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Flashback . . . It’s midsummer tourists line up outside the well-stocked gift shop at Truro Vineyards, and Dave Roberts is at the ready.  He squires people – with alacrity, a glad hand and a wide smile – outdoors to the tasting tent, where cheerful well-informed staffers guide consumers through... Read More

Dropping the banner on its twenty-seventh year . . .the annual Great American Beer Festival celebrated another eventful run in Denver. The festival again gave attendees especially those in the beer industry, an unparalleled opportunity to hob-knob with other beer lovers, brewers and pub owners – and this year did... Read More

It should come as no shock that in the throes of an unprecedented global economic meltdown the US market for sparkling wine this year is about as moribund as it’s been in recent memory. Champagne has experienced its worst year since the post-Millenium hangover of 2OO1 and before the holiday... Read More

“What” you say, “isn’t it red wine that’s healthy?”“Probably a vinomedical boondoggle,” you think. Well, let’s not forget that although white wines in general contain far lesser quantities of the vaunted polphenolic antioxidants than do reds, they contain more than most other potables, and their alcohol likely provides at least... Read More

I asked my driver an Italian who had traveled all over his country, how to get there. He starting playing with his GPS and mumbled, “I think I might have gone there many years ago.” Valtellina is a valley that runs 45 kilometers, east to west, deep in the Alps,... Read More

You know it, because your customers are the ones who find that variety so interesting. These holiday beers aren’t just different, they’re like limited editions: they’re here now, and then they’ll be gone. That’s enticing. “There’s something to be said for a beer that’s only available once a year,” acknowledges... Read More

As you’re reading this your customers are probably already busy getting holiday plans in order and mapping out their gift-buying strategies.  As the holidays approach you begin to see people more and more frequently in the store, so now is a good chance to offer customers a few little extras.... Read More

They’re a big category for us,”said Gary Park of Gary’s Liquors in Chestnut Hill. Across Massachusetts, foreign-bottled Scotch blends sold 321,43O nine-liter cases in 2OO7, making the state number seven in the US for sales of these blends (adams liquor handbook stats). However, the category is really pretty much flat.... Read More