WINE

Maxwell Park Wine Bar is one of the hottest spots in Washington DC right now. Modern, friendly, energetic, educational yet playful, it is a perfect wine bar for all wine lovers, no matter how much or how little you know. And that is why Maxwell Park Wine Bar (aka Maxwell's DC) is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Maxwell's DC opened in June of 2017 in the Shaw neighborhood, one of the hippest areas of Washington DC. Sommelier Brent Kroll is the founder of Maxwell's DC which he named after Maxwell Park, a park he played in as a kid in Detroit. His partners, Daniel Runnerstrom and Niki Lang are also sommeliers. Previous to owning his own wine bar, Kroll was the Wine Director for the Neighborhood Group for four years. During his tenure, he opened ten restaurants and oversaw the wine programs at all of them. Now he is focused on just one place and it is a gem.
24 February, 2018
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
Wine grapes are grown in a variety of soils. The influence of the soil is one of the many factors that contribute to a resulting wine. But can you taste this difference?
There are general descriptors that say that sandy soils produce highly aromatic wines with low tannins and clay soils produce muscular wines with high extract. And there are examples of wines from around the world that demonstrate the influence on wines from sandy, volcanic, clay, limestone, slate and other soils.
But to really understand the influence of soil on wine, what if you could narrow down all of the other elements -- same grape, same vintage, same region, same viticulture practices, same vinification but four different soils? You can with Capçanes’ La nit de les garnatxes series.
20 February, 2018
#releasetherose should be the new hashtag as Rosé season is here! This past week, Fiddlehead Cellars in Santa Ynez released the Fiddlehead Cellars 2017 Pink Fiddle, Fiddlestix Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills, their first wine released in 2018 and is the Please The Palate pick of the week. I had the pleasure to taste the wine at Fiddlehead's annual Pink Dinner Party, an event I look forward to each year as it falls within a few days of my birthday. We were dressed in pink, the winery was decorated in pink and we drink a lot of pink wine. I have been a fan of the Fiddlehead's Rosé but the 2017 is a real standout!
17 February, 2018
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
Two years ago, I spent a weekend at Château l’Hospitalet, one of the nine estates owned by Gerard Bertrand, located in the Languedoc in the south of France. I recall Gerard’s passion as he shared his belief in l’art de vivre (the art of living). And recently, I was inspired again when he visited the U.S. to host a series of master classes to espouse how biodynamics magnify the expression of terroir in a grand vintage.
Gerard Bertrand started making wine with his father 43 years ago in the south of France. By 2002, Gerard began to change his view after reading Rudolf Steiner, the father of biodynamics. Having used homeopathy in his personal life, he connected with the principles of biodynamics and began converting his vineyards.
15 February, 2018
Maude has reinvented itself. The 25-seat restaurant has been redecorated with dark navy blue banquettes and customized chairs and the walls have been painted navy blue as well. Gone are the fresh bouquets of flowers on the counters and dried flowers hanging from the walls. The walls are now lined with black and white photographs, some picked up at flea markets and others of members of the Maude team on their culinary travels. The space is elegant, warm and inviting. The other new change is that instead of changing the menu monthly and featuring a singular seasonal ingredient, Maude is now focused on representing a wine region somewhere in the world and creating a menu inspired by the time the team spends there. These new menus will be offered quarterly and to start off 2018, Rioja, Spain was the selected region. The overall experience with the new regional theme was exceptional. The entire meal flowed so naturally. Instead of learning how the seasonal ingredient was used in each dish, we were told a story of what inspired the dish. As each dish was served, a member of the Maude team would introduce the dish and tell us something about their trip to Rioja. Understanding the meaning behind the dish enhanced the flavors. And the Rioja menu was a home-run!
13 February, 2018
Looking for a place to meet for drinks? Try Oriel Chinatown. Just north of Union Station on Alameda Street sits a building just below the raised train tracks. First a tire shop and then a nail salon, the space is now home to Oriel Chinatown, a French-themed modern wine bar and bistro. Oriel Chinatown is an oddly-shaped building with a few tables in the covered entrance and a few more to the right of the entrance, which lead to a patio. To the left of the entrance is the bar and a few more seats. The walls are white with pink and purple floors and furniture that are illuminated by the low lighting to create a rose-hued space. Oriel Chinatown is a project of Dustin Lancaster, who has opened Bar Covell and Augustine, two other wine bars in Los Angeles. At Oriel Chinatown the focus is on French wine.
08 February, 2018

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register. Zinfandel is California’s grape, but it was a grape I disregarded for the last decade. Of course,...

06 February, 2018
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