2022: Favorite Wine, Spirit, Sake & Drink-Related Items

What were some of my favorite Wine, Spirit, Sake & Drink-related related items of the past year?

As 2023 approaches,  it's time to reflect upon the past year, to remember and savor pleasant memories. I've already posted the first of my annual Favorite Lists, Top Ten Wines of 2022. It's time now to cover my Favorite Wine, Spirit, Sake and Drink-Related Items. 

This is certainly not a complete list but it is more a sampling of compelling and memorable matters I have experienced and posted about over the past year. This is also a purely subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. But all of the items here have earned my strong recommendations and I hope you will enjoy them as well. For more wine related items, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

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Favorite Discount Wine Stores: Consumers always want bargains, excellent value wines which won't stretch their wallets. You can buy the cheap, mass-produced commercial wines which can be found in almost any wine store or, instead, you can seek out excellent, value wines which put to shame those cheap wines. Certain discount wine stores provide not only excellent prices but also an interesting selection and good service. I want to highlight two such stores which continue, year after year, to do an especially good job, places where I go to seek bargains: Bin Ends in Braintree & Needham, and Rapid Liquors in Stoneham. Shop at any of those stores and you won't be disappointed. As an example, a couple months ago I found an excellent Spanish Xarel-lo white wine at Bin Ends in Needham for only $6! Even at three times that price, it would have been an excellent buy. 

Favorite Wine Stores: This is a small list of wine stores which consistently impress me with their selection and service. Each shop is worthy of your patronage and wine lovers should make the effort to visit these places if you have not done so yet.

Malden Center Fine Wines in Malden (Excellent Sake selection)
Lower Falls Wine Company in Newton Lower Falls
Wine-Sense in Andover
Wine Press in Brookline and Wine Press in the Fenway
Streetcar Wines in Jamaica Plain
Marty's Fine Wines in Newton

Bauer's Wine & Spirits in Boston

Croatian Premium Wine in Boston (Only an online store, but you can get their wines delivered to you, all across the country, with a great selection of Croatian wines)

Favorite Vermont Wine Store: The Meditrina Wine & Cheese shop, in Chester, Vermont, is an excellent place with a very compelling beer and wine selection, and some gourmet foods. It's a small store, but there's plenty of food and drink available, filling the shelves floor to ceiling, and I bet you'll find plenty to tantalize you, including plenty of natural wines, small production wines, and other intriguing wines, They have wine at all price points and any wine lover will find much of interest. This well-curated selection would be impressive wherever it was located. I visited them again this summer, buying a few interesting wines, as well as some gourmet potato chips. 

Favorite Restaurant Wine Lists: I want to highlight a few restaurants which offer some intriguing and excellent wine lists. 

     Krasi: With the largest Greek wine list in the country, you'll find almost any type of Greek wine you could desire. There are so many excellent options that you might have difficulty selecting a bottle, but the sommelier/wine director, Evan Turner, and staff can help guide you through the intriguing list. Expand your palate and explore the wonders of Greek wine. Plus, Krasi now sells their wines at retail, so if you enjoy a bottle for dinner, you can buy a bottle and take it home with you. This is such a great option, and I bought a couple bottles during my last visit to Krasi. 

    Nightshade Noodle Bar: Their eclectic, well-curated wine list has primarily more natural wines from small producers. There's plenty of interesting options available, and the wines pair very well with their delicious cuisine. The list changes fairly regularly, and there's always something new to tantalize your palate.  

     Pammy's: Their wine list is mainly Italian but with some other unique wines, from places including Vermont, Oregon, Washington and California. Plenty of excellent options, including a number of Orange wines, and plenty of Nebbiolo as well. 

