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by HARVEY FINKEL History was unscrolled for me recently when my inbox received a notice concerning Napa Valley’s Larkmead Estate. I recalled with favor Larkmead wines from my California-wine enlightenment of the 196Os and 197Os, and the long, complex, and interesting life story of the site, which has managed to... Read More

by PINK LADY April weather can be touch and go here in New England, sometimes kicking off with a snowstorm and winding down with spring buds. As our favorite bars start to throw open their windows and patio furniture creeps onto sidewalks, it seems these days like every watering hole... Read More

by SANDY BLOCK, MW Brunello di Montalcino is the stuff of legends, the product of a walled fortified Medieval hillside village south of Siena overlooking the southernmost part of the rolling Chianti Colli Senese zone where grapes have been ripening continuously for centuries. Perched on a ridge at heights of... Read More

BY ANDY CROUCH There is no denying that the India Pale Ale style has been pure fire in the past five years. And IPA has substantially evolved from its early days in American brewing, when it more closely resembled its maltier British predecessor. It changed over decades, growing less reliant... Read More

by PINK LADY Most of the world get shamrocks in their eyes in March, to which we say Slainte! We can thank Irish monks for turning the stills invented in ancient Mesopotamia (by early female chemists, ahem!) into Irish whiskey making machines. Back then they drank the first stuff that... Read More

by HARVEY FINKEL The immense wine resources of the small country of Portugal remind me of those diminutive circus cars from which issue forth endless numbers of clowns. Technology and sophistication have added finesse to the robust vigor we had come to expect. And while no longer nearly giving wine... Read More

by SANDY BLOCK, MW Rarely dramatic or complex in aroma, Pinot Blanc is nonetheless amongst the most evocative white grape varieties, capable of making wine that is subtle in flavor, soft and gentle in texture, and remarkably versatile with food. It doesn’t shout, it whispers. One of my biggest wine... Read More

by HARVEY FINKEL For those who enjoyed its wines during the decade, 1978-1988, of gustatory and technical successes, Plymouth’s first commercial producer, Commonwealth Winery, is still fondly remembered. Commonwealth was also one of New England’s earliest wineries in the modern era. Financial challenges forced its closure. I would see founding... Read More

by PINK LADY Certain occasions simply call for drinking bubbly: New Year’s Eve, the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, a wedding toast, Sunday morning, and of course, Valentine’s Day. The Negroni Sbagliato is a drink that came about by accident but is the perfect, rosy-hued sparkling aperitif to... Read More