Featured Articles

IT TAKES THE INTREPID to plant on an active volcano.  After tasting what they’ve wrought, we’re glad they braved Etna, Europe’s largest, most active volcano.  At nearly 11,OOO feet (3322 meters) and massive in bulk, this ill-tempered giant not only dominates and constantly threatens northeastern Sicily, but also presents to... Read More

Damnation Alley Distils First Vodkas and Whiskies in Boston Suburbs “If you distill it, they will come . . .” That seems to be the mantra for aspiring, talented and hardworking spirit-folk in New England. They’ve followed the increasing trickle of craft brewers and garage winemakers creating viable independent businesses,... Read More

DESPITE growing and making winefor 4OOO years, portugal’s potables have remained largely a secret from the rest of the world, although certainly not from the thirsty Portuguese. Other than the three great fortified wines – Port, Moscatel de Setúbal, Madeira – and a few that must not be named, Portuguese... Read More

WITH THEIR pleasing aromatics, eye-catching colors and luscious flavors, fruit beers are popular both for their approachability and their individuality.  Brewers in Europe and beyond have long used fruits to add sweet, sour or tart flavors and aromas to their beers.  While there are some historic brewing styles, such as... Read More

THE GIN GIMLET THERE ARE MANY delightful cocktails that were born on the high seas, for which we can thank the British Royal Navy.Beginning in 1655 sailors were rationed half a pint of rum per day; in fancier quarters, the officers drank gin.  Resourceful officers found clever ways to dress... Read More

Business partnerships rarely work but the dynamic duo of Donald Patz and James Hall, proprietors of the eponymous winery that bears their names, is a sterling example of how one plus one sometimes equals three.  A marketer committed to developing long term relationships that guarantee access to some of California’s... Read More

AS A CHILD this lupec lady spent Easter mornings hunting for brightly colored, hardboiled eggs hidden slyly in the living room by the Easter bunny.  Now I spend Eastertime hunting for brightly colored cocktails made with fresh eggs as an ingredient.  Once hidden in the recesses of old cocktail books,... Read More

ALTHOUGH, since South Dakota joined the club in 1996, all 5O states and all ten of Canada’s provinces host wineries, those in the east are hardly noticed by network news or international wire service reports, which concentrate on regions three time zones to our west or beyond the ocean to... Read More

GENNARO CATALDOOwnerBeer and Wine Hobby TUCKED AWAY in an industrial office park right off Route 95 in Woburn is 5OOO square foot warehouse dedicated to the art of making something to drink.  No, it’s not a craft cocktail bar nor is it a bartending school.  Beer and Wine Hobby is... Read More

A FEW DECADES AGO, popping to the store for a six-pack of beer would have been no big deal.  Depending upon where you lived, the local liquor or grocery store would have offered a dozen or so big named brands, including Stroh’s, Schlitz, Hamm’s, and the Big Three (Anheuser-Busch, Miller,... Read More