Featured Articles

Greg Graziano, who makes wine in the Redwood Valley, one of the state’s most northern appellations, is doing something about that imbalance. He has both the name and the grapes. Greg is the proprietor and winemaker of a 2O,OOO-case winery called Graziano Family of Wines, which produces four different labels,... Read More

What do Mojitos, Cosmopolitans, Yellow Tail, and Pinot Noir all have in common? Besides being alcohol beverages, they are examples of drinks that went from being merely popular to virtually defining the cocktail culture of this decade. Every year scores of new products are released with the hopes of becoming... Read More

Flying back from Oaxaca to Boston, my seatmates voiced commonly held myths about mezcal and its infamous worm. Some misconceptions stem from false associations with mescaline and drug culture. mezcal, like tequila, makes you giddy and happy, not depressed and anti-social. The worm absorbs poisons and toxins. The worm is... Read More

If there is an icon of mainstream beer, a thing that symbolizes the kind of beer that craft beer drinkers love to hate, it is the can. Beer cans are practically synonymous with American light lager beers, despite the popularity of imported nitrocans filled with Guinness, Abbot and other beers.... Read More

Like any other good thing that really gets rolling, Cinco de Mayo is getting complicated. First it was a memorial to Mexican pride, a battle won against the French invader. Then it was a touchstone for Chicano pride, something to encourage Mexican-Americans to be proud of the Mexican part of... Read More

SCOTT HOLLIDAY • 43 • Wine Buyer/Bar Manager • Chez Henri • Cambridge, MA The holiday Monday (eve of The Fourth) is a day Scott Holliday suggests to drop by for a chat at the bar at Chez Henri, because he predicts it will be a ‘slow night’. Not really!... Read More

Ask a brewer in New England for a Ray McNeill story and prepare to either be uplifted or appalled. On one hand, stories abound of his generosity to other brewers, with heaping contributions of freely given technical advice or much needed raw ingredients donated in a pinch. On the other,... Read More

Wines of Argentina’s press junket to Mendoza and Patagonia leaves a lingering memory and taste: that of the food-friendly and flavorful Malbec. At nearly every winery the tasting presentation is methodical, thoughtful, well-paced, considerate, intelligent, hospitable, earnest yet pleasant, and generally convincing – and the star of the show is... Read More

These American-brewed beers are starting to find their way into the New England beer market. They’re similar to classic Belgian beers, they’re complex in flavor and aroma, they’re hot with the high-end beer customer, and they’ve got a margin like wine. Interested? You should be; the right shop can do... Read More

Imade a prediction that celebrity brewers would become a major attraction to beer aficionados, and named two local examples, Dann Paquette and Todd Mott. It seemed right to follow up with an interview with one of them, and I knew where to find Dann – The Tap, in Haverhill, MA.... Read More