Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel

Written by Allison Levine on February 9, 2019

Travel Lifestyle Food Wine

When I travel to New York for work, I typically stay at a hotel near where the event I am working will take place. This past week, I was in New York for a wine event that we decided to do in The Beekman, a Thompson Hotel, in Manhattan’s Financial District, within walking distance to the World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge. I decided to stay there as well for the convenience. I had seen photos on the internet and read about it but nothing could prepare me for The Beekman. It is one of the most magnificent hotels I have ever stepped foot into and hence it is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

From the moment my car pulled up to the doors, I was greeted by a bellman who grabbed my bags. Check-in at registration was friendly and quick and then I was escorted to my room by a friendly young man, JB, who marveled at the beauty of the hotel with me, even though he looks at it every day. Read More +

Discovering the Dao: Take Notice of the White Grape Encruzado

Written by Allison Levine on February 7, 2019

Lifestyle Wine

The world of white wine grapes is vast. On my recent trip to the Dão region in Portugal, I tasted Encruzado for the first time. And, I was hooked! I love this white wine and wrote about it in my recent column in the Napa Valley Register, which you can read here. I hope you get the chance to try Encruzado!

Portugal is a country known for its red wines, and the Dão region is no exception. Touriga Nacional and Tinto Roriz (also known as Tempranillo) are more famous, but the Dão is also home to the grape Encruzado, considered possibly Portugal’s finest white grape variety. A grape that has primarily been used for blending also produces exceptional single varietal wines that can be enjoyed by those who like white Burgundy.

Encruzado is grown almost exclusively in the Dão. The granite soils, higher altitudes and diurnal temperature shifts all benefit Encruzado, which is a slow-ripening grape. It was during a visit to Casa da Passarella that I fell in love with Encruzado.

Understanding the Terroir of the Dão with Julia Kemper Wines

Written by Allison Levine on January 24, 2019

Travel Lifestyle Wine

Last week I wrote about exploring new wine regions and the newest region I have explored is the Dão region of Portugal. To really understand a wine region, it is important to understand the terroir. Our first visit on our trip was to Julia Kemper Wines and it was there that we began to understand what makes the Dão region unique. You can read the entire story I wrote in the Napa Valley Register here.

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It rained the night we arrived in the Dão region of Portugal, but by the morning, the rain had subsided. It was damp outside and the ground was wet as we arrived at our first winery visit, Julia Kemper Wines.

As we got out of the shuttle, we were greeted by a woman in high-heeled boots, tights, a short skirt, scarf and long, flowing hair holding a box of fresh chestnuts. It was Julia de Melo Kemper who welcomed us to her property.