September 21, 2007

ONE of the most common questions I get in my wine beginnings class pertains to food and wine pairings. To begin to understand how food and wine react differently (depending on what kinds are used), one basic piece of the puzzle needs to be understood first: wine is a condiment.... Read More

The jury’s still out on which category malternatives fit into. Just when you think they’re yesterday’s news a new flavor comes out, or a new package, or a new positioning, and suddenly malternatives are hot again. That’s the nature of “hot”. It’s that fast-moving part of the market, whether it’s... Read More

Resistance to the more premium, limited production wines of each country has begun to crack as the market moves upscale. The only problem is that both Chile and Argentina have established their reputations primarily as deep value players in a world where consumers now show increasing willingness to pay up... Read More

Discerning wine consumers are curious and hungry for information that often goes beyond what is in the glass, where it came from and how it was made. They are interested in wines from new places, want updates about the new faces at their favorite vineyards, and are eager to learn... Read More

DARRYL SETTLES • 46 • Owner/Manager, Bob’s Southern Bistro • Partner, Beehive • Boston Buzz, buzz . . . Beehive, the new cafe/club in The Calderwood Theater complex in the South End’s brick roundhouse Cyclorama, is a-throb with sophisticated music, hip drinks, good food, smart people. Très hot! Co-owner Darryl... Read More

The caipirinha actually represents the second wave of zippy, fruity, sexy drinks like the mojito. There are a hundred variations – lemon caipirinha, grapefruit, blood orange, pomelo, any fruit that will give you juice and zesty oil from the skin – since it uses the same classic South American technique... Read More

AMERICAN MICROBREWS In evolutionary terms, the time wasn’t long ago when the American beer industry was ruled by titans. American craft beer was perhaps considered quaint by some, a novelty by others. But now craft is king. “American craftsmanship is certainly the wave of popularity right now,” says Alan O’Campbell,... Read More

ANDY CROUCH To start, why don’t you tell us a little about how the Here’s To Beer campaign got started. TOM SHIPLEY That would go back to the end of the summer in 2OO5. All of 2OO5 and at the end of 2OO4, there were lots of negative stories in... Read More

One fine April evening my wife shares some great news: her sister is getting married. Wonderful! Then comes the bad news: the wedding is in six weeks, on Memorial Day. For many of us in the hospitality or retail industry, getting that weekend off is difficult enough; with that short... Read More