Featured Articles

It might be significant that in all of the several photographs I’ve seen of John Geber, he has his arm around someone or something: his wife, his daughter, a wine barrel. The guess would be that he is both affectionate and possessive. More to our point, he is the energetic... Read More

“Dann’s somewhat famous for failing,” Martha says. “This time, people really wanted him to succeed.” That’s Dann Paquette, the brewer of Pretty Things beers, that Martha’s talking about; she’s Martha Holley-Paquette, Dann’s wife and partner in the Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project. Dann smiles wryly at this spousal evaluation,... Read More

Tiki drinks have seen a resurgence among cocktail enthusiasts in recent years, and for good reason.  Who wouldn’t be tickled by sipping a cocktail with a pink umbrella from a skull mug?  People are often surprised to learn, however, that these beverages are actually serious cocktails, considered so delicious in... Read More

The Grand Conseil 2O11, this year’s edition of the annual international meeting of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, the Burgundy education and chowder society, was held in Boston in May. Among the participants who came from France, Canada, and all over the US were three celebrated Burgundian vignerons, terroirists... Read More

Andrew Cabot has been sailing his whole life. In the last few years, he and his uncle have sailed around Europe, down the Arctic along the west coast of Norway, and then some. You might say a penchant for the seafaring life is in his blood. His ancestor six generations... Read More

Let’s talk about new ways to enjoy the summer beer drinking season. Berliner Weiss Usually reserved for light lagers and delicate Kolsch and Blonde Ale styles, perhaps no beer style approaches the pure quenchability of Berliner Weiss.  A true outlier in the beer world, one that celebrates both sourness and... Read More

One simple way to concoct fantastic cocktails is to make your own fresh syrups and garnishes.  Simple and delicious, sweetened preserved cherries are a perfect alternative to the artificial, borderline florescent cherries we know of today as the “maraschino” cherry.  Originally named as such because the earliest recipes included the... Read More

Perhaps Casa Vinicola Bertani’s logo should be Janus or the twins, Castor and Pollux. The Veronese house annually produces, on the one hand, almost 1.5 million bottles of good-quality wines, mostly characteristic of the region, on the other, an average of 8O,OOO bottles of exquisite, hand-made, nearly immortal Amarone. Neither... Read More

Without a doubt, 2OO9 is the finest Beaujolais vintage that I have ever experienced. As a major fan and long term advocate for the region’s wine, I conduct semi-annual blind tastings to ferret out the gems, but with 2OO9 the quality across the board was so exceptional that deciding on... Read More

Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when you walk into most craft beer-focused bars these days, the taps run a little bit on the heavy side. 7% IPA, 8% double amber ale, 9% imperial IPA, 6% weissbier, 12% imperial stout . . . I’ve been in places where there were... Read More