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When Randall Grahm, founder and winemaker of Bonny Doon Vineyards in California, staged a funeral for “The Death of the Cork” in New York City in 2002, screw cap closures were still a limited more |
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Choosing Perfect Wines for Thanksgivingmore |
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It’s fashionable lately to say that wine is food. In the sense that wine’s traditional place is at the table, wine does function as part of a meal but—let’s face it—a meal of wine alone is not more |
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With most spirits the waiting begins once the liquid is in the barrel, as raw spirit slowly develops into Bourbon or Scotch or Cognac. Tequila, however, is an exercise in patience long before more |
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America’s love affair with vodka won’t be ending anytime soon. Accounting for 27% of all spirit volume sales in 2004, vodka showed a 3.5% hike among value brands and 38.1% in the super premium more |
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Choosing the Perfect Wine by Kenn Pogash
This is the first in a series of articles that I will be writing to help you select the wine that meets your needs, especially when it comes to pairing more |
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Mention Normandy, France to any American, and the immediate thought is of D-Day, when Allied forces launched their invasion of Europe in World War II. But that northwest corner of coastal France has more |
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When you think of Italy’s greatest wines, you think “red.” Yes, Italy’s white wines are better than ever, but with the possible exception of Jermann’s Vintage Tunina, none have reached the “great” more |
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The effort, the stress, the constant worry and second-guessing – it’s hard to believe anyone chooses to take such a gamble with their fruit. Producers who make late-harvest, or dessert wines, risk more |
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True Champagne, the unique sparkling wine from the Champagne region in northeastern France, will never be inexpensive. It just costs too much to make. But some Champagnes are relatively well-priced more |
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Trying to predict The Next Big Cocktail is like trying to predict the outcome of a Presidential election. Despite all the polling, you could be right, wrong, or find that there is no clear winner at more |
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Everyone’s got an angle. No matter the industry, each player seeks an edge to stand out from the crowd. For retailers and restaurants alike, competing on price or offering a dizzying array of more |
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It may be a newcomer to the world of classic cocktails, but don’t underestimate the Margarita. According to David Dorsey of Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, importers of Don Eduardo tequila, more |
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Well, the new year is upon us and so is the weather; unless you were lucky enough to be in the tropics. How about this for a day-dream? Three boats in on a raft-up floating in Great Harbor, Jost Van more |
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We returned to Bordeaux this year. Not only did we revisit the region, after too long an absence, but we also started drinking Bordeaux wines again. We grew tired of the over-extracted, high-alcohol, more |
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Contrary to belief, an ice-cold beer isn’t the only refresher for spicy food. There are wines that work with hot, ethnic chow but when it comes to compatible recommendations, it takes imagination more |
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There is a new breed of bartenders who are re-thinking the cocktail and the cocktail bar. Similar to innovators in other fields, we find them in small pockets in countries around the world. The more |
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Conceived in those Italian regions characterized by colder winters, grappa, Italy’s best known spirit, began life as a rough, strong liquor for the poor. But times have changed for the distilled more |
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Most Americans fear the dark.Indeed most beer drinkers worldwide - prefer light colored lagers. Often, the less golden, the better. Beers are correctly classified as ales and more |
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Recommending wines from the Rhône Valley can be as tricky as navigating the enormous river that winds through this famous region. There are a large number of grape varieties and styles to keep in more |
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A fine red Bordeaux or Burgundy can be a thrilling experience- as can a sensual Hermitage or Côte Rôtie from the Northern Rhône, or a rich California Cabernet. But if we had to choose one red wine more |
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Matching food with spirits and cocktails seems like a new concept, but the truth is, it's been around for a long time. William Pokhlebkin in The History of Vodka describes the unique relationship more |
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There are two widely held perceptions about Oregon wine. One: It’s very good. And, two: It’s very expensive. There is, of course, some truth to both. A string of excellent vintages, new clonal more |
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Before long, the question we may find ourselves asking will be: Which celebrity is not, in some way, shape or form, involved in the wine business? From athletes to musicians to famous directors to more |
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There was a time, not all that long ago, when we drank red wines almost exclusively.
