The indispensable tool for the Massachusetts adult beverage trade.

HOME

Sauvignon Blanc

. . . the point is that the Marlborough style . . . now appearsto set the standard by which the market measures virtuallyall Sauvignon Blanc.  Sauvignon Blanc’s reversal of fortune from shunned outcast to darling of the American dinner table owes everything to a style that emerged full blown...
Read More

Smoked Beer

. . . smoked beers are more than likely,every bit as old as smoky whiskey, and were once much more widespread. The first time I had Victory Brewing’s St. Victorious doublebock, I noticed a difference from other doublebocks I’d had. It had an extra dimension to it, a richness that...
Read More

Vodka

Vodka.  How does one begin to wrap one’s mind around the subject of vodka?  The simple word “big” is far too small to describe this behemoth of a spirit.  Speaking with the people who sell vodka – the producers importers wholesalers retailers, bar and restaurant owners – and those who...
Read More

Grey Goose’s Maitre de Chai

  Dimi Lezinska the Grey Goose global brand ambassador, recently accompanied Francois Thibault on a visit to Boston. Francois, who goes by the title maitre de chai (translation: cellar master), played a key role in the development of Bacardi’s Grey Goose. With Dimi serving as translator, we got the lowdown...
Read More

Profile: Dan Aykroyd

DAN AYKROYD • 56 • Actor Musician, Importer, Investor / Diamond Estates Winery & Spirits, Ltd. This upstanding son of Canada has long stood tall as a stalwart champion of bold and worthy causes.  First was humor, as Saturday Night Live’s Purvis Buckle and Ghostbusters’ Ray Stantz; then there was...
Read More

Tuscan Wine Industry

Every third week of February the producer consortiums representing these appellations invite journalists from around the world to experience a full week of in-depth tastings. The Chianti Classico, Montepulciano, and Montalcino events focus on presenting information and tastes of barrel samples of the new vintage as well as samples of...
Read More

Local Winegrowers

Let’s examine some background and discussions from the program that seem of general interest.  The technical presentations had a narrower focus and for the wine tasting you had to be there. The contributors to those segments of the program I shall extract included: for the Association, Kip Kumler of Turtle...
Read More

Alaskan Ale’s Geoff Larson

If you were going to choose the ideal place to start a new brewery in the early days of the craft brewing renaissance it’s doubtful that Juneau, Alaska, would ever cross your mind. While beautiful and the capital city of the state, the coastal town does not have a road...
Read More

Endangered Cocktails

Vodka takes center stage on most modern cocktail lists but the spirit was virtually unknown to most Americans until the 194Os.  When the “white whiskey” finally did take off, it was thanks to a clever marketing ploy conceived by two businessmen looking to unload two products they couldn’t seem to...
Read More