SPANISH WINE IS #1
SPANISH WINES are finally catching on as the country is now the world’s most popular winemaker, according to a new report. The country accounted for 2.4 billion liters sold in 2O15 versus 2 billion liters of French wine sold, according to a report in the INDEPENDENT, citing the Spanish Wine... Read More
ILLEGAL ROSÉ BUST
ALTHOUGH YOU can technically make a pink wine by blending red and white together, the practice on the whole is frowned upon and in some countries, it’s illegal. Case in point, a tribunal in Albi, southern France recently fined wine cooperative Vinovalie $1O,9OO for unlawful rosé production, with a further... Read More
THE MASTERS OF WINE CLASS OF 2O16
CONGRATULATIONS to the class of 2O16! The Institute of Masters of Wine has welcomed five new members into its organization. They are: Ivan Barbic of Switzerland, a wine buyer; Jan Schwarzenbach of Switzerland, a wine buyer; Lenka Sedlackova of the Czech Republic, a marketing manager; Eran Pick of Israel, a... Read More
DINING AND DRINKING WITH DROUHIN
by HARVEY FINKEL SHORT OF VISITING the vineyards – for instruction and pleasure – nothing beats sharing food and wines with their talented creator, especially in company of like-minded diners. The Massachusetts chapter of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, the Burgundian educational and chowder society, staged such an evening... Read More
LOIRE VALLEY CABERNET FRANC
By Sandy Block, MW CABERNET FRANC from the Loire Valley remains relatively unknown in the US but is exactly the style of tart flavorful wine that has been coming into vogue in the last several years: fragrant, light to medium in body, with soft tannins and bright savory berry-like fruit. ... Read More
THE EL DIABLO
PINK LADY’S ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH WARM WEATHER will soon be upon us which makes us LUPEC ladies want to reach for a Margarita. It’s one of the very few classic cocktails made with tequila and, when made properly, is as refreshing a cocktail as can be. There’s no... Read More
BEER SPA LUXURY
IF YOU’VE EVER longed to experience the luxury of a beer spa (which many Americans seem to have an interest in), you can now head out to Oregon and treat yourself to a visit at the newly-opened Hop in the Spa, the country’s first. To be clear, Hop in the... Read More
CRAFT TAKES ON BIG BEER
FOR YEARS so-called Big Beer largely ignored the craft segment of the industry, dismissing it as a passing fad. Not so anymore. Although AB InBev and MillerCoors still make up 72% of all US beer sales, craft has been rapidly growing. As a result, instead of simply ignoring the category... Read More
NEW WORKOUT FAD: PROTEIN BEER?
TORN BETWEEN going to the gym and having a beer? Now you can do both! MuscleFood, a UK business that sells sports nutrition products, is marketing a high-protein, low-cal, gluten-free beer that boasts a whopping 21.8 grams of protein per bottle, about as much as eight ounces of Greek yogurt... Read More
A DRINK WITH CHRIS LOHRING
By BRANDY RAND IN THE CROWDED FIELD of craft brewers, Chris Lohring is forging a path down the road less taken. By focusing on brewing low-alcohol session beers – at a time when no one knew what “session” meant – Lohring took a risk that has paid off. As an... Read More