Someone in the White House clearly has good taste or has been reading the Wandering Palate, having served at the Obama-Cameron state banquet, the Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille 2009 with the first course of crisped halibut with potato crust served on a bed of braised baby kale (fresh from the White House garden) with shaved Brussels sprouts and micro-cabbage sprouts and Applewood smoked bacon. Read More >
Must-Have Wines of the Lunar Year USA – White Wine of the Year
Peter Michael La Carrière Chardonnay 2008 – Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California
At the risk of being repetitive, whenever I’m asked what is my favourite wine? The answer is invariably, “The one I haven’t tried yet” and discovery remains my main motivation in my enthusiasm for wine. Moreover, the adage ‘The more you know about wine, the more you realise how little you know’ is pertinent with my lack of knowledge on American wine. Read More >
The Wandering Palate is off to New York and has been asking a few likeminded Wandering types where they like to eat and hang out in the Big Apple. Read More >
Yes, I’m telling you something you already know; Read More >
USA – Red Wine of the Year
Amongst the plethora of wineries on this planet and ever-increasing choice, or perhaps bewilderment for the consumer, there is a select group of iconic brands and individual winemakers that stand head and shoulders above the rest. They are the benchmark for all other producers and greatly respected by fellow winemakers and equally revered by wine enthusiasts.
In the old world and spiritual home of pinot noir, such names as Domaine de le Romanee Conti and Armand Rousseau in Burgundy are holy. In the new world sanctification goes to Calera Wine Co in California, USA and its legendary proprietor, Josh Jensen, a true pioneer of the Californian wine industry and master of the most precarious of all grapes.
Winemakers love dogs. Wherever wine is made, you’re likely to find a good dog stalking the cellar or the vineyard. Wine Dogs has found some beauties from all over the world. Wine Dogs is a celebration of the working (and relaxing) dog in the winery, vineyard and tasting room – created all for the love of dogs and wine.
Wine Dogs editions are photographic journals of stunning pictures interspersed with short essays by Robert Parker Jr., Huon Hooke, Max Allen, Cole Danehower, Dan Berger, Ralph Steadman and many more.
Part of the ‘Unrivalled Passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay’ program, on Friday, April 8th, 108 wine connoisseurs and enthusiasts congregated at the St Regis Hotel, Singapore, for a two hour tasting of Domaine de la Romanee Conti served alongside wines from four other wineries encompassing America, Australia, Austria and New Zealand.
There was much conjecture and to a degree, misinterpretation, of the objectives of this tasting but in reality, it was always going to be controversial. However, to our knowledge this is the first ever structured comparative consumer-driven tasting of this genre to be held in Asia, and perhaps the world. We would like emphasise this is a consumer preference outcome, ultimately the most strategic arbiter on wine.
The sensational results of a tasting in Paris more than 30 years ago forever changed the way American wines were considered, writes Curtis Marsh.
America’s most prodigious Bordeaux-style blend – the legendary Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello from the Santa Cruz Mountains – turns 45 years old this year.
Reaching this milestone is only part of the motive for writing this article, notwithstanding that I hail from the same vintage, further inspiration comes from my affinity with Ridge, the 1971 Ridge Monte Bello cabernet was the first American wine I had ever tried, and remains to this day, one of the most profound and indelible wine experiences.
A Californian vineyard is a deserving bearer of the torch of old-world winemaking, writes Curtis Marsh.
In the world of fine wine, what was old is now new. This is not a past fashion reinventing itself, nor a renaissance of a specific variety, style or region. It is the acceptance of an age-old reality: that truly great wines are made in the vineyard.
There are distinct vineyard sites and soils emblematic of this around the world, begetting truly distinguished wines that are expressive of their unique terroir, endowed with an encompassing spirit of place and indisputable authenticity.