Favorite Wine Dinner: This past spring, A Tavola in Winchester held a Sicilian wine dinner which was stellar. The wines were superb, several making my Top Ten Wine List of 2022, and they paired very well with the delicious foods prepared by Chef Carli, from Chicken Fried Quail to Rohan Duck. It was a fun atmosphere as well, with Ciro Pirone, of Horizon Beverages, regaling us with interesting and humorous tales of Sicily and the wines. A Tavola holds a number of wine dinners each year and you definitely should check them out. 

Favorite Wine Event News: Next year, the Boston Wine Expo returns. This major wine event, for the public and industry, will be held March 25 & 26, 2023, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Tickets are now available, although the full schedule for the event has not been posted yet. For example, there will be wine seminars although there isn't any information about which ones will be held. With a different venue and date, I'm very curious as to how the new Wine Expo will be, after its absence in recent years. Once they post more details on the event, I will provide that info on my blog as well. 

Favorite Cocktail Spots: 

     Nightshade Noodle Bar: Besides their cool wine list, the restaurant also creates numerous tasty and inventive cocktails here, such as the Nightshade Mai Tai,  Saigon Cigar Club, the Nha Trang Beach (with Mezcal), and Coconut Margarita. They also make custom Spritz cocktails, recently making one using Bully Boy Amaro which thoroughly impressed my dinner companion. On their dessert list, I love the Thai Tea, a small Thai Tea Mai Tai, and I try to order it every time. The cocktails are creative, well-balanced and delicious. 

    Row 34: In Burlington, this exquisite seafood restaurant makes some delicious cocktails, such as the Westward Winds, a Baijiu cocktail, and They Reminisce Over You, which is made with rum and Manzanilla sherry. 

     Hecate: I haven't visited this cocktail bar yet, which is located under the Krasi restaurant, but I'm very intrigued, and their cocktail menu looks quite inventive. It's on my short list of spots to visit in 2023. 

Favorite Baijiu Cocktail: At Row 34, The Westward Winds is made with Oaxacan rum. Ming River Baijiu, passion fruit, lime, and Campari. It was delicious and well-balanced, not overly sweet (with hints of bitterness) and with rich fruity flavors, and the taste of the Baijiu shined through. Refreshing, it was a touch of the summer during this cold winter. And it's also a very good example of the potential of Baijiu in cocktails.

Favorite Sherry Cocktail: At  Row 34, They Reminisce Over You, made with Plantation Single Cask 2009 Long Pond Rum, lime, demerara, manzanilla sherry, and tiki bitters. This cocktail was well balanced, not too sweet, with a delicious, complex taste of tropical flavors, salinity, and citrus. As a lover of Sherry, I love cocktails where it is a component.

Favorite Mezcal Cocktail: At A Tavola, the Killer Bee cocktail is made with Madre Mezcal, lime, and honey. It was refreshing, with only a hint of sweetness, some tartness from the lime, and the nice taste of the Mezcal. A fine way to start any meal.

Favorite Rum Cocktail: At Wusong Road, they offer a variety of Tiki cocktails and I opted for the Mai Tai. It was made with Jamaican, Guyana and Martinque rums, almond orgeat, curaçao, and lime, and served with a metal straw. Most other places that offer a Mai Tai don't make it with such a different selection of rums, instead using much more common and less expensive rums. I enjoyed the complex taste of the Mai Tai, which was refreshing, with a noticeable alcohol content (but not overly so). And at under $11, this was also an excellent value. 

Favorite Beer: From Channel Marker Brewing in Beverly, I thoroughly enjoyed their Propeller, a Cherry Vanilla Popsicle Style Sour Ale. This beer has a 6.3% ABV, and is said to be a "Sour Ale brewed with sweet cherry, tart cherry, vanilla beans and milk sugar." This ale has a deep, rich pink color, and when you took a sip, the front of your palate was struck by bright cherry flavors, with a hint of tartness, The flavors then transformed in your mouth, finishing with creamy vanilla notes, and the cherry taste became more subtle. I was enamored with how the delicious flavors evolved over my palate. In addition, it presented with only a mild hint of sweetness, which pleased me as well. Highly recommended!

