TOURIGA NACIONAL and ARINTO
What would be a US wine consumer’s reflex response to Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec? . . . New Zealand and Argentina. The marketing power of these so-called “signature” varieties is clear. Could the market woes of the Portuguese wine industry be solved by a signature variety or two? Could one... Read More
Profile: Daniel Bruce
DANIEL BRUCE 49Executive Chef Boston Harbor HotelDirector of the Boston Wine Festival Few dispute that the Bay State’s gold standard for wine dinners is Boston Harbor Hotel’s Boston Wine Festival. Now planning its 21st season the man at the helm is the same tirelessly creative guy who co-founded and still... Read More
GLADDENING the HEART
The notion that a dram or two is good for the heart is far from new; it can be traced back to biblical times. The accretion of scientific evidence to support the notion in little more than the last quarter century should be convincing. We continue to see the playing... Read More
Endangered Cocktails
Last month we discussed vodka a spirit overlooked in the states until the 1950s, when it took the nation by storm. Tequila suffered a similar fate – didn’t gain notoriety here until the “Great Experiment”, when any liquor was good liquor. Surely you’ve tried a Tequila Sunrise or a Margarita,... Read More
Tequila, the Business
Given the centuries-old legacy of alcoholic beverages it took a very short time for Tequila to go from a native Mexican spirit that might be palatable if you’re lucky, to a highly regulated industry that has diversifying exponentially each year. The Beckmann (formally Cuervo) family remains the oldest tequila-making clan... Read More
Tequila, the Visit
A VISIT TO TEQUILA. . . the unique qualities of each brand of tequila are achieved through carefully derived formulas each of which involves a delicate balance of ancient knowledge, agricultural prowess, modern technology, and a dash of sunny whimsy. Tequila is perhaps the most regulated spirit in the world.... Read More
MASSACHUSETTS SWEEPS HONORS AT WSWA AWARDS
The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America wrapped up its Sixty-Sixth Annual Convention & Expositionwith the presentations of the 2OO9 WSWA Lifetime Leadership Award and the Sidney Frank Award to industry visionaries Robert Epstein and A. Raymond Tye. Robert Epstein President of Horizon Beverage Group was presented with the WSWA Lifetime... Read More
Bitters
That dusty old bottle sitting on countless bars back shelf could be one of many potable or non-potable spirits being massively overlooked by most bartenders and imbibers. Until recently that is. With the serious cocktail resurgence in full effect we see bartenders all over the country and world, mixing old... Read More
Chris Douglass
Wine dinners are a dime a dozen and when pressed, most restaurateurs will tell you they’re hardly an easy sell. It’s not just the abundance of them that diners can often find on any given weeknight, it’s pulling off the affair at a cost that’s both consumer-friendly and fiscally sound... Read More
Silent Selloff: Ninety Plus Cellars
WINE MARKETING IN PINCH TIME SILENT SELLOFFS Latitude Beverage Company has scored nicely with Ku Dé Ta.Now Kevin Mehra is quietly talking up Ninety Plus Cellars. First the plains then the moat now Kevin Mehra is ready to scale the walls of the wine castle. Sipping Starbucks on the Needham... Read More