September 24, 2007

With multiple Great American Beer Festival medals and two Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year awards to his credit, Tomme Arthur’s brewing talents are self-evident. A pioneer in the wood and barrel aging movement, Arthur has long worked as the head brewer at the Solana Beach location of the Pizza... Read More

Malbec is a fine grape that is gradually attaining widespread popularity even though it’s never particularly been hyped. The Argentine’s are doing wonders with it and forging a new category based on three of the hottest trends in wine: it’s red, flavorful and moderately priced. You know, the kind of... Read More

Bill Hardy, scion of the eponymic family of the Hardy Wine Company, visited Massachusetts recently, bearing samples of Hardy’s way with Shiraz, the Australian term for Syrah. We’ll get into those specifics after consideration of the genre. Syrah is the great black grape of the northern Rhone, most notably Cote... Read More

Brothers Donnie and Lee Thibodeau (co-Chairmen) have joined forces with CEO Bob Harkins and distiller Chris Dowe* to launch Maine Distilleries, the Pine Tree State’s first commercial distillery. Their idea was to transform potatoes – that starchy tuber with somewhat tarnished acclaim among diet-crazed Americans – into premium vodka, a... Read More

MY LEAST FAVORITE PART of being a sommelier in a restaurant was inventory management. It’s not the most sexy of topics. In fact, it’s usually downright boring. I have many not-so-fond memories of coming in on a Sunday morning after a very late and busy Saturday night to count bottles.... Read More

MARCUS PALMER • 38 • Sommelier & Wine Manager • Smith & Wollensky • Boston, MA How could such a terrific concept have borne such a sketchily conceived monicker? The story goes that the night before Alan Stillman launched his now-famous steakhouse chain, it still lacked a name. Alan and... Read More

Like any other good thing that really gets rolling, Cinco de Mayo is getting complicated. First it was a memorial to Mexican pride, a battle won against the French invader. Then it was a touchstone for Chicano pride, something to encourage Mexican-Americans to be proud of the Mexican part of... Read More

THE CENTRAL COAST IS OFF THE RADAR SCREEN.” said Ian McFadden, wine director at Marty’s in Allston. “Consumers have no idea where the Central Coast is or how the wines are different.” At the 2OO6 Boston Wine Expo, I decided to ask Central Coasters what comprised the Central Coast. I... Read More

NICHOLEBIRDSALL, assistant winemaker at Bonterra Vineyards of Mendocino County in California, was part of the massive annual pilgrimage to the this year’s Boston Wine Expo, affording an opportunity to taste and discuss the wines she helps conceive and produce. Lovely wines and reasonably priced, they are worth sharing by means... Read More

LARGELY THROUGH EXPOSURE TO NEW LUXURY TEQUILAS, innovative marketing programs and the overall popularity of spirits, consumers have developed discerning palates. Today, people bandy terms about like blanco, reposado and anejo. They look for 1OO% blue agave distinctions on labels and sip tequilas from martini glasses or swirl them in... Read More