THE ANTOINE SMILE
PUMPKIN BEER, spiked apple cider and cashmere sweaters are bound to make a proud New Englander smile. We came across the recipe for the fine Smile Cocktail, sometimes called Antoine’s Smile, while paging through the modern edition of Charles H. Baker’s work Jigger, Beaker and Glass. What better time to... Read More
NEW WINE BOOKS WITH GRAVITAS
I’D LIKE TO SHARE with you today my impressions of four new wine books with gravitas, books that can be read, one in small portions at a time, and that you will want to keep for repeated dipping into. Two are expensive, but worth their investments. WINES OF FRANCE A... Read More
WINE+TARGET=IMPULSE PURCHASES
IT’S BAD enough that Target is the impulse purchase capital of the world. Add a glass of wine into the mix and we’ll all be going broke! A new Target store in Chicago is slated to be the first in the nation to not only sell packaged alcohol but serve... Read More
HEAT WAVE
IT WAS a long hot summer in parts of France and both Burgundy and Beaujolais stand to be impacted by the extensive heat wave. It’s estimated that production will be down, although quality is predicted to remain high. Output could fall by as much as a third in Beaujolais, according... Read More
ROGUE CORK LANDS PLANE
IF YOU WORK in the beverage industry you have an inherent respect for the power of the sparkling wine cork. We’ve all opened up a bottle of bubbly only to have the cork suddenly explode out. But having a plane land because of an errant cork is likely a first.... Read More
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
DON’T MESS with the French when it comes to wine! The Institut National et de L’Origine et de la Qualite (the French group that guards against unauthorized uses of protected place names for food and wine) is a fiercely protective unit. When they feel another company is inappropriately using a... Read More
HAMILTON RUSSELL PINOT NOIR
I was on a panel recently the topic of which was “Demystifying Wine”. A noble concept, I said, as far as it goes, but Pinot Noir is, in essence, a wine of mystery. Why? There is an “X” factor in a great bottle that resists explanation or reduction to a... Read More