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Wyndham Estate’s Shiraz

Syrah or shiraz as it’s called in Australia and some elsewheres, is bursting its erstwhile boundaries, and emerging all over the world’s wine scene. It remains, however, a dominant grape only in southern France and in Australia. Since I’ll be focusing on Australia today in response to a visit from...
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Sauvignon Blanc

. . . the point is that the Marlborough style . . . now appearsto set the standard by which the market measures virtuallyall Sauvignon Blanc.  Sauvignon Blanc’s reversal of fortune from shunned outcast to darling of the American dinner table owes everything to a style that emerged full blown...
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Smoked Beer

. . . smoked beers are more than likely,every bit as old as smoky whiskey, and were once much more widespread. The first time I had Victory Brewing’s St. Victorious doublebock, I noticed a difference from other doublebocks I’d had. It had an extra dimension to it, a richness that...
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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,...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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Local Winegrowers

Let’s examine some background and discussions from the program that seem of general interest.  The technical presentations had a narrower focus and for the wine tasting you had to be there. The contributors to those segments of the program I shall extract included: for the Association, Kip Kumler of Turtle...
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Alaskan Ale’s Geoff Larson

If you were going to choose the ideal place to start a new brewery in the early days of the craft brewing renaissance it’s doubtful that Juneau, Alaska, would ever cross your mind. While beautiful and the capital city of the state, the coastal town does not have a road...
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Endangered Cocktails

Vodka takes center stage on most modern cocktail lists but the spirit was virtually unknown to most Americans until the 194Os.  When the “white whiskey” finally did take off, it was thanks to a clever marketing ploy conceived by two businessmen looking to unload two products they couldn’t seem to...
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