Lately, we find ourselves drinking and writing about white wines as much as reds. Is that because the kinds more |
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For far too many people, a whiff of tequila evokes memories of shots slammed, behavior best forgotten, and the inevitable nursing of a brutal hangover. But things have changed, and this is no longer more |
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California’s vast Central Coast wine region stretches almost 300 miles from the Monterey Peninsula in the north to past Santa Barbara city in the south along broad, lightly populated valleys and more |
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Does organic wine conjure images of unpalatable swill made by hippies in a bathtub somewhere in California? If so, you are not alone. Popular opinion continues to define organics as a marginal more |
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When we think of serious American wines we tend to gravitate towards California
and Oregon. Washington State wines might not first come to mind, but it consistenly
produces excellent wines more |
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When I arrived in New Orleans International Airport for Tales of the Cocktail 2006, I was stunned to find an empty airport with only six or seven planes besides ours scattered at random gates. It more |
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The Beaujolais crus released in June were not carried by jet, elephant and balloon to all corners of the world. In fact, the finest that Beaujolais has to offer wasn’t given a fraction of the more |
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It seems that every classic cocktail has been resuscitated. From martinis and Manhattans to Sidecars and Gin Fizzes, there’s little left to tempt the taste buds of consumers seeking entirely new more |
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When it comes to the wines of South Africa the buzzword is diversity. Home to varied microclimates, different soil types and a myriad of grape varieties, this is wine country that has plenty to offer. more |
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When people ask us what is the wine we drink the most, we unhesitatingly reply, "Barbera!" We love its fresh, lively taste, and we find it extremely compatible with food. Although the Barbera grape more |
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When craving a refreshing cocktail capturing the essence of summer, the mojito is a natural choice, bursting with muddled fresh mint, brown sugar and rum. However, if one drink can give the ever- more |
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According to the Tea Association, Americans consumed over 50 billion servings of tea in 2005—tea has moved from the teapot to the cocktail glass. Green tea, Earl Grey, and Oolong teas are taking more |
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In 1915 my Great Uncle Angelo, at the age of 12 left his home in Calabria to come to America with his siblings. With their parents, they settled in Rhode Island and became the first Italian more |
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If it’s true that just about everybody loves Champagne, this bit of wisdom seems to apply to rosé Champagne even more so. Nowadays, rosé Champagnes are more popular than ever. And why not? First of more |
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To truly understand the rugged history of Port wine – one of world’s most civilized beverages – it helps to take a three-hour train ride from the city of Porto on Portugal’s Atlantic Coast east to more |
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Most Americans have their first sake experience at a local sushi bar, usually sipping bulk sake poured from a box and heated in a coffee urn or a microwave. But in recent years the array of premium more |
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Chile’s wine industry has made amazing progress in the last twenty years. The country has always been blessed with excellent growing conditions for grape vines. Despite having this viticultural more |
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Not long ago, while exploring the highlands of Jalisco, Gary Regan was swapping cocktail recipes with a bartender from London when the subject of orange bitters arose. She asked Gary which brand he more |
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Americans have always used the packaging that wine comes in as an indicator of its quality. In the past, jug and boxed wines usually meant cheap, bottom of the barrel wines, but that has all changed more |
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In January of this year, Piedmontese wine producers released their 2004 Barolos to the world, after aging them the required three years. The wines of Barbaresco, Barolo’s neighbor in Piedmont, have more |
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In the midst of the summer season, it’s not unusual to crave frothy, playful libations like daiquiris and pina coladas. While rum is perhaps best well-known as a seasonal party mixer for these more |
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Yes, the Scots’ standard bearer, blended whisky, has continued to under-perform during a decade of exceptional spirits growth. And yes, most popularly priced brands have continued to lose share, more |
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Ask any winemaker, and they’ll tell you the final days before any harvest are always charged with a certain tension, filled with hopes and prayers that the weather will hold until the ideal moment more |
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