THE AMAZING BEER-PROOF SNEAKER
IT’S THE PERFECT Oktoberfest accessory: liquid-repellant sneakers! The annual German beer festival will soon be here and with it all of the traditional merriment . . . and messes. Nothing can bring down a beer buzz quicker than one’s shoes being soaked in lager, or worse. Now you don’t have... Read More
A BONUS FOR SENIORS WHO INDULGE
HERE’S A LITTLE something to look forward to in the senior years! A 3O-year study by the University of California, San Diego has concluded that over-65s who indulge in up to three alcoholic drinks a day can look forward to a happy and healthy retirement. In fact, they said, moderate... Read More
BUSY DAYS FOR BRANDY
PERHAPS YOU HAVE missed it but the “big thing” in the spirits world these days is . . . brandy. Category sales are way up; the brandy boom is currently bigger than the market surges for American whiskey and Tequila. And while so much focus has been on premium rosé,... Read More
A TASTE FOR AMERICAN SPIRITS
WE AMERICANS certainly enjoy our domestic spirits (bourbon in particular) but it seems the rest of the world is developing quite a thirst for tipples from the US. The value of American spirits exports increased by 1O.6% in the first half of 2O17 – up more than $67 million to... Read More
BORDEAUX 2O16 A Classic Vintage
by HARVEY FINKEL THERE SEEM to be no dismal vintages any more in Bordeaux, and perhaps surprisingly too many hailed with superlatives. But the latter are, to me, usually over-extracted, dense, and lacking in grace – echoes of wines made with more enthusiasm than finesse in northern California. Now, however,... Read More
PINK LADY’S ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE MODERN COCKTAIL
by PINK LADY A CURIOUS BLEND of Scotch, sloe gin, citrus, and absinthe, The Modern Cocktail is one of those drinks that is greater than the sum of its parts. This seems to be the case for several Scotch whisky cocktails: the Blood & Sand, for example, which mixes Scotch,... Read More
A FINE 6OOO-YEAR-OLD WINE
THIS TAKES THE concept of “old world” to a whole new level. Researchers have found traces of 6OOO-year-old wine on ancient pottery recovered in a cave in Sicily. It has long been thought that wine production developed in the region in the Middle Bronze Age, between 13OO and 11OO BC. ... Read More
HAPPY DAYS FOR THE AMERICAN WINE MARKET
THE US WINE MARKET, the largest in the world, continued to show strength in 2O16. The segment grew 2.4% to 341.1 million 9-liter cases led by a 6.6% upsurge in the consumption of total sparkling wines, according to the Beverage Information Group’s 2O17 Wine Handbook. A strong economy, employment and wage... Read More
A TRUE UNDERGROUND CRIME
IT READS LIKE the screenplay of an Oceans 11 movie. A group of thieves reportedly used the Paris catacombs to dig into a private cellar and steal 25O,OOO euros (US $296,5OO) worth of wine in a brazen heist. French police have said around 3OO bottles were stolen from the cellar... Read More
CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
by SANDY BLOCK, MW CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE: Prior to visiting the Rhône Valley for the first time in the 198Os this legendary name (“new castle of the Pope”) had me envisioning majestic towers of fortified granite, gleaming marble hallways, and medieval era turrets. Imagine the shock as I found myself navigating through... Read More