ROSÉ RO$Y IN FRANCE
APPARENTLY, even the French are rethinking pink. Sales of rosé wine – once the object of contempt from connoisseurs who winced at the notion of pink wine – have tripled in France in a decade. Nine out of 1O French wine drinkers now enjoy the occasional glass of rosé, according... Read More
RIOJA 2O13 IS JUST “GOOD”
AFTER SEVERAL YEARS of outstanding harvests, Rioja has been brought back down to earth with the 2O13 vintage. A difficult growing season last year culminated in the Rioja DOCa council describing the vintage as “good”, the worst official rating for a decade. Each of the Rioja DOCa vintages since 2OO4... Read More
SANGRIA AND THE MILLENNIALS
HARDLY a new thing, Sangria is suddenly an “it” drink that is poised for international success. Sangria is already popular in the US but has little presence in the international market. However that could be about to change with drinks analysts at research firm Mintel predicting its explosion onto European... Read More
BLANC DE BLANCS CHAMPAGNES
Among the most interesting and delicious but least understood Champagne categories on the market is the pure 1OO% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs. Softly textured and nuanced with aromatic complexity, Champagnes made exclusively with white grapes are not only highly reflective of their terroir origins but they can also often prove... Read More
JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
Who else is generating beer sales in the country,besides the Big 2, here’s the rest of the top 1O list – basedon annual sales volumes – from the Brewers Association. 3 Pabst Brewing (PBR, Schlitz, Old Milwaukee) 4 DG Yuengling & Son (Yuengling Lager, Black & Tan) 5 Boston Beer... Read More
BEER FLAVORED LOLLIPOPS
BEER LOVERS with a sweet tooth, you’re in luck! First there were beer flavored jelly beans from Jelly Belly and now, for your licking pleasure, there are beer flavored lollipops. Candy company Lollyphile [lollyphile.com] has come out with a new line of flavors for beer lovers: IPA, lager and stout. ... Read More
TAKE A TOUR OF THE BEER TRAIL
THE MASSACHUSETTS Brewers Guild and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has launched the newly created “Massachusetts Craft Brewers Trail” to the public. The Trail was created to invite craft beer drinkers to explore the region by sampling ales and lagers from the over 6O breweries and brew pubs across... Read More
FIVE BEER MYTHS BUSTED
BEER is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and as such, there are many myths about the best ways to store, age, refrigerate and drink it. Here are five common myths – busted – to set the record straight. MYTH Re-cooling makes beer stale.FALSE Beer experiences... Read More
AWASH IN SUDS!
When Suzanne Schalow and Kate Baker opened Craft Beer Cellars in Belmont Center three-and-a-half years ago, they were dedicated, hard-working, knowlegdeable, and somewhat business savvy. But the amiably driven co-owners never did expect the brew-nami of beer and steep fan-to-geek-to-business partner trajectories that have followed in the wake. Today they... Read More