IT’S BEER by a BUBBLE
AFTER A RATHER DISCOURAGING couple of years, beer has something to cheer about. The annual Gallup Poll recently reported that beer edged out wine as the adult beverage of choice in the US. The percentage of Americans who drink any type of alcohol is stable, though the poll shows that... Read More
Irish Whiskey
With cramped Dublin ‘bed-sitters’ today costing as much as San Francisco lofts and Boston studios, it’s no wonder that dive pubs along the Liffey (like the now-toney former navvy-hangout warehouse section of Temple Bar) have mutated into posh saloons and the Irish whiskeys they serve (mixed in with your Cosmos... Read More
Cognac
Here, at the beginning of 2004, I confess to feeling like a total square. After weeks of research and interviews for this current, annual, in-depth Cognac category profile, any conceit that there might still be something hip and contemporary about me has been quickly shattered. By ROBERT BRADFORD I always... Read More
Pinot Gris or Grigio
The dramatic increase in the popularity of Pinot Gris over the past few years has vaulted it into second place among the white grapes that Americans choose most frequently, right behind Chardonnay. The vast majority of the bottles, however, are labeled Pinot Grigio and imported from Italy or produced in... Read More
Dellie Rexed
Candor, humor and persistence mark Dellie Rex’s style over her distinguished career in Boston’s wine world. Ms. Rex’s wide-ranging experience includes wholesale (Classic), sales rep (Racke USA, Dreyfus Ashby), entrepreneur (her own Wine Experiences and Rex Associates), consulting (Wines of Spain, Trade Commission of Portugal, Geerlings & Wade, United Liquors),... Read More
Rieslings!
One of the reasons Riesling appeals to us so much more immediately than many other varieties is that it’s not an acquired taste: you don’t have to search for flavor undertones and subtleties. At the same time they are often present, so the grape also has the potential to excite... Read More
A Visit With Frank Duboeuf
We’ve all heard of the terrible, torrid summer of 2003 in Europe. It was not wholly a bad thing, for some good wine will come out of it. By HARVEY FINKEL Franck Duboeuf, son of Georges, the highly successful and respected Beaujolais negociant, visited recently, and I was able to... Read More
Penny Knapman
PENNY KNAPMAN • 64 • Owner/Buyer • The Epicure, Chatham, MA The Epicure on Main Street in Chatham opened as an S.S.Pierce store in 192O; Penny Knapman is only its fourth proprietor. In a small town with seasonal dips and a big inventory, how’s a gal to run a mom... Read More
Wine Cellar 101
A story in the Wine Spectator a couple of years ago makes me chuckle every time I think about it. It concerns Joe the Wine Geek, his wife and their wine cellar. After a few incidents involving his wife when Joe wasn’t around, like when she opened a $3OO bottle... Read More
Great Beer!
Well, I’ve got some choices for you. There’s a rich smooth porter, a crisp and spicy witbier, an all-organic pale ale, a brisk and bitter IPA, a pumpkin-and-spice ale that’s perfect for fall drinking, and a big 8% bruiser that was aged on a bed of roasted cocoa beans. What... Read More