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SANDY BLOCK, MW The Sassicaia story is well known. Italy’s original, and in many ways still most emblematic, “Super Tuscan,” the wine’s very existence has probably had more indirect impact in elevating the country’s image internationally than any other. It was the first sustained attempt to create a world-class wine... Read More

Return to the Willamette Valley NEWBERG, OREGON To understand the wine scene in Oregon today, it helps to look back 6O million years to its genesis in the formation of the land, then, contracting the time scale, review the last 5O years. During this recent time, the scene has gone... Read More

LEN PRESUTTICorporate Wine EducatorMartignetti Companies, Norwood SOME GUYS keep up their careers going full steam ahead – sixty-year-old Len Presutti is one of them, combining youthful vigor, extreme work ethic, jazz fervor, devotion to cooking and baking, and burning passions for the table and grape.  Now in his 25th year... Read More

RED WINE + COKE.  YES, WE’RE SERIOUS. Having logged many hours behind the stick at Boston’s popular Spanish tapas joint Toro, I can tell you from experience: Americans love to drink sangria while they sample small plates.  And as anyone who knows anything about Spain will tell you, that’s not... Read More

Four generations and counting. Four Tuscan estates and extraterritorial sources. Seven hectares at creation; now producing 8OO,OOO cases exported to 72 countries. Circles within circles. Angiolo Piccini and his wife Maria Teresa Totti of Poggibonsi established the Piccini estate (then very much lower case) of seven hectares in 1882. They... Read More

As February 14th approaches, Champagne and sparkling wine sales will undoubtedly skyrocket.  Why not get creative and offer a few innovative libations?  From the seductively sweet to the cool and crisp, these cocktails will get everyone’s hearts beating faster! ST-GERMAIN COCKTAIL2 ounces of sparkling wine2 ounces of club soda1½ ounces... Read More

Malt – germinated and kilned grains of barley – is the basic building block of beer and Scotch whisky. I’ve been to maltings, the big processing plants where raw harvested barley is cleaned, soaked, turned, allowed to germinate, and kilned. I’ve stood high on top of the huge grain silos,... Read More

When the weather turns cold, consumers expect a strong, bracing drink to help them meet the challenges of another New England winter.  Not to disappoint, craft brewers readily offer a new set of beers to meet the physically and mentally challenging conditions and prospects of summer’s distant return.  The highly... Read More

During the chilliest months of New England weather, cozy bars are a snowbound escape for those looking to warm up – inside and out. After-dinner staples like Irish or Mexican coffee are often placed below the dessert menu, signaling the end of the night. Why not elevate and innovate with... Read More