Syrah, Shiraz?
Syrah and Sirah have both become almost as common as Cabernet and Merlot. When I first started waiting tables in the late 197Os, however, it was Petite Sirah, not Syrah or Sirah, which first appeared on the restaurant’s wine list. The restaurant, which had cuisine with a Provence-Nouvelle cuisine theme,... Read More
Concannon’s Comeback
When wines from California began to attract attention and gain a following in large east-coast markets 35 years ago, Concannon Vineyard was deemed worthy of respect. Tucked in the Livermore Valley, to the east of San Francisco Bay, alongside of Wente Brothers, it offered an alternative source to the better... Read More
Tequila
Not only are consumers buying more high-end tequila than ever before but the majority of new tequilas coming onto the market are in the super-premium category. The importance of image, an interest in pairing nice tequilas with Mexican cuisine and some very innovative promoting and packaging have all helped to... Read More
Mezcal
Flying back from Oaxaca to Boston, my seatmates voiced commonly held myths about mezcal and its infamous worm. Some misconceptions stem from false associations with mescaline and drug culture. mezcal, like tequila, makes you giddy and happy, not depressed and anti-social. The worm absorbs poisons and toxins. The worm is... Read More
Angus O’Leary
PROFILE Angus O’Leary arrived on these shores from Dublin in 1979, in the heyday of Boston’s Irish bar scene, and a leg or two ahead of the meteoric rise of international Irish pubdom. Educated in the Irish language, O’Leary had studied medicine at Trinity College, Dublin, “but I couldn’t get... Read More
NE Craft Brewers
One of the recent trends in craft brewing is the development of regional powerhouse microbreweries. A handful of these breweries now rank among the biggest in the country. Harpoon in the Northeast, Summit and Goose Island in the Midwest, Redhook in the Northwest, and New Belgium in the West all... Read More
Rogue is Different
This Oregon brewery is perhaps the smallest brewery that you will find in beer stores and bars across the country – widely scattered high-end beer stores and bars, but national nonetheless. Being national certainly hasn’t hurt them, as they get picked in more “best of” lists than almost any other... Read More
Terroir
I studied for the Master of Wine exam during the early 199Os. At that time, the concept of terroir seemed to be a flash point for all sorts of discussions. As a fledgling blind taster, I desperately wanted to know more about the connection between a wine’s organoleptic profile and... Read More
Kosher Wines
Traditional kosher wine in the United States has been most often based upon Concord grapes grown in New York State, sweetened after fermentation (now often with less expensive corn syrup most of the year, but with cane sugar for Passover wines, because grains are not considered kosher for Passover by... Read More
Screwtops
Pro-Stelvin testimonials, trickling in from wineries worldwide, are raising voices against all corks, natural and plastic. We report the findings and learned commentaries of three respected wineries, Bonny Doon from Santa Rosa, California, Mitchell from Clare Valley, Australia, and Kim Crawford from Marlborough, New Zealand. But first, let’s begin with... Read More