land is passed down from generation to generation and Josh Green of Wine & Spirits Magazine described it as a more spiritual way of dealing with vineyards. The vignerons (grower/winemaker) look to grow grapes in a way that represents the place from where it comes. They do not have a preconceived idea of what the wine should be. In comparison, in the U.S., a winemaker chooses the land they want to work with and are more driven by varietal.

While we should not compare other wine regions to Burgundy, an interesting panel discussion led by Josh Green took place at World of Pinot Noir. The panel consisted of three Oregon wine producers: Aaron Bell of Domaine Drouhin, Thomas Savre of Lingua Franca and Mark Tarlov of Chapter 24. Their wines were tasted side-by-side with Burgundy producers. Why was that? It was not to pick the best but to see if we could find parallels. The greatest parallel is that all three of these wines have ties back to Burgundy.