Favorite Daiginjo Sake: While dining at Yakitori Totto, I enjoyed the Kaku Rei Daiginjo ($120), which was produced by the Aoki Brewery, that was founded in 1717. The Sake was made from the famed Yamada Nishika rice, which was milled down to 48%. It was an excellent Sake, with delicious peach and apple flavors, a touch of steamed rice, a nice body, and a lengthy finish. It was smooth and tasty, and went well with the various grilled meats.

Favorite Canned Sake: WeSake is a canned Junmai Ginjo, likely produced by the Hakutsuru Brewery, a 280 year old brewery in Kobe, Japan. The rice for this Sake is grown in Tagocho, by local farmers, although the type of rice is not identified. The rice was polished down to at least 60%, and the Sake is also vegan friendly, sulfite free, gluten free, and non-GMO. It was quite tasty, being smooth and medium-bodied, with pleasant flavors of melon, steamed rice, and tropical fruit. I enjoyed it chilled with a dinner of Sockeye Salmon, and it has more body than many other Ginjo Sakes, and I think it would taste well warmed too.

Favorite Sake Educational Resource: For some of the latest and most fascinating current information about Sake, you need to read the Sake Industry News by John Gauntner. Each twice-monthly issue contains numerous intriguing news articles, sure to interest all Sake lovers, and with information you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. I've learned plenty from this newsletter and eagerly look forward to each new issue. There's not enough Sake news available out there, and Gauntner is filling a much-needed niche. If you're interested in Sake, you definitely should subscribe. 

What were some of your favorite Wine, Spirit, Sake & Drink-related items this year?

Rant: Useless Wine Recommendations

If you're knowledgeable about wine or other alcoholic drinks, then you'll often have family, friends and others asking you for recommendations. They commonly want specific recommendations, to help them better explore or understand a general category. They don't want to be told to just try a Greek wine or a Sake, but they want to know which specific one to purchase. The more specific the recommendation, the easier it is for that consumer, and they often want it to be as easy as possible.  

It's then also simple for you to provide that person a handful of recommendations, to give them a list of several choices. You can hone that list down according to the person's requirements, such as price or flavor style. However, a problem can often arise when that person takes their list of recommendations to their local wine shop. None of those recommendations may be available in that wine store, and that's frustrating. What do they do then? 

The issue is that there are many thousands of different wines available, from all all over the world, and most wine shops only carry a few hundred or so. So, the chances that any specific wine shop carries the specific wines you recommended can be low. Some wine shops might not even carry certain wine categories. For example, your local wine shop might not carry Croatian or Greek wines, so a recommendation for those wines would be largely useless. 

It's possible that these wines could be ordered through the wine shop, but that takes times and not every wine is available in every state. For example, if you're in Arizona and giving wine recommendations to someone in Massachusetts, you should know that each state has its own importers and they will bring in some wines which won't be found in the other state.

So, how you can provide better recommendations, avoiding the issue of a wine shop not stocking your choices? 

I'm often asked for Sake recommendations and it's very difficult for me to provide specific choices as many wine shops carry very little Sake, if any. It's even difficult to provide recommendations when a specific shop carries a decent selection, as they might not carry the particular Sakes I suggest to someone. 

Because of those issues, I've developed a new response to when someone asks me for a Sake recommendation, one which enables me to provide far better choices, and choices which are readily available. This response would work for wine or any other alcoholic beverage, and avoids the problem of your recommendations not being available at a person's local wine shop. 

When someone asks me for a Sake recommendation, I ask them to go to their local shop and take a picture of their Sake selection. Then, they send me a copy of that picture and I can tell them which of those Sakes I would recommend. That ensures they will be able to easily obtain the Sake I recommend, and won't be disappointed by going to a store with one of my recommendations but not being able to find it. If their local shop has only a few Sake selections, none of them might be worthy of my recommendation. Then, I suggest they seek out a different shop, or maybe they need to order it online,

This may be the best way to recommend wines and other alcoholic drinks, to ensure their availability to the requester. It is more helpful than just providing a list of different choices. More people need to be doing this, assisting those seeking wine recommendations. With the holiday season looming, lots of people will be seeking recommendations, for gifts, parties, and more. Do them a service and better help them select the wines that are readily available to them.

