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As you begin to shop using Palate Character not only will you receive personalized recommendations, you will learn more not only about wines you like, but more broadly about the world of wine, empowering to explore new wines with the knowledge that they fit YOUR Palate Character.
Bright & Crisp
Refreshing, due to their higher acidity, these wines tend to have little or no oak, restrained alcohol, and are very versatile with a broad range of foods. They are lighter bodied, generally bone dry, with a textural zing!
Balance & Finesse
Subtlety is the name of the game here. Whether it is acidity, body, or alcohol, the corresponding parts don’t scream for attention. Rather, the emphasis is on how well they play together.
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Balance & FinesseNanclares y PrietoAlbariño de Alberto Nanclares2022Rías BaixasGaliciaSpain$50
Rich & Full
Rich & Full wines are full bodied, often with higher alcohol (or sweetness) and balanced or understated acidity. Sweetness can vary quite a bit, from higher alcohol dry California Chardonnay to sweet German Rieslings, but the commonality is a rich, weighty texture.
Light & Bright
These light bodied Red and Rosé wines are often fruit forward in style with low tannin, and elevated acidity, but please don't call these wines lightweights! The bright acidity makes these wines not only versatile with food, but also refreshing and delicious by themselves. Serve with a slight chill.
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Light & BrightDomaine Clusel-RochCoteaux du Lyonnais Traboules2021Coteaux du LyonnaisFrance$26
Smooth & Silky
Elegant and approachable, Smooth & Silky wines are about finesse. The proportions of acidity, body, and alcohol are balanced and understated. As Aristotle wisely noted “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
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Smooth & SilkyPresqu'ileSanta Barbara County Pinot Noir2022Santa BarbaraCentral CoastCalifornia$26
Round & Fleshy
As the name Round & Fleshy might suggest, these wines are not shy. From ripe grapes grown from warmer vintages and/or climates, these wines often have generous, ripe, almost sweet fruit and higher alcohol, with respectively lower tannin and balanced acidity.
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Round & FleshyAndrew MurrayTous Les Jours Syrah2022Santa Ynez ValleyCentral CoastCalifornia$20
Tone & Backbone
Tone & Backbone represents wines with proportionally higher acidity and/or tannin that combine to create medium to full bodied wines. Not flashy, these dry wines are defined more by structure and restraint. The elevated tannin and acidity mean the wines particularly sing when combined with the right food, and will age gracefully.
Powerful & Extracted
Rich in flavor, dark in color, and full bodied. These wines err towards bold and intense, without sacrificing complexity. Balance is key; Powerful & Extracted wines are also age-worthy wines that often benefit from decanting to show their true colors.
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6% on 6 bottles.
10% on 12 bottles.
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UNDER THE RADAR WINES THAT OVER-DELIVER.
South Africa
As you begin to shop using Palate Character not only will you receive personalized recommendations, you will learn more not only about wines you like, but more broadly about the world of wine, empowering to explore new wines with the knowledge that they fit YOUR Palate Character.
Bright & Crisp
Refreshing, due to their higher acidity, these wines tend to have little or no oak, restrained alcohol, and are very versatile with a broad range of foods. They are lighter bodied, generally bone dry, with a textural zing!
Balance & Finesse
Subtlety is the name of the game here. Whether it is acidity, body, or alcohol, the corresponding parts don’t scream for attention. Rather, the emphasis is on how well they play together.
-
Balance & FinesseNanclares y PrietoAlbariño de Alberto Nanclares2022Rías BaixasGaliciaSpain$50
Rich & Full
Rich & Full wines are full bodied, often with higher alcohol (or sweetness) and balanced or understated acidity. Sweetness can vary quite a bit, from higher alcohol dry California Chardonnay to sweet German Rieslings, but the commonality is a rich, weighty texture.
Light & Bright
These light bodied Red and Rosé wines are often fruit forward in style with low tannin, and elevated acidity, but please don't call these wines lightweights! The bright acidity makes these wines not only versatile with food, but also refreshing and delicious by themselves. Serve with a slight chill.
-
Light & BrightDomaine Clusel-RochCoteaux du Lyonnais Traboules2021Coteaux du LyonnaisFrance$26
Smooth & Silky
Elegant and approachable, Smooth & Silky wines are about finesse. The proportions of acidity, body, and alcohol are balanced and understated. As Aristotle wisely noted “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
-
Smooth & SilkyPresqu'ileSanta Barbara County Pinot Noir2022Santa BarbaraCentral CoastCalifornia$26
Round & Fleshy
As the name Round & Fleshy might suggest, these wines are not shy. From ripe grapes grown from warmer vintages and/or climates, these wines often have generous, ripe, almost sweet fruit and higher alcohol, with respectively lower tannin and balanced acidity.
-
Round & FleshyAndrew MurrayTous Les Jours Syrah2022Santa Ynez ValleyCentral CoastCalifornia$20
Tone & Backbone
Tone & Backbone represents wines with proportionally higher acidity and/or tannin that combine to create medium to full bodied wines. Not flashy, these dry wines are defined more by structure and restraint. The elevated tannin and acidity mean the wines particularly sing when combined with the right food, and will age gracefully.
Powerful & Extracted
Rich in flavor, dark in color, and full bodied. These wines err towards bold and intense, without sacrificing complexity. Balance is key; Powerful & Extracted wines are also age-worthy wines that often benefit from decanting to show their true colors.
Customer Testimonials
“The best neighborhood wine shop! They have grouped the wines into taste profiles and offer tastings. A great way to learn more about wine in the least stuffy way.”
- Marcus
“We've bought over 50 bottles from Taste56 and none have disappointed”
- Ellie
“Taste56 is an unpretentious, informative, and affordable wine store that provides experiences and tries to educate rather than just sell.”
- Andrew
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Taste56, takes an uncommon approach. Though you can count on finding white, red, rosé and sparkling wines, they are presented according to what the store calls “palate character,” Consider whites that are bright and crisp, or rich and full; and reds that are round and fleshy, or offer tone and backbone, among others.
Travel certainly broadens one’s mind and palate, and I know of no better way to understand a wine than to taste it where it was made, with the people who made it. Or sell it. I applied a variation on this strategy during a recent trip to a Brooklyn wine shop called Taste 56.
The wines were all uniformly good and largely true to the descriptors. The Brouilly was silky, the Val de Mer, quite high in acidity.
We have had an overwhelmingly positive response. Not only do guests find it easier to find wines that might fit their preferences, but they also feel more empowered to try new varieties.