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When, 25 years ago, the wines of Tuscany’s Montepulciano were going through a slough of despond, fewer than a handful of producers continued to fly the flag of quality. Notable among them was, and still is, Poliziano. I was, therefore, most pleased to visit recently with the owner/winemaker of Azienda... Read More

If there is a wine more persistently under-appreciated and under-valued than Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, I’ve yet to discover it. Whether in Anjou or Touraine, the ancient mineral laden soils of France’s grandest river system yield up some magical elixirs from this grape, wines of harmony and contradiction, able to... Read More

They haunt the bars, they haunt the brewpubs, they haunt your store, sometimes as early as late June, hoping that somehow their favorite fall seasonal has arrived early. The Oktoberfest hunters, with their tubas and lederhosen, have nothing on these people for blind need. “We released ours in mid-July,” said... Read More

The “Improved”Holland Gin Cock-Tail COCKTALE The gin cocktails we drink nowadays are usually built upon London Dry, but this hasn’t always been the case. The predominant gin of the 19th century barroom was a Dutch creation distilled from maltwinecalled Genever (“juniper” in Dutch) after its most distinctive botanical. This was... Read More

Hawke’s Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, is not only one of the oldest winegrowing areas in that country, dating back to the mid-18OOs, but also one of the largest, extending from 11O miles along the Pacific coastline to at least 45 miles inland. There, cultivatable... Read More

The Cecchi family has been making and selling wine in Tuscany for more than a century, now in Umbria, too. I enjoyed a recent visit and tasting with Andrea Cecchi, who shares the fourth generation with his older brother, Cesare. Andrea, who holds a master of enology degree, is in... Read More

Matt Steinberg is a rare breed in the beer business, an individual who understands the intricate details of how to both brew and sell beer. Derived from entrepreneurial stock – his father, Barry, founded Direct Tire and Auto – Matt understands the artistic and economic sides of the business and... Read More

Though LUPEC Boston ladies are egalitarian imbibers, rye whiskey holds a special place in our hearts,largely because the spirit itself was endangered for a good chunk of the last century. COCKTALE  Rye was the preferred spirit of colonial America, innovated by Scots-Irish immigrantswho brought the grain with them to the... Read More

American Straight Whiskey in 2OO9, reminds me of craft beer.It’s getting more attention than ever; you find bourbon articles everywhere, and even appreciative mention of rye whiskey, a category that was tiny and forgotten five years ago – it’s still tiny, but not forgotten. Like craft beer, more and more... Read More