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Although the 1999 was Craggy Range’s first vintage to appear on the market, more than ten years of preparation had been required to satisfy the exacting standards of the company’s principals. Craggy Range is led by New Zealander Steve Smith, an internationally distinguished viticulturalist, and American-born Australian international businessman Terry... Read More

The first was last September. I was at the brewery in Pilsen, in the Czech Republic.  We saw the huge, modern brewery with the big copper brewing kettles (heated by direct fire) and the massive stainless fermentation and maturation tanks . . . all aboveground.  Then we were led below... Read More

The seasonal variety of craft beer is perhaps its greatest selling point for both consumers and retailers.  When the weather shifts from warm days to chilly nights, frost-nipped beer lovers turn to rich, hearty beers – including bocks, dubbels and imperial porters – to help them cope with the seasonal... Read More

Your holiday dance card is surely full of fetes, parties and soirees.  Chances are that for at least one such occasion, you’re tasked with bringing something delicious.  Why not come armed with punch?  We LUPEC ladies are fond of following very traditional recipes for our punches.  Why not?  If a... Read More

 There’s a chill in the air, tiny white lights twinkle on at dusk, festive music is playing everywhere and bells are jingling outside of the shops. Don’t look now but the holidays are upon us with a vengeance.  Your customers will soon be revving up their shopping as they seek... Read More

BRAND MANAGER for CISCO BREWERS, TRIPLE EIGHT DISTILLERY and NANTUCKET VINEYARD MATT LAMBO is one of those people who can truly say he’s had a hand in building a brand from the ground up.  Lambo is a jack of all trades (sales, events, marketing) who has spent 1O years as... Read More

“You’ve never been in a liquor store, right?” Rick Gordon quips as he walks me through the aisles of Gordon’s Fine Wines & Liquors in Waltham.  It’s mid-afternoon on Friday before Labor Day weekend and shoppers are bustling by us as he guides me through the aisles.  He shows me... Read More

Could there be a more wholesome fall activity here in New England than apple-picking (full flask notwithstanding)?  It’s as American as apple brandy – or applejack, the American version. Applejack is America’s oldest distilled spirit, an apple brandy that first became popular during Colonial times.  Laird’s & Company were the... Read More

Western Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley, along the Connecticut River within the Commonwealth, might seem an unlikely wine-producing region, but during a recent exploration I found that tasty wine is grown and producedata cluster of sites in Hampshire County’s share of the valley. The area is well known for its fertile farmland,... Read More