When my friend served a savory mushroom tart at dinner a few weeks ago, I enjoyed it so much that I asked for the recipe. I finally tried making it at home, and to my delight, it worked. That small success felt worth celebrating, so I opened a bottle of sparkling wine. As it turned out, the Josetta Saffirio Alta Langa 2021 Brut Metodo Classico wasn’t just celebratory; it was also a perfect match for the dish, and that is why it is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

When it comes to weeknight dinners at home, I often reach for Pinot Noir. It is one of the most reliable food-pairing grapes - versatile, expressive, and rarely overpowering. The challenge, of course, is finding a bottle that delivers both quality and value. Ex Post Facto 2024 Pinot Noir checks both boxes. It is the kind of wine that makes a simple meal feel thoughtful, and one that proves you don’t need a special occasion to open something truly enjoyable. That is exactly why the Ex Post Facto 2024 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

I will start with a confession: I had not tasted wines from the Red Hills Lake County AVA. And to add another confession, Cabernet Sauvignon is not the grape variety where my palate usually goes first. I tend to gravitate toward wines with lift, energy, and nuance, not power for power’s sake. So I came into this virtual tasting curious and with an open mind. What I found is that Red Hills Lake County Offers Mountain Cabernet with a Sense of Place.

When my friends invited me over for dinner, I offered to bring wine. So, I had to ask what was being prepared. Although I didn't receive the full descriptions, I heard the words "mushrooms" and "meatballs". I didn't know what the dishes would be, but I thought I knew which wine would pair well. It was a bottle of Grignolino that I brought home from my recent trip to Italy. Light on its feet yet full of personality, it is one of my favorite grapes for exactly this kind of meal. And while I recently featured another wine from this producer, the Cascina Val Liberata 2022 Anarkoide Grignolino, Monferrato, paired with our dinner was so captivating, it had to be the Please The Palate wine of the week.

I can’t believe another year has passed, but I’m ready to turn the page. 2025 was a challenging year on many levels. With continued shifts in the wine industry, I felt it in my work: events slowed, writing opportunities disappeared, and the landscape changed in real time. But I didn’t let that stop me, and won't. Enjoy the Please The Palate January 2026 Newsletter.

New Year’s Eve calls for a wine that reflects both celebration and intention, something timeless, precise, and quietly confident. Laurent-Perrier Héritage fits that moment perfectly. Crafted entirely from reserve wines and rooted in more than two centuries of savoir-faire, it is a Champagne that looks forward while honoring the past. It is a beautiful way to end the year on a high note, which is exactly why Laurent-Perrier Héritage is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

At first glance, this wine tells one story. It is a vibrant purple in the glass, with color and sediment clinging stubbornly to the cork. But the first sip tells another. Dark and brooding on the nose, yet surprisingly light, lifted, and endlessly drinkable on the palate. From the first taste to pairing it with dinner, I knew the Doctor’s Orders 2022 Grenache–Syrah from Toro Canyon in Santa Barbara County was destined to be the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

By the second day of blind tasting, I had found a rhythm to tasting the wines. Five wines at a time were poured. We knew the vintage and the region. I tried not to pay attention to anything other than what was in the glass. I swirled the wine. I smelled the wine and wrote down what I smelled. I tasted the wine. I swirled it around my mouth and spat. I lingered for a moment, feeling the wine. I then wrote down how it tasted, noting the level of tannin, acidity, and alcohol. Slowly, I began to see patterns. But I did not pay any attention until I was finished on day 3. After tasting all of the wines blind, I was able to analyze my notes and draw the following conclusions.

Blind tasting at Nebbiolo Prima was a different experience. It was not a single flight or a short judging session. Over several days, I would taste nearly 160 Nebbiolos blind, spanning nine appellations, four DOCGs and five DOCs, from a region that includes more than 500 producers, 10,000 hectares of vineyards, 54 municipalities, and produces roughly 66 million bottles each year.

I love discovering new grape varieties, and Italy, especially Piemonte, never stops delivering. I consider myself familiar with many of the region’s indigenous grapes, including Freisa, Ruchè, Nascetta, and Grignolino. But Slarina? That was a completely new one for me. So when I spotted it on the list at Vinomio in Vercelli last week, I had to know more. What was this grape? What does it taste like? What is its story? And once I tasted it, I knew the Cascina Val Liberata 2021 Cenerina Slarina, Monferrato is the Please The Palate wine of the week. 

Vinomio opened three summers ago, in 2023, and it instantly became my favorite place to go. Whenever I am in Vercelli, I make my way there, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone, but almost every day of my visit. Aperitivo turns into a glass, which turns into another story, another discovery. For the few days each year that I’m back, I’m a regular.

