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WINES OF THE SAND Sardinia is geographically remote and remote from our quotidian vinous ruminations.  Even most Italians consider the Mediterranean’s second largest island as another country, and Sardinians often refer to mainland Italy as the “contenente”.  The informing grape variety of today’s wines – Carignano – is likewise remote... Read More

SPANISH REDS remain one of the screaming bargains in the wine market. Why? In two words: old vines. As with many wine categories, it’s all about the terroir. Arid, rocky, perched at high elevations, Spain’s treasure trove of ancient vineyards tend to produce grapes with aromatic purity and concentrated flavors... Read More

Wine is geography . . . no more so than in Chile, that long, narrow country squeezed into South America between the towering Andes Mountains and the cool Pacific Ocean. In the long, warm Central Valley and the Coastal Range, both largely dry, mineral-rich and nutrient-poor, lie Chile’s developing wine... Read More

VODKA has gotten something of a bad rep amongst the gatekeepers of the last decade’s cocktail renaissance. It became so dominant as the go-to tipple for modern drinkers that many of these recently enlightened mixologists shunned the stuff in protest, reaching for stronger spirits to build their drinks. In some... Read More

Knowing a little bit about a subject tends to spark a desire to learn more. Whether a detail about the playing style of John Coltrane, the brushstroke methods of Georges Seurat, or the hand-eye coordination of Peyton Manning, a little extra knowledge adds a new level of appreciation and fun... Read More

WITH WARM MONTHS upon us and even hotter weeks ahead, our bibulous tastes inevitably switch around this time of year from dark to light. The Gin Sling is a simple and historic place to start. A direct precursor to the cocktail and was once considered as American a tipple as... Read More

from BOSTON HARBOR DISTILLERY THE CRAFT DISTILLING boom has given birth to several renowned brands in the Boston area. Now, Rhonda Kallman – who was a founding partner at Boston Beer Company – has her sights set on the next phase of beer: whiskey. The recent opening of Boston Harbor... Read More

IT SEEMS LIKE many years ago now but for a long period of time there were few people in the US, respectable people that is, who wanted it known that they liked rosé. This was a wine category consumed primarily at home, so as to avoid stares. Marketers substituted euphemistic... Read More

MACDUFF What three things does drink provoke? PORTER Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes: it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance; therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with Lechery: it makes him, and it mars him; it... Read More