The indispensable tool for the Massachusetts adult beverage trade.
By

David Singer

When Wine Gets Refused

One of the most difficult and time-consuming situations for a sommelier, manager or waiter is when a client refuses a bottle of wine. This is mainly because it is such a subjective situation. If a customer sends a dish back because it is over or underdone there really isn’t any...
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My Geek is Showing

As a wine professional there is a part of myself that only comes out every once in awhile, and only with certain colleagues. It’s a little similar to Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde. My Mr. Hyde is the wine geek. This past mid-July I had the pleasure of attending the...
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The Dangers of Being popular

AS IN MOST INDUSTRIES, wine has a list of the usual suspects. Inevitably, in almost every wine store or restaurant they show up, and consumers are drawn to them. To a degree it’s hard to blame the wine buyer for this when these labels have so much positive force behind...
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Bring Back the Fine Art of Service

WHEN MY WIFE AND I WERE LOOKING FOR A CONDO LAST YEAR, we came upon a new development. If you looked up this designer in the dictionary under “stereotypical Frenchman”, his picture would be there. In a video introduction about the condos, we saw him talking about this project and...
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A Libation Education Menu

CONJUNCTION, CONJUNCTION, WHAT’S YOUR FUNCTION . . . Thought I’d share that classic School House Rock tune with you, because it’s been going around and around in my head ever since I decided to write about Wine Education. Education, education, what’s your libation? Whether you’re new to the wine world...
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A Quick Lesson in Inventory

MY LEAST FAVORITE PART of being a sommelier in a restaurant was inventory management. It’s not the most sexy of topics. In fact, it’s usually downright boring. I have many not-so-fond memories of coming in on a Sunday morning after a very late and busy Saturday night to count bottles....
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Still Battling the British?

IT HAS BEEN AWHILE since the British and the United States have clashed in a violent fray. Since the 18OOs, England has been our staunchest ally. Through thick and thin we have stood side by side, until now. The bond between our two countries is under threat, being torn asunder...
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Spring Drinking

HOPEFULLY by the time this article is published the sun will be shining and Jack Frost will have been put to bed for another year. Spring has finally sprung in New England and it’s time for a little “spring drinking”. Our clients’ palates are changing once again from mostly heavy...
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Knowing When to Cellar or Sell

TO CELLAR OR NOT TO CELLAR, that is the question. There have been more than a couple beverage programs I have worked with that I’ve tried to encourage putting away a small percentage of wine to improve their list for the future. More often than not the response has been...
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Geek Trip II

Last summer I wrote about going to the Society of Wine Educators Conference and getting my wine geek on. This year the conference was in Monterey, which is a part of California wine country that I had not yet visited yet, so I was looking forward to this trip for...
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