Palate Press: The Magazine, Vol. 1, Oct. 2011

By David Honig

Palate Press: The online wine magazine, is one of the most recognized and read wine publications available on line. Now, with Palate Press: The magazine, readers can get a month of Palate Press' award-winning stories and wine reviews in a book format. Read "Ten Things I Learned in the Wine Business," by W. Blake Gray, to find out the secrets and trials of wine behind the shelf and the vine. Learn about "Wine in the World's Largest Democracy," India, then read about wine in Spain, Colorado, Arizona, and more. We also include all our October wine reviews, including reader-selected Palate Press Wines of the Week.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palate Press
• Release date: Nov 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9780983178910

David Honig

David Honig, the Publisher of Palate Press,, looked at the thousands of quality wine blogs and realized there was a ready-made staff for the best wine magazine in the world. David has been running 2 Days per Bottle for two years now, and started up The 89 Project, focusing on that most unfortunate of scores, “89.” He is a self-educated oenophile, and defers to the tremendous experience and wisdom of the amazing staff at PALATE PRESS: The Online Wine Magazine.

Book preview

Reviews for Palate Press in October

"W. Blake Gray lists the 10 things he’s learned in the wine business. He’s been writing about wine for more than a decade. I bet he’s learned even more than that.

-The New York Times, on Ten Things I Learned In the Wine Business by W. Blake Gray

India is growing both as a wine market and a wine producer. Prateek Arora reports.

-The New York Times, on Wine in the World’s Largest Democracy by Prateek Arora

Tasting through history in Alto Adige: 50 years in seven pinot biancos.

-The New York Times, on A Wine Tapestry from Alto Adige: Tasting Fifty Years of Pinot Bianco from Terlan by Katie Myers.

They make wine in Arizona? Indeed, and Lisa Strid has the story.

-The New York Times, on High up in Arizona: Discovering the Sonoita AVA by Lisa Strid.

Rémy Charest has some thoughts on the best red wines from the Finger Lakes.

-The New York Times, on Beyond Riesling: Are the Finger Lakes Red Wine Country? by Remy Charest.

Palate Press: The Magazine

Volume 1, October 2011

Published by Palate Press LLC at Smashwords

ISBN 978-0-9831789-1-0

Copyright 2011 Palate Press LLC

9425 Meridian #201

Indianapolis, IN 46260

Palatepress.com

License Notes

This magazine is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This magazine may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this magazine with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of our authors.

###

Contents

Wine in the World’s Largest Democracy by Prateek Arora

Colorado Wine Industry Aims High by Tom Mansell

High up in Arizona: Discovering the Sonoita AVA by Lisa Strid

A Valpolicella Legend: An Interview with Romano dal Forno by Elisabetta Tosi

Ten Things I Learned In the Wine Business by W. Blake Gray

Navarra, Spain: A Snapshot of New Wines in an Ancient Kingdom by Becky Sue Epstein

Crisp, Inexpensive, & Rising: Picpoul’s Return to Form by Marisa D'Vari

The IWC: Speed Dating for Wine, Part 2: Judgment Days by Becky Sue Epstein

Beyond Riesling: Are the Finger Lakes Red Wine Country? by Remy Charest

Accidents Happen: Creating Sales Opportunities from Wine Mishaps by Kyle McNichols

When Do I Need a Wine Cellar? by John Seitz

A Wine Tapestry from Alto Adige: Tasting Fifty Years of Pinot Bianco from Terlan by Katie Myers

October Tasting Notes

Palate Press Wines of the Week

United States

Argentina

France

Italy

Spain

Wine in the World’s Largest Democracy

by Prateek Arora

There are always certain stereotypical visuals that cross one’s mind upon the mention of a country’s name. Mention France and you see a guy (of course with a French beard), holding a baguette, staring blankly at the Eiffel Tower as he adjusts the tip of his beret! Similarly for India, it is IT solutions, Bollywood, the ‘spicy’ Indian cuisine, and Taj Mahal that are the most common exports. And do we associate wines with India? Not quite.

While India has been producing wines for many centuries, it had never really established itself as a wine country whether it concerned consumption or production. The British colonial rule saw successful experiments with vine plantings carried out but the effort was never really a success for reasons unknown (besides a few sources blaming it on the worldwide spread of phylloxera but this theory has never been convincingly proven). On the other hand, tea plantations of that era have thrived well and Indian tea still stands as a quality standard bearer worldwide.

Whiskey and beer have dominated the alcoholic beverage scene in India for a long time. It is no surprise that even with extremely high duties, India is still among the top five export markets for Scotch whisky by volume (Scotch Whisky Association News Release). So where does wine stand in all of this? If numbers are anything to go by, the business of wine in India seems to be headed in the right direction. According to the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the annual grape production in India is estimated to be 1.6 million metric tons of which 1.2% is processed into wine. A majority of these wine grapes are grown in the town of Nashik, situated about 180 kilometers (about 110 miles) northeast of Mumbai, the capital of the state of Maharashtra. The first of the French varieties, chenin blanc (Californian) and sauvignon blanc, were planted here in 1997 by Sula’s Rajeev Samant. Samant returned from the Silicon Valley to become a wine entrepreneur in early 1990s. A decade hence, things look very different in the state of Maharashtra. While the number of wineries has grown to more than 50, 35 of these are in Nashik. The state of Karnataka, known worldwide as an IT hub for its capital city