Moscato is usually synonymous with sweet, which is why I was so surprised when I tasted Forteto della Luja’s Pasucrà. It is a wine that defies the typical expectation of Moscato sweetness and is unique and unexpected. Completely dry, with no residual sugar, it was utterly delicious. That is why the Forteto della Luja Pasucrà 2024 Piemonte Moscato Secco DOC is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

With Cabernet Franc Day approaching on December 4th, this week’s choice is a celebration of one of California’s most distinctive red grapes. The Covenant 2023 Landsman Cabernet Franc from Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, delivers exotic aromas, ripe red fruit, and a subtle toastiness. It is a wine that is as intriguing as it is delicious, and that is why it is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

Most people think of Prosecco as one thing: a cheerful, easy-drinking sparkling wine, perfect for brunch or celebrations. And, Prosecco DOC, which comes from the plains, is crafted in a clean, consistent style. But journey north, into the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, and you will discover Prosecco DOCG. Here, at Bellenda, Prosecco is not just a category; it is a conversation between past and present, a story told through multiple styles, all from the same grape.

When Tyler Eck, owner of Dunites Wine Co., told me about the most memorable wine he had ever tasted, he recalled a Rhône wine he once shared with his father over dinner. What stayed with him was how the wine evolved and how each sip seemed to offer something new. I thought about this as I tasted his 2024 Albariño. Each sip revealed something fresh, something unexpected, something alive. That sense of evolution in the glass is exactly why the Dunites Wine Co. 2024 Albariño, San Luis Obispo Coast is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

Family, heritage, and bold flavors come together in the BoaVentura de Caires Winery 2020 Venture Red Wine, an Iberian-inspired blend from Livermore Valley, California. Named after Brett and Monique Caires’ son, Venture, who carries forward the legacy of the family’s wine-loving patriarch, this inky, rounded red is a tribute to tradition and hands-on craftsmanship, making the BoaVentura de Caires Winery 2020 Venture Red Wine - Iberian Blend the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

For years, truffle hunting lived high on my travel bucket list. I imagined the misty forests, eager dogs, and the buried treasures of Italy's culinary world. Last winter, and again this winter, I finally made the journey during the heart of white truffle season, exploring two of Italy’s most revered truffle territories: Piemonte and Umbria.

Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a beautifully crafted rosé. The Barton & Guestier Côtes de Provence “Tourmaline” 2024, the Please The Palate wine of the week, combines tradition, artistry, and Mediterranean spirit in a bottle. Limited-edition and collectible, this rosé features a vibrant label designed by Montreal-based French artist Isaure Atelier, whose expressive style captures elegance, lightness, and the warmth of Provence.

We drove up to Santa Maria to meet Michael Brughelli for lunch at Au Bon Climat in the Santa Maria Valley, where he makes his wines. Everything about him feels thoughtful and deliberate, from the way he talks about farming to the way he builds his wines, one careful step at a time. His focus is entirely on Santa Maria Valley, and he farms at the highest level year after year, believing in the cumulative effects that come only with consistency and patience.

Deep, bold, and layered, the Peltier Schatz Family 2018 Teroldego is a standout expression of a variety rarely seen outside Northern Italy. Sourced from two estate vineyards in Lodi’s heart and Clements Hills sub-AVA, this wine beautifully marries dark fruit, spice, and velvety oak, making the Peltier Schatz Family 2017 Teroldego, Estate Reserve, Lodi the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

Ribolla Gialla is one of those quiet grapes. It is not flashy or bold with loud aromas, but quietly confident and mineral-driven. Native to Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy’s northeast corner (and known as Rebula just across the border in Slovenia), Ribolla Gialla is an ancient white variety with wines that are light and crisp, with delicate floral and mineral notes and that unmistakable bright acidity that makes them so food-friendly. It’s a grape that thrives on transparency, and with Tenuta Stella, I got to see just how expressive it can be. During a virtual tasting, we tasted three versions of Ribolla Gialla: still, sparkling, and Riserva - the same grape, three very different personalities.

The north face of Mount Etna has a pull that’s impossible to resist. The volcano may rumble and puff, but it is the vineyards scattered across its slopes that command quiet awe. Here, centuries of lava flows have left behind ribbons of black rock and nutrient-rich ash. This patchwork of soils, layered eruption after eruption, now gives birth to wines of striking elegance, finesse, and tension.

Growing up in the central valley of California, we’ve inherited a sense of pride from our Greek parents and have continued to farm vineyards and make wine, incorporating the Mediterranean lifestyle an...

French Colombard is a white grape you do not often see on a wine label. It is more commonly used in blends or brandy production and rarely gets the spotlight. But in the right hands, such as with Patrick Cappiello of Monte Rio Cellars, Colombard can shine. Bright, fresh, and full of character, the Monte Rio Cellars 2023 French Colombard, Lodi is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.