IS LIGHT DRINKING A LIFE CHANGER?
Generally speaking, alcohol consumption and liver disease do not go together but a recent study would say otherwise. A national team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) who consume alcohol in modest... Read More
HAS THE ANTI-ALCOHOL BEEN FOUND? THE AMAZIN’ ASIAN RAISIN!
A harmless compound blocks intoxication, hangovers and addiction to alcohol? I am suspicious of things too good to be true, but we are presented with compelling data that cannot be ignored from a reputable institution. This is an old story. An ancient folk remedy, in this case Chinese, is found... Read More
WINES THAT GET RESPECT
It’s one thing to be a best seller; it’s an entirely different thing to be respected. Sixty members of the global wine community recently nominated the wine brands they admire the most. For the second year in a row, Concha y Toro claimed top honors as the World’s Most Admired... Read More
CHAMPAGNE DREAMS GO POP
France’s sparkling wine industry may be in for some tough times in the coming years as up to a third of some Champagne vineyards were hurt by heavy frosts in April. Temperatures dropped to -3°C (26.6°F) in the Côte des Blancs with villages like Avize, Cramant and Chouilly the worst... Read More
DEREGULATING SULPHITES
When it comes to labeling on alcohol, there’s always controversy and sulphites are no exception. In 2OO9 the European Commission implemented mandatory registration of sulphite use and it has been hotly contested by growers’ organizations ever since. After three years of lobbying by European wine growers, who claimed the measure... Read More
Notes on Cloning
This year the Boston Wine Expo made a concerted effort to address wine producers’ goal to connect directly with the Boston trade. As a part of that program, Davis Bynum presented a “Pinot Noir Clone Seminar”. In 2OO7, Tom Klein, a California farmer, purchased the Davis Bynum brand from founder... Read More
A DRINK WITH . . . MAUREEN RUBINO
MAUREEN RUBINOCO-OWNER of CENTRAL BOTTLE WINE & PROVISIONS, CAMBRIDGE Central Square and neighboring Kendall Square in Cambridge have become burgeoning biology and technology hubs, with MIT-spawned start-ups and notable companies like Google and Novartis setting up shop. Not the only ones to miss the opportunity to be part of an... Read More
WINES OF THE LANGUEDOC
The Languedoc seems to me a land of opposing extremes: ancient and ultramodern, enormous yet unimposing, placidly rural despite a roiled history. One finds rustic wines from obscure traditional grapes alongside state-of-the-art, high-tech, Parker-pleasing products of international varieties. The Languedoc was one of the earliest wine-producing regions in France: visited... Read More
THE NEGRONI
As anyone who has spent much time in Europe can attest, drinking on the Continent just isn’t the same as cocktailing in the US. In Italy, for example, if you order a “dry martini” at the bar, you’ll wind up with a glass of dry Martini & Rossi vermouth. Sure,... Read More
A VISIT FROM MALBECISTAN
When I began writing about wine in the 197Os, few and odd were Argentine wines in this market. In recent years, however, Argentina, riding on the shoulders of Malbec, has become a world wine power. Many of its wines are very good, especially with famed Argentine or other beef, yet,... Read More