2017: Favorite Wine-Related Items

What were some of my favorite wine related items of the past year?

Let me continue the lists of my best recommendations and favorites of 2017. I have already posted my Top Ten Wines Under $15, Top Ten Wines Over $15 and Top Wines Over $50 lists. This post will now concentrate on some of my Favorite Wine-Related Items, which are not specific wine recommendations. This is certainly not a complete list but it is more a sampling of compelling and memorable matters I have experienced and posted about over the past year.

This is also a purely subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. But all of the items here have earned my strong recommendations and I hope you will enjoy them as well. For more wine related items, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

Analysis Of Top Ten Wines: In my three prior Top Wine lists of 2017, I mentioned a total of 36 wines, which included wines from 13 different countries, three more than last year. Tied at the top were Georgia and Portugal, each with 6 wines (and I'll note Spain was in first place last year). Alsace came in second place with 5 wines and Spain, California and Greece ended up tied in third place, each with 3 wines. Moldova and Israel each hold 2 spots while France, Italy, Chile, South Africa, Germany, and Great Britain each hold 1 spot. As for wine types, the list is also broken down into 5 Sparkling, 9 Whites, 2 Rosé, 18 Reds, 1 Fortified and 1 Dessert Wine. Sixteen of the wines were first tasted at the Boston Wine Expo, where I often find a significant number of intriguing wines.

Favorite Discount Wine Stores: Consumers always want bargains, excellent value wines which won't stretch their wallets. You can buy the cheap, mass-produced commercial wines which can be found in almost any wine store or instead, you can seek out excellent, value wines which put to shame those cheap wines. Certain discount wine stores provide not only excellent prices but also an interesting selection and good service. I want to highlight three such stores which continue to do an especially good job, places where I go to seek bargains: Bin Ends in Braintree & Needham, Wine Connextion in North Andover, and Rapid Liquors in Stoneham. Shop at any of those stores and you won't be disappointed.

Favorite Wine Stores: This is a small list of wine stores which consistently impress me with their selection and service. Each shop is worthy of your patronage and wine lovers should make the effort to visit these places if you have not done so yet.
Lower Falls Wine Company in Newton Lower Falls
Wine-Sense in Andover
Wine Bottega in Boston's North End
Central Bottle Wine & Provisions in Cambridge
Wine Press in Brookline
Streetcar Wines in Jamaica Plain

Favorite Wine Breakfast: As a rather novel wine tasting, representatives of Chapel Down, an English winery, held a tasting of a couple of their Sparkling Wines at a breakfast at Bar Boulud. Smoked Salmon & Eggs atop English muffins with delicious bubbly. In my post, The British Are Coming! Chapel Down Sparkling Wine, I wrote about my experience, impressed with the first two English Sparkling wines I've ever tasted. The English climate is similar to that of the Champagne region during the 1960s-1980s. And their chalky soils are similar as well, so it isn't a stretch to understand why English Sparkling wines have become such a hot item.

Favorite Wine Dinner: A deconstructed Flammekeuche with some killer Alsatian wines, surely a combination for success. At Bistro du Midi, I dined with Jean-Frédéric Hugel, of the famed Alsatian winery Hugel et Fils, discussing Wines Without Make-Up. Alsatian wine pairs so well with various foods and you should always have some in your cellar. Besides the delicious food and wines, there was plenty of interesting conversation, especially concerning the philosophy that wine is made in the vineyard, not the cellar. And two of the wines from this dinner ended up in my Top Wine lists.

