France
SPARKLING WINE FOR YOUR VALENTINE
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here are a few of our favorite sparkling wine recommendations for you: Cote Mas M Cremant De Limoux Rose Brut 1531 nv Cote Mas Cremant De Limoux AOP Rose Brut Languedoc Roussillon France 92 12%, 750 ml, $19.99 Light, supple, finely sparkling and dry with notes of strawberry, raspberry, apricot, sea shell, chalk and almond sliver. nv […]
THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN IN WINE
Read our reviews of these wines here: 2017 Trimbach Riesling Reserve Alsace 2018 Jean Luc Colombo La Belle de Mai Saint Peray 2016 Travaglini Gattinara 2017 Caro Barons de Rothschild Lafite and Nicolas Catena Mendoza
CELEBRATING WOMEN WINEMAKERS AROUND THE WORLD
blog | September 15, 2020 – 8:26pm | By Catherine Fallis We are celebrating women winemakers all over the world! Here are some of our top picks from importer Winesellers, Ltd. Anne Eifel-Spohr 2017 Heinz Eifel Shine Gewurztraminer Rheinhessen Qualitatswein Germany $12 Soft, semi-sweet and opulent with notes of papaya, mango, guava, pineapple, pink rose […]
CHARDONNAY DAY 2020
blog | May 19, 2020 – 6:21pm | By Catherine Fallis Chardonnay, the perfect breakfast wine. That is according to some winemakers, who drink it while dipping their toes in the stream and eating bacon and eggs. I like it with buttermilk fried chicken, a lobster roll or a Cobb Salad as well. Each year, […]
A MASTER SOMMELIER’S ROSE WINE PICKS
PRIME WOMEN A Master Sommelier’s Rose Wine Picks Home Entertainment Food and Wine A Master Sommelier’s Rose Wine Picks Share Food and Wine A Master Sommelier’s Rose Wine Picks Catherine Fallis Fri May 31 It’s time for beach wine! Many folks I know drink Rose wine year round, but summer is peak season […]
BEST WINE FOR YOUR VALENTINE
Flowers, chocolate, jewelry, or fragrance are always good choices to please your intended, but what if you had a personal sommelier to pick out a nice bottle of wine? Consider it done. Here are a few of our Valentine’s Day favorites, and if you want to get a leg up on the ten most important […]
FRENCH-AMERICAN GASTRONOMY & WINE SHOW
Come to La Soirée Couture Garden Party, The French-American Gastronomy & Wine Show, on November 16th at the SF Design Center. Boisset Collection will celebrate their Franco-American spirit at the French-American Chamber of Commerce’s 37th annual gastronomy and wine event with their Haute Couture French Bubbles, JCB wine, JCB Spirits and delicacies from Atelier Fine Foods. Register […]
TWENTY UNDER $20
Twenty Under $20 While it is easy enough to find wines under $20, how often do they really deliver? This category is packed with mass-produced commercial products without a lot of character. Here are some well-crafted and still widely available wines from around the world that we at Planet Grape Wine Review highly recommend. […]
A NATURAL RENAISSANCE – THE WORLD EMBRACES CORK CLOSURES
Check out my recent technical article in The SOMM Journal, August/September 2017 “One of the best efforts I have ever seen.” A Wine Editor “Best article in the magazine.” Another Wine Editor Catherine Fallis MS, Planet Grape LLC
ROSE CHAMPAGNE NOT JUST FOR THE LADIES
January/February 2017 Glass of Bubbly Issue 16 Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis Despite the general perception, Rose Champagne is not for ladies only, although the very thought of it brings mouthwatering visions of decadence and frolic to mind. Rose is actually the weightiest and richest of Champagne styles, is made in non-vintage, vintage and luxury […]
LE MESNIL’S RISING STAR
November/December 2016 Glass of Bubbly Issue 15 Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis With a budget of $400 US, or $850, one can easily obtain one of the best Champagnes in the world, a bottle of Salon or Krug Clos de Mesnil. With any luck, the Grand Cru Chardonnay-based bubbly will be expressive, generous and fine, though […]
SMALL DISCOVERIES
January/February 2016 Glass of Bubbly Issue 10 Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis With its iconic hand painted flower bottle, Perrier Jouet’s Cuvee Belle Epoque, formerly known as Fleur de Champagne, is one of the world’s most recognizable luxury brands, let alone Champagnes. To make their current releases even more memorable, the house teamed up young designers […]
