The Holiday Bump
While stores can certainly count on an automatic bump due to sheer volume of shopping, these are still tight financial times and competition between stores is stiff. From unique grab-and-go gifts to enhanced customized service, there are numerous ways to ensure that your store stands out during the Yuletide crunch.... Read More
Generation Y
. . . it’s time to make some room at the bar. There’s a new generation of drinkers coming and they are thirsty. Young, hip and very tech savvy, they are known as Generation Y and they are causing quite a stir on the scene. So just who is this... Read More
Profile: Chris Douglass
Chris Douglass is the Carl Yastremski of Boston chefs – he’s been around the longest with a high batting average leading the same team. Come to think of it, Tim Wakefield might make an equally fair analogy: the knuckleballer owns the longest stint as a Red Sox, is a durable... Read More
Low Carbs, What are You Missing?
“I’ll have a Diet Coke with my hamburger and French fries.” “I’ll have an Atkins-friendly steak with crispy onion rings and cream of spinach as my vegetable.” “It’s a fat-free cookie, so I can eat the whole box.” These are just some of the traps that many Americans have fallen... Read More
Wines of Sardinia
Sardinians, according to Nicolas Belfrage, refer to mainland Italy as the “continente”, and regard wines sold there as exports. In some ways, Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian) has more in common with Corsica, the French outlier just to its north, than with the rest of Italy. This second-largest of Mediterranean islands... Read More
Can We Get Too Old for Wine?
While enormous attention understandably has been directed to the effects of maternal drinking upon the earliest stages of life, not much has been written about beneficial or adverse consequences to those of us several years beyond the age of 39. CAN WE GET TOO OLD for WINE? I shall not... Read More
The Grape Variety Tannat
It is an infuriating grape to work with because it makes wines that have enough tannin to make your mouth feel like a desert. The name of the grape variety probably is derived the root of the word “tannin”. Because Madiran has been far from the madding crowd, it was... Read More
Chateauneuf de Pape
Though not nearly as widespread and important as the Bordeaux blend, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend has become increasingly important in recent years. In contrast to the Bordeaux blend which excels in temperate climates that run cool to warm, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend performs best in climates that run warm to hot. Climate... Read More
Finding Greatness
Whether we’re discussing wine, food, literature, art, athletics, or life itself, there are virtually no clear, uncontroversial standards. Much like love, you can’t prove its existence, but most of us would say you know it when you feel it. The fact is though that “great” means something a bit different... Read More
North American Whiskies
When addressing the topic of domestic American whiskies in years gone by, there were many separate distinctions to make. First, there were the numerous staple blends, then rye whiskies, then a bourbon category, then a separate Tennessee whiskey section. And always, in the background, were those massively-distributed volume products from... Read More