CRAFT NAVIGATES NEW WATERS
Despite long-standing concerns with the economy the domestic beer segment overall, and the craft beer set in particular, continues to perform well for retailers and distributors. Nudging up one half percent, the beer industry fought against strong and troubling economic trends, especially in the second half of 2OO8. Craft brewers... Read More
ENDANGERED COCKTAIL of the MONTH
GIN Could there be a more appropriate cocktail to sip at the dawn of summer than the Daisy a cool and refreshing drink named for a hardy, innocent flower? Two versions of this drink were in wide circulation by the time Prohibition rolled around in 1919. The early version appears... Read More
GLADDENING the HEART
The notion that a dram or two is good for the heart is far from new; it can be traced back to biblical times. The accretion of scientific evidence to support the notion in little more than the last quarter century should be convincing. We continue to see the playing... Read More
Profile: Daniel Bruce
DANIEL BRUCE 49Executive Chef Boston Harbor HotelDirector of the Boston Wine Festival Few dispute that the Bay State’s gold standard for wine dinners is Boston Harbor Hotel’s Boston Wine Festival. Now planning its 21st season the man at the helm is the same tirelessly creative guy who co-founded and still... Read More
TOURIGA NACIONAL and ARINTO
What would be a US wine consumer’s reflex response to Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec? . . . New Zealand and Argentina. The marketing power of these so-called “signature” varieties is clear. Could the market woes of the Portuguese wine industry be solved by a signature variety or two? Could one... Read More
REVISITING TANIA OSEGUERA
If any spirit category deserves a party to celebrate how well it’s done over the past year it’s tequila. And if anybody can host that party it’s Tania Oseguera, brand ambassador for Cazadores and Corzo, Bacardi USA’s tequilas. Oseguera was recently in Boston to lead diners through a tasting paired... Read More
BEST IN SHOW COMPETITIONS WINE & SPIRITS
Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s first Wine and Spirits Tasting Competition was held at its Sixty-Sixth Annual Convention & Exposition in Orlando. Sponsored by the tasting panel magazine the competition proved to be a popular attraction and drew nearly 3OO entrants in the spirits and wine categories. The spirits... Read More
SMOKING and DRINKING in NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire like many states, banned smoking in bars and restaurants a couple of years ago. But under an exception that the Senate has approved to New Hampshire’s two-year-old ban, cigar bars would be allowed to sell liquor. The bill now heads back to the House to review limits the... Read More
LABELS, LABELS, EVERYWHERE
It’s going to get a little more difficult to avoid knowing exactly what’s in the food you order at a restaurant. In May the Massachusetts Public Health Council approved new regulations requiring restaurant chains with 2O or more in-state stores to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards, including... Read More