Featured Articles

IT WAS APPROPRIATELY Valentine’s Day, 2O14, on which Laura Bianchi returned my visit of 18 years ago to Castello di Monsanto. This prime estate near Poggibonsi in Chianti Classico was a wedding gift in 1961 from Laura’s grandfather, Aldo, to her parents, Fabrizio and Giuliana. But it wasn’t a prime... Read More

By CHRIS MAGGIOLO We just blinked and the holiday season is fast upon us. Patrons are rapidly gearing up for full-bodied red wines, hot buttered rum and warm mulled cider – and all those trinkets and trimmings which pair with them so well. As your customers contemplate unique gifts for... Read More

Wachusett BrewING is celebrating its 2Oth anniversary in November. A lot has changed since founders Ned LaFortune, Peter Quinn and Kevin Butler left their fledgling careers in engineering and biology to embark on an ambitious dream: to open the first craft brewery in Central Massachusetts. “We really had no right... Read More

WITH THE HOLIDAY season and chilly weather upon us who doesn’t want to cozy up a with a warm, frothy cup of eggnog? Although this might be the perennial holiday drink of recent decades, during the Golden Age of cocktails another drink was really all the rage. Tom & Jerry... Read More

BEER CONSUMERS have never before enjoyed such a wide selection of different styles from so many breweries from around the globe.  In terms of flavor, aroma, body, and balance, we live in a time of unparalleled quality in the production and enjoyment of beer.  With this exciting exploration comes questions... Read More

IF SCOTCH is your favorite dram, chances are you like it for its peaty notes and robust, “can’t turn down” flavor. You are most likely accustomed to drinking it on the rocks, maybe with soda, or, if you’re a single malt aficionado, with just one rock or a splash of... Read More

MASSACHUSETTS now has 5O licensed wineries, extending from the tip of Cape Cod to the Berkshires. All but a couple are active. The curve has been steadily upward, both in number and in quality. In fact, I find the quality nowadays of winemaking by beginners without formal training vastly better... Read More

Comparative blind tastings I’ve conducted over the years of wines from Alsace invariably reinforce my impression of their excellence, in line with my habit of ordering wines from unknown producers virtually at random in restaurants. In fact, there’s no bigger disconnect in my mind between a classic wine region and... Read More

AMERICANS DO NOT have much experience in consciously limiting their alcohol intake.  Out history has been punctuated with periods of government enforced moderation or prohibition and our doctors have informed us of the health benefits surrounding limited alcohol consumption.  But as a drinking populace, we have not yet embraced the... Read More

COGNAC MAKES A RICH and elegant base for many fine forgotten cocktails. One that popped up on bar menus not too long after the cocktail renaissance caught on is the Champs-Élysées, a drink as elegant as the wide boulevard that is its namesake.  The Champs-Élysées first appeared in print in... Read More