Launching Today: Palate Press  Add/Read Comments

Palate Press is the collaborative effort from many of the best recognized wine voices on the internet, including American Wine Blog Award winners and twenty of the worlds Top 100 Wine Blogs.

The website is edited by W. R. Tish, known in the wine trade as simply "Tish" who previously was editor of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, and has been writing and speaking about wine and food - often with a comedic edge - for more than a decade since.

Deb Harkness is the Wine Review Editor writing about Good Wine Under $20 for two years now. Other Editors and Contributors from the world's top 100 wine blogs include:

• Gabriella Opaz (Catavino),


• Lenn Thompson (Lenndevours),


• Richard Auffrey (Passionate Foodie),


• Michelle Lentz (My Wine Education),


• Russ Beebe (Winehiker Witiculture),


• Joe Roberts (1 Wine Dude),


• Craig Camp ( Wine Camp),


• Kori Voorhees (Wine Peeps),


• Andrew Barrow (Spittoon),


• Remy Charest (The Wine Case),


• "Sonadora" (Wannabe Wino),


• Ken Payton (Reign of Terroir),


• Tim Elliot (Wine Cast)

In terms of its position within the current wine-media scene, Tish sees Palate Press as a "blogazine," combining the passion of bloggers with the editorial appeal of a broad-based magazine. He adds that the capacity of readers to comment on articles adds a dynamic that makes Palate Press more like talk radio than like traditional print, and he promises:

"We are not afraid of controversy. And we are not afraid to present multiple opinions on wine topics-something you rarely see in the Ivory Tower glossies. We think our approach to the wine zeitgeist will be more realistic, and in turn rewarding for readers. Palate Press is committed to covering wine intelligently, not churning out hundreds of sterile wine ratings in bloated buying guides."

Stories slated for the first month include a soul-searching profile of Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm; an exposé of shady shelf talkers; a surprising look at wine-label regulations; an Eisch vs. Riedel wine-glass smackdown; critical essays on how wine-evaluation systems by major U.S. critics miss the mark; a firsthand look at how the economy has impacted wine-country tourism; and in-depth articles on under-appreciated wines from Alsace to Portugal to Walla Walla.

A piece penned by me on South African wine is already available to read; a further scribble on Alsace is scheduled for today.

David Honig, creator and Publisher, describes Palate Press as "a logical next generation" of wine media.

The hypothesis is simple: collecting the very best of the wine blogosphere and carefully editing and publishing it will create a top-quality and commercially viable online wine magazine. The experiment is well under way, preparing to launch with some of the most talented and best-known wine writers on the internet.

"Clearly the expertise is out there. Bloggers communicate with authority and authenticity, demonstrating particular areas of expertise," Honig notes. "Wherever there is a wine story, there is a qualified wine blogger to write about it." And it's not just bloggers on board: Palate Press contributors include winemakers, retailers, sommeliers and professional wine writers.