The indispensable tool for the Massachusetts adult beverage trade.
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MBB

A $6O MILLION SCORE

CONSTELLATION BRANDS has made a significant move to position itself as a major player in the premium wine category. The drinks company recently paid $6O million to acquire cult wine producer Schrader Cellars in June. Schrader produces just 25OO to 4OOO cases a year and sells its routinely high scoring...
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CAVA CONTINUES TO SPARKLE

PROSECCO MAY be the bell of the bubbly world at the moment but Cava sales have been quietly and steadily growing over the last year. Shipments topped 245 million bottles in 2O16, an increase of O.42%, according to the latest figures from the DO Cava – the region’s regulatory body...
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ROSY DAYS FOR ROSÉ

THIS HAS CERTAINLY been the year of pink.  Rosé has shown strong growth over the past year and is outpacing overall US wine growth, a trend which has continued during the summer months.  The rosé wine category is valued at $2O7 million and grew by 53% in volume sales over...
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NEW TREND ALERT THE OFFICE BEER MACHINE

SOMETIMES A TREND comes along that makes you wonder how you ever got along without it.  Case in point: machines that dispense alcoholic beverages.  First there were vending machines filled with single serve bottles of Champagne, a brilliant idea.  Now Anheuser-Busch is rolling out beer vending machines it’s dubbed the “Office...
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THE CRAFT SEAL OF AUTHENTICITY

THINGS ARE GETTING tense in the beer industry as “big beer” companies such as AB InBev have been on a buying spree lately snapping up craft breweries and releasing their own so-called “craft” brands. While this isn’t illegal of course, it can be misleading or confusing to consumers. What’s really...
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GALLIANO L’APERTIVO INVITATIONAL CONTEST

TO CELEBRATE the launch of Galliano L’Aperitivo liqueur, the best bartenders in Boston’s MetroWest area showcased their aperitivo cocktails with Galliano.  Krysta Kowal from The Pint took the 1st place.  Her winning cocktail was Ananas Spritz with Galliano L’Aperitivo, Carpano Bianco, pineapple juice and Prosecco.     KRYSTA KOWAL COMPETITION...
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THE KIR ROYALE

PINK LADY’S ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH 1O YEARS can seem to pass quickly, and if you’re a LUPEC Boston gal, you might just one day wake up and realize you’ve been spreading the gospel of the well-made cocktail for a decade.  Cheers to how far we’ve come! One of...
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A Model of Cooperation – Produttori del Barbaresco

by HARVEY FINKEL THERE ARE cooperatives, and, then, there are cooperatives.  This might be especially true in Italy, where I have visited industrial-sized wineries out of Chaplin’s Modern Times, whose watery emanations used to be served free on tourist-class international flights, and have marveled at others – blessed is the...
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Oregon Pinot Noir

by SANDY BLOCK, MW NO OTHER REGION does Pinot Noir quite like Oregon.  Not that it’s necessarily the place on earth that makes Pinot which will appeal most to every palate, but there is an automatic association between the state and the grape, as well as a consistent style, that...
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MIJA WHITE SANGRIA

This new White Sangria is made with lychee, guava, lime and orange.  It has a refreshing sweetness and bright acidity.  The portfolio also includes Red Sangria which is made with superfruits, including pomegranate, açaí and blood orange.  It is fruit-forward, yet balanced, with the pulp, aroma and flavor typically found in homemade...
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