Featured Articles

by SANDY BLOCK, MW ARGENTINA OWNS THE MALBEC CATEGORY on the US market and internationally. Why does it lack serious competition? This is a felicitous marriage of grape and terroir that isn’t possible to duplicate elsewhere. Virtually anonymous in its Bordeaux homeland, where Malbec is relegated to status as a... Read More

by ANDY CROUCH Get ready for warm weather with these golden ales. MANY CRAFT BREWERS have long eschewed catering to entry level or novice beer drinkers.  Focusing on highly hopped beers or chasing style trends, they have preferred to service more developed beer geeks.  This approach has led to some... Read More

by HARVEY FINKEL, MD BREAST CANCER is justly feared.  Afflicting women, mostly, over a wide age range, it is their most common invasive cancer, and a leading cause of death.  A large body of medical literature, while suggesting an association between drinking even moderately and breast cancer risk, has been... Read More

by PINK LADY WHETHER MARCH rolls in like a lion or a lamb is bound to change on a daily basis in New England, but one thing is for sure: St-Patrick’s Day this year is on a Saturday and it’s going to be a sh*t show.  Batten down the hatches,... Read More

by HARVEY FINKEL WE’VE HAD A SMALL PORTUGUESE INVASION, and I was fortunate enough to be ambushed.  Like Prince Henry the Navigator, the Portuguese wine trade sent out explorers, these seeking markets for their tasty products.  Representatives of five wineries gathered with lucky and knowing guests at Heritage of Sherborn,... Read More

PINK LADY’S ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE ADONIS COCKTAIL by PINK LADY VALENTINE’S DAY stands out in the midst of a cold, long winter as a bright celebration of love and beauty, and a great excuse to drape things in pink and red, eat chocolate, and drink nice Champagne.  ... Read More

by SANDY BLOCK, MW IT’S A NEVER CEASING SOURCE of amazement how marginalized Riesling remains in the market.  Restaurants and stores featuring dramatically lesser quality white grapes continue to underrepresent Riesling.  Why? The most common answer is that it’s perceived as being too sweet.  Each year though, as more Sauvignon... Read More

ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH by PINK LADY IN THE WINTER MONTHS, we enjoy hunkering by the fire (or any source of warmth really) with a strong, spirit-forward cocktail.  There’s nothing quite like the velvety texture of a properly stirred (not shaken!) aperitif drink, and this is even more true... Read More

by HARVEY FINKEL THE NORTH FORK of New York’s Long Island juts out into the Atlantic Ocean less than 7O miles from southeastern Massachusetts, as the seabird flies or marine critter swims, somewhat farther via the ferry from New London or the long eastward-leaning reversed J drive.  But the climate... Read More

by ANDY CROUCH THE AMERICAN CRAFT BEER scene is nothing if not subject to constant change.  Consumers, driven by experience- hungry millennials, constantly want the new, the untried, the next great beer.  Many are often content to experience a beer only once before moving on to the next pint, can,... Read More