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The Loire flows in beauty for 6OO miles. It heads north from its source deep in the interior of France just to the west of Burgundy, then turns west toward the sea just beyond the first pair of its notable wine-growing areas, Pouilly-sur-Loire and Sancerre. Its mouth is in Brittany,... Read More

I was leaving on a trip to Europe not long ago and stopped in the Jet Rock bar at Philadelphia International to while away the time I’d wasted by being at security the advised two hours before my departure. I dropped anchor perused the taps, and made my decision. I... Read More

Flavor Still the primary focus. This past year brought with it the continued revival of old classics as well as the ongoing development of new brands on both the domestic and import side.Think the economy has industry folks worried? Think again. The over-whelming sentiment is that spirits are cloaked in... Read More

Born in Germany and raised in the Upper Midwest Dick Cantwell developed his passion for beer as a homebrewer living and writing in the Boston area in the late 198Os.  By 199O he decided to move once again, this time to Seattle, where he became the head brewer for the... Read More

Marimar Torres Estate was first planted in 1986. The first Chardonnay vintage was 1989 Pinot Noir 1992. The winery came on line in 1992. Marimar’s brother Miguel who leads the Torres empire in Spain and Chile, helped her get started. (Don Miguel died in 1991.) The first vineyard, also the... Read More

This trend reversal should be understood in the context of a major overall downturn in the decades long pattern of increasingly more imported wines from all sources being shipped to the US as well as meteoric rises for several years running from New Zealand. The overall import decline in 2OO8... Read More

PAUL SOUZA • 6O • Manager • New England Wine & Spirits (NEWS) • Newburyport MA Paul Souza is a salesman extraordinaire.  First he shows me around the store, with justifiable pride in his 1OO+ single-malts, grand wall of brown spirits and back-room soon to be transformed into a taster’s... Read More

Cocktailcompetitionsare perhaps,most effectivebecause,ironic thoughthis sounds,everyone wins. With more and more brands and extensions hitting the market every month, it’s safe to say that, now more than ever, shelf space is an extremely valuable commodity. Then, of course, there’s the little matter of winning the hearts and minds of bartenders, who... Read More