Runner-Up Favorite Wine Dinner: This category was a tie, between a Moldovan wine dinner and a Portuguese wine dinner. The Moldovan wine dinner at Moldova Restaurant, in Newton, exposed me to Moldovan cuisine for the first time, accompanied by numerous tasty Moldovan wines, including two which ended up on my Top Wine lists. I strongly recommend you dine here to experience a taste of Moldova. The Portuguese wine dinner at Terra Nostra, in Fall River, was such a fun evening as I was hosted by the good people of LGL Imports, a distributor of Portuguese wines. The food was excellent, including some intriguing Portuguese dishes including Grilled Limpets and Cow's Leg Stew. The wines were compelling as well, which wasn't a surprise, and I would definitely dine here again the next time I was in Fall River.

Favorite Regional Wine Tasting: At the 2017 Boston Expo, the Wines of Georgia had a major presence, with approximately 18 producers showcasing their wines. I ended up tasting about sixty of their wines, a broad swath through their intriguing and delicious offerings. You can read about my experiences in multiple articles, including Boston Wine Expo: Giorgi Samanisvili & Wines of Georgia, Boston Wine Expo: Wines of Georgia (Part 1), Boston Wine Expo: Wines of Georgia (Part 2), and Boston Wine Expo: Wines of Georgia (Part 3). A number of wines from this tasting also ended up on this year's Top Wine lists. With 8000 years of history, Georgian wine has much to offer, and you can read numerous reasons to taste their wine in another of my articles, Drink More Georgian Wine! 

Favorite Wine Seminar: Also at the 2017 Boston Wine Expo, I attended one of their wine seminars,  Quinta Vale D. Maria, Port & The Douro, which was informative, fun and absolutely delicious. This Portuguese winery has an interesting history and the owner, Cristiano Van Zeller, was an excellent speaker, explaining their history and philosophy. The wines we tasted, especially the comparative ones, were fascinating and we even got to taste a wine from 1870! Two wines from this seminar ended up on my Top Wine lists. As was mentioned at this seminar, "Port is the greatest poetry in wine."

Favorite Large-Scale Tasting: This year, this award goes to the 2017 Boston Wine Expo, a huge consumer wine event. I ended up tasting about 175 wines and spirits, and sixteen of those wines ended up on my Top Wine lists. The Expo has its issues, primarily due to the large crowds that attend, but there are ways to maximize your wine exploration and enjoyment, from attending the Seminars to focusing your tasting on certain regions and/or wine styles. Unfortunately, it seems that there won't be a Boston Wine Expo in 2018.

Most Unique Wine Pairings: What wine would you pair with a showerhead? Or an ornate faucet? I had the opportunity to make such pairings, using only Georgian wines. At a Georgian Wine presentation at Lefroy Brooks in New York City, we tasted the attendees through four Georgian wines, pairing each wine with one of the bathroom creations from Lefroy Brooks. It was an unusual pairing combination but lots of fun. The attendees loved the wines and the company enjoyed the presentation so much that they had us do it again for them in Chicago this past October, which was also another big success.

Favorite Sangria: Quincy has become a fascinating culinary destination and one of the new restaurants is 16C, which is owned by Kerri Lynch-Delaney, who is the niece of famed Chef Barbara Lynch. Sitting at the bar, I opted for their Red Sangria, which is made with blood orange, dragonfruit, and raspberry. The different fruits are what intrigued me, and I was very pleased with the Sangria. It was fruity, with a nice depth of flavor, and with only a mild sweetness. I'm picky about Sangria and this is actually one of the best versions I've tasted in quite some time. I could have easily drank a few of these without feeling like I was in a sugar coma.

Favorite Wine Travel Event: This past June, I attended TasteCamp Maryland, exploring the food and drink or Maryland. TasteCamp is always one of my favorite events as a small group of wine writers get together to explore a wine region, though the event has expanded to include additional alcoholic beverages as well. Maryland was a compelling destination, with delicious and interesting wines and spirits, such as those of McClintock Distilling Co. and Tenth Ward Distilling Company. We were based in Frederick, which has some delicious restaurants, though we traveled a bit to various regions within Maryland. I very much look forward to the next TasteCamp, wherever it might be.

