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Valerio Barbieri. He has not been on the cover of The Wine Spectator, nor even in the fine print. Robert M. Parker, Jr. has not anointed him the rising star of the wine firmament. No importer has bragged that such-and-such an estate is now “working with Valerio Barbieri”. Yet Barbieri... Read More

The Internet has fundamentally changed the operation of the brewing industry. From breweries to beer bars to package stores, the internet has had remarkable effects. One of the its most noteworthy achievements has been the empowerment of the online beer geek. For the brewing industry, the Internet has given birth... Read More

Passion and customer service are the by-words of the proprietors of three different Massachusetts boutique wine stores when asked what the single most important part of their businesses is. These words are what the owners claim is the reason customers turn to them, in their smaller spaces, with less big... Read More

There are two small Massachusetts breweries that are edging up toward a break-out point – Berkshire Brewing, in South Deerfield, and Wachusett Brewing, in Westminster, passed the 1O,OOO bottle a year mark in 2OO3, and both are sustaining steady growth. Interestingly, both have reached that mark largely within the state... Read More

Between undercover stings, budget cuts, layoffs, department transfers, and agency overhauls, the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission has certainly been busy over the last year. In June of 2OO3 the agency was moved, after actually being temporarily eliminated in March, from its longtime home of the Office of Consumer &... Read More

Long Trail Brewing recently re-entered the Massachusetts market. At about that same time, I got a press package from Long Trail. That may not seem significant – my desk is six inches deep in brewery press releases – but I can count on the fingers of one foot how many... Read More

Who do these people think they are anyways? Do they really think they can simply waltz in here, saddle up to the bar, sip a pint, and decree their verdict on the quality of the beer? In the Internet Age, the beer geeks not only believes in their power to... Read More

As winter is upon us again it’s time to revisit drinks that ward off the chill. And for this article its time to go back to the near-forgotten originals. The oldies are goodies for a reason and this certainly goes beyond my beloved Side Car. Recently I found some very... Read More