A DRINK WITH SHAWN WESTHOVER
BEVERAGE DIRECTOR • PAPA RAZZI-BURLINGTON + NEWPORT RESTAURANT GROUP SHAWN WESTHOVEN of Papa Razzi Metro in Burlington is what you’d call a beverage academic. Not only does he study classic Italian brands and cocktails, he teaches his staff and guests how to appreciate them. Rooted in reviving the traditional Italian... Read More
RED BLENDS KEEP ON ROLLING
IT WAS a great year for the US wine industry. The category continues to thrive with red blends growing more and more popular. The off-premise wine channel observed a milestone this past fall when red blend wines passed Merlot in sales for the first time, making the category second only... Read More
FINE WINE . . . A SOUND INVESTMENT
Looking for something to invest your dollars in? How about vino? The fine wine category has been the best performer of all major investment assets since 1988, according to research published by wine investment company Vin-X. The report underlines how fine wine investment has been the best overall performer when... Read More
AFFORDABLE CÔTES DE BORDEAUX
IN KEEPING with the theme of last month’s column about the Médoc’s Cru Bourgeois, here is a look at another group of affordable Bordeaux wines – the Côtes de Bordeaux. These châteaux produce wines with unmistakable Bordeaux character. In fact, sometimes they might be preferred to their more celebrated, and... Read More
ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH – PINK GIN
MANY A COCKTAIL was born on the high seas, such as the Gimlet and the Navy Grog. We can thank the British Royal Navy and their daily rations for such drinks: Rum for the sailors and gin to the brass. The practice was discontinued in 197O, but it took 3OO... Read More
A BILLION DOLLAR PAYDAY
THEY MUST BE celebrating at Ballast Point Brewing. Constellation Brands just made quite an investment with the acquisition of the craft beer company to the tune of one billion dollars. Constellation, which was long focused on wine and spirits, has found success in the beer business since acquiring the rights... Read More
INTREPID SMUGGLERS BUSTED
GIVE THEM CREDIT for creativity. Imaginative smugglers were recently caught attempting to enter Saudi Arabia with thousands of beer cans disguised as Pepsi. Customs officials in the Middle Eastern country intercepted the shady operation at the al-Batha border crossing with the United Arab Emirates. What they discovered was 48,OOO cans... Read More
THE LONGEST TAKEOVER EVER
DON’T EXPECT Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller’s mega merger to be wrapped up anytime soon. Experts have predicted that the purchase could take as long as 18 months. In November AB InBev received the go-ahead from SABMiller’s board for its $1O7bn-takeover of the UK-headquartered company. At the time, the two brewers... Read More
PRETTY THINGS CLOSES ITS DOORS
THIS IS NOT pretty news at all. In a shocking move, Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project founders Dann Paquette and Martha Holley-Paquette recently announced that they were bringing their much-beloved endeavor to a close. The news came as a big surprise to both the industry and consumers alike. Known... Read More
CRAFT & IMPORTS DOMINATE
TOGETHER CRAFT and imported beers are packing quite the 1-2 punch. New figures show the two segments continuing to take volume share from regular and light beers in the US on-trade – quickly moving towards accounting for half of the market. Craft and imported combined are expected to account for... Read More