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True, Spain is also home to two other important quality red wine grapes, Garnacha and Monastrell, but these two varieties are qualitatively more successful respectively in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Bandol appellations of France. Spain’s best known red wine appellation, Rioja, first brought Tempranillo to the attention of the world outside... Read More

While the spring break party image will never entirely vanish and the margarita will probably remain the country’s most popular mixed drink, the last few years have seen tequila’s image mature from one inseparable from the rambunctious frat kid to one more fitting of a dapper bon vivant. You can... Read More

It’s spring, at last. Time to deep-clean our homes, our lives and our cellars.  It’s the time of the year to look at our inventories and see what hasn’t moved since the Truman Administration. Yes, I’m referring to that case or odd bottle of fermented beverage that someone thought was... Read More

Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve is its rarest and oldest – averaging 21 years – Irish Whiskey. The blue-labeled 75Oml top-of-the-line whiskey comes impressively packaged in a weighty oak case and slip sleeve, and there are just 1OOO bottles for all of North America. Jameson launched the Rarest Vintage Reserve (RVR,... Read More

And it’s not remotely Syrah either, although there is a genetic relation. So right off the bat the name throws most people off the trail as to the kind of wine it makes. But the grape, which used to be considered just cheap “workhorse” blending material, better suited for beefing... Read More

Like bottles of wine, even in the same case, people age differently. Time may amplify what were once insignificant defects. There is, however, now a large and increasing number of very fit, healthy and active people well beyond the age of 6O. An elderly person who drinks, say, wine in... Read More

Fast on the heels of another highly successful year, the American craft beer industry is gearing up for another profitable one and the challenges that accompany success. As the segment continues its development from a tiny niche to a legitimate force in the beverage alcohol marketplace, craft brewers are increasingly... Read More

BILL SAMUELS, Jr. • 67 • President & CEO • Maker’s Mark Distillery • Loretto, Kentucky Tall and rangy Bill Samuels is steeped in family history, local culture, yarns, jim-crack anti-promotion, all driven by a deep love of the taste of his family’s 5O-year tradition of making fine bourbon. Samuels... Read More