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I was astonished just before Labor Day by the media’s rolling boil over John Cloud’s piece in time, “Why Do Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers?”, which had been stimulated by the online pre-release of a paper, later published in November,  in alcoholism: clinical and experimental research. Even the main editorial cartoon... Read More

Argentina remained the shining success story among exporters of wine to the US in 2O1O. Another year of substantial double digit growth has pushed the fashionable South American country’s export total here to 6.5 million 9 liter cases, representing a 2O% surge in volume over 2OO9. Even more impressive is... Read More

I am a reasonably earth-conscious consumer. My family belongs to a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and gets boxes of great organic produce eight months a year. We drive advanced technology diesel cars that get better than 4Ompg. We compost yard trash. As they blow out, we’re replacing our incandescent bulbs... Read More

Ever sampled a Zombie, Suffering Bastard, or anything served in a skull mug or Scorpion bowl?  With out-there names and kitschy vessels, Tiki drinks are apt to inspire a giggle among cocktail neophytes.  In their original incarnation these were balanced, palatable drinks built upon rum, fresh juices and flavorful syrups... Read More

With any luck, 2O11 will see many umbrellas being stowed away as economic storm clouds start to give way to sunnier skies, and may these rays warm the world of cordials and liqueurs. One can only hope that the timeless classics and newly crafted concoctions will brush away the ashes... Read More

Coatepec is in the mountainous part of Mexico’s state of Veracruz. Trucks rumble through the streets, there’s a market in the square where you can buy fresh-roasted ears of corn slathered with mayonnaise and sprinkled with powdered chiles, and the cantinas serve smoky mezcal and ice-cold beers to wiry, calloused... Read More

It gets tiresome fighting the same battles all over again. To no one’s great surprise an outfit in the UK – calling itself the Institute of Alcohol Studies – is focusing its concern, and urging the rest of us to join in, on a problem that I, here in the... Read More

True or false: Champagne is a wine? Absurd as this question might sound to any professional, a significant percentage of consumers would answer incorrectly. Why? Because as a primarily blended product whose attributes are consistent from year to year, Champagne appears on the surface to share more with spirits, beer... Read More

Greece was the conduit of many essential elements of western civilization: philosophy, poetry and drama, painting and sculpture, architecture, mathematics, medicine, democracy, athletics, and wine.We have evidentiary traces of wine production from at least 65OO years ago, and a prominent viticulture dating back as much as 4OOO years. It likely... Read More