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For example, there’s simply been no relief in the bad news department that continues to haunt the decline of the flat-to-mostly-negative US-bottled standard blended brand segment, which has not recorded a single positive growth year since 1994, and dropped yet another couple of percentage points in 2OO5. But, meanwhile, in... Read More

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

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

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

ROGER ORMON • 63 • Sales Manager • Brookline Liquor Mart • Allston, MA After 35 years at Brookline Liquor Mart, most of it as sales manager, Roger Ormon has acquired the long view of wine and wine sales. Having accrued plenty of wine (and people) wisdom, especially with tasting... Read More

This past August I spent my vacation in Sonoma, California. It was the first time I’d spent any serious amount of time exploring and tasting in that region. It was also my first vacation with my infant daughter, which was quite an experience, but I won’t go into that here... Read More

Many consumers no longer shun the drink because it’s sweet, say several industry insiders. This itself is progress, since to dismiss a good Port simply because it’s sweet would be like avoiding a rich molten chocolate-filled torte topped with ginger-laced ice cream just because it contains a little sugar. Moreover,... Read More

In the late 198Os, I accepted a trip to Portugal from the Portuguese Trade Commission. It was led by the late Pasquale Iocca, an Italo-American from Illinois but a lover of all things Portuguese, including its literature. He was the quintessential gentleman, soft-spoken and always polite, but once on the... Read More

Gruetappeared as some kind of anomaly when the silver or gold-labeled bottles first spread along the East Coast in the 199Os. Gruet, priced well below Napa and Sonoma sparklers, soon caught a wave of enthusiasm. Today the winery, owned and run by members of a Champagne family, consistently captures awards... Read More