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Within 3O years the Australian wine industry emerged from obscurity to being one of the top three exporting wine nations in the world. Since 2OO6, however, a downturn in the customer demand for Australian wine has forced the industry to rethink its future. Internal commercial imbalance, climatic change, most importantly... Read More

Mention wines of the Veneto, and people think red: fly-weight Bardolino, middle-weight Valpolicella and hefty, smooth Amarone. Who pays attention to Veneto white? Except, of course, for the now ubiquitous, oceanic, and often over-cropped Pinot Grigio? Who cares to pronounce, much less talk about, Gargánega? Who’d think a wine made... Read More

With the recent release of the half-year numbers by the Brewers Association, it is clear that craft beer continues to boom. Breweries large and small are expanding at rapid clips and distributors clamor and compete for new brands. Of all the success stories in the craft beer annals, perhaps none... Read More

With the holidays arriving, people’s shopping lists are getting longer and so are lines at your register.  With customers streaming in at an increased frequency to pick up bottles for dinner parties, work functions and last minutes gifts, there’s little doubt they’d appreciate the added convenience of knocking a stocking... Read More

How’s that for laying down the gauntleto begin talking about single malt Scotch whisky? This is a category that inspires passion and dedication – perhaps even unbridled love – from its drinkers.  “You can see how much they appreciate their scotch by the way they hold the glass in their... Read More

The first time I tasted through a line up of Turley Zinfandels was in the late 199Os and my palate was almost literally blown away. It was a hot summer day, I was tasting barrel samples outdoors in the sun with winemaker Ehren Jordan, and the massive extract and alcohol... Read More

Now the center of an immense circle of distinguished wine production, Verona was also a focus of Shakespeare’s attention. The region was a favored playground of five of the works, Verona in particular was the setting of “Romeo and Juliet” and the “Two Gentlemen”  – one can see why. It... Read More

Their clothes are weird, their music sucks, and they drink malternatives.And now you tell me they probably don’t think Sierra Nevada is cool?This is what the passage of years does to you: it makes everyone around you more stupid. That pithy bit of bile was the result of a discussion... Read More

COCKTALE Ah, fall in New England.  The leaves have begun their seasonal migration from green to vibrant shades of gold, orange and crimson, and local apples will soon make their way into crisps and pies loaded with fall spices.  The ladies of LUPEC are most excited to see the flavors... Read More