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I took advantage of winemaker Terry Adams’s recent visit to Boston to catch up on the doings at Sonoma-Cutrer, whose wines I’ve been drinking since the beginning. Adams has been on hand since the winery opened, initially assisting Bill Bonetti, the founding winemaker, then succeeding him in 1991 when Bonetti... Read More

American craft brewers may boast about their innovative ways: bourbon barrel-aged beers, wild ingredients, beers that tip the ABV scale well north of 15%. Belgian brewers have been doing wild stuff for years. Not that “wild” is always the same as “good”, just as has been shown with the American... Read More

Sideways, that infamous movie, did wonders for Southern California wine country and most notably, Pinot Noir. As a Sommelier I was trying for years to get some clients to try this wondrous grape, with some success. Then this movie comes out and top of the line drinkers of California Cabernet... Read More

Get out of your beer rut! While the money that pays most of your bills still comes from moving those pallets, there are some real opportunities for fun – and profit – in beer these days. Heineken Premium Light has put new spark in the light beer market, Mexican beer... Read More

Since I had already waited so long to finally try my first taste of Guinness, I figured why not wait just a little bit longer and go straight to the source. Next stop: Dublin, Ireland’s Guinness Storehouse, located on the expansive 64-acre grounds of the St. James’s Gate Brewery. It... Read More

Those are the opening lines from the first article I wrote on organic beer, over ten years ago. How things have changed. “Organic beer” doesn’t sound funny at all any more, any more than “organic carrots” or “organic coffee” does. The Amish, well . . . we assume that hasn’t... Read More

It should surprise nobody in the trade that Cambridge be the quietly self-designated hotbed of a pop in the still small niche explosion of biodynamic wines. Where but in that socio-political cauldron of Cantabrigia could such extremism grip sommeliers’ and diners’ imaginations? Violette Imports’ eclectic and discerning portfolio has played... Read More

It’s growing slowly, but organic spirits success seems to be well on track. By year’s end, the Massachusetts market will probably have nearly a dozen organically made spirits. “Organic’s all the rage right now. I know the category is growing by the interest from distributors that are looking at it.... Read More

BOB McGINN • 58 • New York and New England Sales Manager • Ferrari-Carano Winery, Napa Loyalty, familiarity, experienced, known quantity . . . 2O years with one team like Carl Yastrzemski. Solid citizen, loyal soldier. McGinn has been professionally linked, one on one, with the prestigious Ferrari-Carano label, being... Read More