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Tucked away between coastal hills of Catalonia, southwest of Barcelona, is the Penedes wine region. Like Rioja’s reds, Penedes’ white wines are widely regarded in Spain and abroad. While the region’s oak-aged reds (think Priorat) and still white wines (Torres) are fine, Penedes is best known for Cava, the sparkling... Read More

COCKTALE Is there a more festive sound than the “pop” coming from an uncorked bottle of Champagne?  We think not.  As you gather with friends and family this holiday season, LUPEC urges you look beyond the Champagne bottle in your hand to the range of spirits, juices, bitters, and mixers... Read More

As those of us who are professionally involved in wine clearly understand, our business is in a state of constant evolution.  What’s “in” and what’s “out” never remains stagnant.  Part of the industry’s appeal is the fact that there always seem to be emerging regions, that previously obscure grape varieties... Read More

Here in the USA, where Italian wine imports are first in volume and second in value (after France), Franciacorta is less than sparkling in its performance. The finest Italian restaurants commonly offer Champagne and US sparkling wines and increasingly recognize Prosecco as a value alternative. Franciacorta however is rarely found.... Read More

One of the first things you notice upon entering Bin Ends, a liquor store in a mixed-use complex in Braintree, is that there’s not a wine rack in sight. For a store that regularly counts about 45O wine labels in its inventory – not to mention an abundant stock of... Read More

Although the American Indian word zaca means “restful place”, it appears that Zaca Mesa Winery in Los Olivos, California, founded in 1972, entered a blessedly restful phase only a few years ago. It’s original owners, a group of investors led by oilman Louis Ream, gave way in 1986 to the... Read More

With all of the sustained and even explosive growth craft beer has enjoyed over the last decade, perhaps no area has been more active than seasonal beer.  Brewers have long understood the importance of appealing to the changing consumer drinking patterns that accompany shifting weather patterns, which fuels the active... Read More

COCKTALE If many single malt drinkers won’t add even a cube of ice to their Scotch, the thought of mixing that water of life into a cocktail is sure to make them shudder.  Be that as it may, before blended Scotches erupted onto the scene in the 189Os (along with... Read More

‘Twas not so long ago that the wines of Sicily, always a generous producer, were almost entirely sold anonymously in bulk, the reds tired, the whites oxidized. No longer. Although much is still passed along to who-knows-where in bulk, even that has become largely acceptable, and the bottled wines of... Read More