A Note From The Dean of Drinking:
May, my friends, is a busy month for us here at Palate Partners, and I’m excited about all of the exciting things we have happening. Wine dinners, new classes, returning themes…there’s truly going to be something for everyone, and I’m hopeful you agree.
We begin the month with another installment of our First and Third Casual Fridays, Pittsburgh’s best way to try new wines in an approachable, relaxed environment. Then Deb’s going to take us around the world of wine at the 44th parallel – another first! And since we’re continuing to break new ground this month, we’ll also be testing a concept that could well become a series of its own called “Eat This, Drink That,” during which we’ll sample dishes from a certain cuisine while learning about which wines masterfully pair with them. Thai cuisine is on the agenda for our inaugural voyage; there are heaps of great Thai BYOB restaurants in the city, and it’s a cuisine that can often stump diners in terms of pairings. Let us be your guide.
There are, of course, some familiar series and classes coming back to us this month. In our Tour de France stage, we tackle the Northern Rhône Valley, home of intense, brooding Syrah and full-bodied whites. The South African Wine Safari class series will be stopping by the Cape South Coast, too, so if you’re a fan of Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and other cool-climate wines, you won’t want to miss this. Oh, and it may go without saying at this point, but act fast if you’d like to join us because spots are limited. I am also very excited to announce the return of the Celebrating Women Winemakers course I launched last year, and we’re going to be highlighting even more amazing women around the world putting fine wines in our glasses.
What Adam's Drinking...
By now, yinz know I love a good value. When I uncover a wine that seriously over-delivers for the price, I get excited and immediately want to tell everyone I know – and that’s what I’m going to do now with the newly-arrived Mas des Capitelles Faugères ‘Vieilles Vignes’. Another selection from Kysela Pere et Fils (noticing a trend in how they import really, really good stuff?), this red wine gives an intense ruby-to-purple color and a nose that’s jam packed with rich, dark fruits, pepper, dark chocolate, and a kiss of vanilla and sweet spice to round it all out. It’s a bombastic flavor explosion of old vine concentration and intensity, and it artfully walks that fine line of depth and power without being overbearing. I know we all love a good summer BBQ, and this wine is tailor-made for grilled treats. For those keeping score at home, half the wine is made from Mourvèdre, and the other half is evenly split between Syrah and Carignan, another one of those unheralded grapes from southern France that more and more producers are putting back in the spotlight. The Languedoc is home to many bargains, and for a $20 bill, this is a hard bottle to beat.