Holy Beverage!
As any even casual reader of the Bible or student of ancient history knows, wine has been produced and consumed in the Land of Israel for thousands of years. It has also been exported for many centuries, constituting a favored drink among the Roman legions and among the pharaoh’s court... Read More
Gin’s Revival
While it’s true that the predominant low-end domestic segment, that represents over 7O% of gin’s 11 million-case annual total volume sales in the US, continues to be static and largely disappointing, the upwardly mobile performances and brand expansions in the high-end import tier is cause for genuine celebration in this... Read More
Spring Drinking
HOPEFULLY by the time this article is published the sun will be shining and Jack Frost will have been put to bed for another year. Spring has finally sprung in New England and it’s time for a little “spring drinking”. Our clients’ palates are changing once again from mostly heavy... Read More
From Yeller to Cellar
LAURA DePASQUALE • 40+ • National Sales Director for Fine Wines, Palm Bay Imports • Miami, FL As a top sales director for a major wine import house, Laura DePasquale is a tad disarming. Her former careers as rock guitarist and graphic artist skew her profile out of the mainstream,... Read More
Beer’s Still Alive!
To hear the mainstream media or spirits and wine flacks tell it, beer is dead. It’s a passe beverage that no self-respecting drinker would cop to enjoying. A much-cited study found that people claim to drink more wine than beer. Production and total share of consumption is down, but beer... Read More
Brewer’s Go Buggy!
These American-brewed beers are starting to find their way into the New England beer market. They’re similar to classic Belgian beers, they’re complex in flavor and aroma, they’re hot with the high-end beer customer, and they’ve got a margin like wine. Interested? You should be; the right shop can do... Read More
Vino’s Still Populi
During the mid to late 199Os, the Italian wine industry had never seen it so good. Every year indicated steady growth on all fronts. Fantasy wines with virtual reputations and very real high price tags, waltzed into the marketplace. Producers increased their prices every year causing a domino-effect that ended... Read More
Knowing When to Cellar or Sell
TO CELLAR OR NOT TO CELLAR, that is the question. There have been more than a couple beverage programs I have worked with that I’ve tried to encourage putting away a small percentage of wine to improve their list for the future. More often than not the response has been... Read More
Profile: Slick Willie
WILLIE TAIT • 59 • Master Distiller and Single Malt Ambassador • Isle of Jura, Scotland Och, aye! The isles of Scotland are rich in history and religion. Iona is recognized as the cradle of Christianity from which St. Columba preached and roamed in the VI-century, CE. Jura, one of... Read More