WHERE VIOGNIER SHINES
October/November 2016 The SOMM Journal planet grape by Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis THE ANCIENT GRAPE IS AT ITS BEST IN CONDRIEU AND SOUTH WEST FRANCE Viognier (vee oh nyay) was grown in the Northern Rhone during the Roman Empire. When the Romans were forced out of Gaul in the 5th Century, the vines remained uncultivated […]
2017 INTERNATIONAL ALSACE VARIETALS FESTIVAL FEATURING CREMANT D’ALSACE
Planet Grape Wine Review presented this past weekend during the sold out Educational Session at the 2017 International Alsace Varietals Festival, held at the Mendocino Fairgrounds in Boonville amidst the rolling hills and meadows of California’s Anderson Valley. Dr. Liz Thach MW and Fred Swan Diploma WSET joined me for a lively panel presentation of the sparkling […]
OSCAR NIGHT PASSIONFRUIT CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Piper-Heidsieck PRESENTS THE PERFECT CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL FOR OSCAR® NIGHT Celebrate Awards Season with this Sweet and Sumptuous Passionfruit Cocktail! Impress your friends and loved ones with the perfect passionfruit Champagne cocktail as you celebrate the Oscars® from home this year. Made with Piper-Heidsieck, the sole Champagne to be served during the 2017 Academy Awards®, The Seductress […]
SHERRY-LEHAMNN/KEVIN ZRALY BORDEAUX MASTER CLASS NYC
Explore the terroir of St. Julien and the great Leoville estate along with its newest acquisition, Chateau Mauvesin with Proprietor Damien Barton-Sartorius and America’s Leading Wine Educator Kevin Zraly on Tuesday, January 24th, 7:00-9:00pm, for a reception and seated tasting at the Sherry-Lehmann Gallery, 505 Park Avenue at 59th St. NYC. $250 per person. Limited. […]
FRED SWAN’S SPIRITS REVIEWS – MEZCAL & MALTS
Check out Planet Grape Panelist and Contributor Fred Swan’s latest spirits reviews! Bastille 1789 Hand-Crafted Whisky France Wemyss Malts The Hive Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Chamucos Tequila Blanco Mexico Chamucos Tequila Anejo Mexico Los Amantes Mezcal Joven Lot 11 Oaxaca Mexico Los Amantes Mezcal Reposado Lot 12 Oaxaca Mexico Los Amantes Mezcal Anejo Lot 13 […]
TOP 7 CHAMPAGNES HOUSES SELECTED BY LES REVUES DE VINS DE FRANCE
Last weekend I selected Champagne Pol Roger for the Bubbles Bar at a huge Tech party in San Francisco, where we also built and filled a Champagne Tower! Pol Roger is an iconic house that has maintained a level of quality that very few have. Pol Roger retained 3 stars by Le Revue Des Vins de France […]
SUNNY HOLIDAY CHEER
It’s here! Holiday shopping, festive parties, and the time of year to rock the ugliest sweaters ever made. I have selected some of my personal favorites wines and spirits of 2016 to assist you with your holiday beverages and up your game. These are all value-priced and easy to find online @drync or @eBay wines, or at your […]
BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU 2016 EST ARRIVE!
Each year for the past 30 years, Beaujolais Nouveau makes its debut across the world on the third Thursday of November, just in time for the holiday table, when cheap and cheerful red is just the ticket. This year is no different, though some palates are fatiguing of the banana/tutti frutti and bubblegum flavors often […]
ORGANIC OLD VINE GRENACHE PLAYS A STARRING ROLE AT CHATEAU LA NERTHE
Kick starting the week was a delicious and informative tasting with Chateau la Nerthe Export Manager Christophe Bristiel and Pasternak Wine Imports West Division Manager Ben Cuaresma at the San Francisco home of Planet Grape Wine Review co-panelist Deborah Parker Wong. Christophe explained that Chateau la Nerthe owns Prieure de Montezargues and Domaine de la […]
BEACH WINES AND EXOTIC BURGERS
Please indulge me and let me start out with a little story from my days as Wine Director/Sommelier at a famous Bay area restaurant. One day a new owner appeared, a French Chef who had his own Somm coming in a few months. I felt obligated to stay on, though it became more challenging by the […]