Favorite Wine Rant: My weekly Monday Rants cover a wide range of food and drink-related issues and my favorite one dealing with wine this year was Rant: Become A Wine Activist. It touched on an article written by Peter Weltman, which states "Wine transcends borders and bridges cultures, and it can be used to improve lives if we make the right purchases." Though wine is often seen as a mere luxury, its purchase can possess the power to help people as "Financial support of a country’s wines contributes to the well-being of regions, countries, and producers." I like how this article helps to elevate the status of wine, and how it can benefit people from all over the world. It is definitely an idea we all should embrace when engaged in wine buying.

What were some of your favorite wine-related items this year?

2016: Favorite Wine-Related Items

What were some of my favorite wine related items of the past year?

Let me continue the lists of my best recommendations and favorites of 2016. I have already posted my Top Ten Wines Under $15, Top Ten Wines Over $15 and Top Wines Over $50 lists. This post will now concentrate on some of my Favorite Wine-Related Items, which are not specific wine recommendations. This is certainly not a complete list but it is more a sampling of compelling and memorable matters I have experienced and posted about over the past year.

This is also a purely subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. But all of the items here have earned my strong recommendations and I hope you will enjoy them as well. For more wine related items, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

Analysis Of Top Ten Wines: In my three prior Top Ten Wine lists, I mentioned a total of 42 wines, which included wines from 10 different countries. At the top was Spain, with 10 wines (which was in second place last year). Portugal and Italy (which was in first place last year) are tied for second place, with 7 wines. Nearly 60% of my top wines came from just these three countries. Greece and France are tied for third place with with 4 wines. The U.S. has 3 wines, 2 from California and 1 from New York. Georgia and Cyprus each had 2 wines on the lists while Argentina and Slovenia each has 1 wine. As for wine types, the list is also broken down into 5 Sparkling, 12 Whites, 4 Rosé, 13 Reds, 7 Fortified and 1 Dessert Wine. Thirteen of the wines were first tasted at the Boston Wine Expo, where I often find a significant number of intriguing wines.

Favorite Discount Wine Stores: Consumers always want bargains, excellent value wines which won't stretch their wallets. You can buy the cheap, mass-produced commercial wines which can be found in almost any wine store or instead, you can seek out excellent, value wines which put to shame those cheap wines. Certain discount wine stores provide not only excellent prices but also an interesting selection and good service. I want to highlight three such stores which continue to do an especially good job, places where I go to seek bargains: Bin Ends in Braintree & Needham, Wine Connextion in North Andover, and Rapid Liquors in Stoneham (which recently completed a major expansion). Shop at any of those stores and you won't be disappointed.

Favorite Wine Stores: This is a small list of wine stores which consistently impress me with their selection and service. Each shop is worthy of your patronage and wine lovers should make the effort to visit these places if you have not done so yet.
Lower Falls Wine Company in Newton Lower Falls
Wine-Sense in Andover
Wine Bottega in Boston's North End
Central Bottle Wine & Provisions in Cambridge
Wine Press in Brookline
Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose (where I also work part-time)
Streetcar Wines in Jamaica Plain

Favorite Wine Lunch/Dinner: Champagne pairs well with food, but some Champagnes do it better than others. The Champagnes of Besserat de Bellefon are specifically produced to accompany food and lunch at L'Espalier helped to show its excellence with food pairings. The lunch tasting was educational and delicious, fun and informative. Two of the Champagnes also ended up on my Top Ten Wine lists. The secret of its versatility with food is its smaller bubbles, which makes the Champagne taste creamier, more unctuous, and lighter.

Runner-Up Favorite Wine Lunch/Dinners: This category was a tie, between an Italian wine dinner and a Cypriot wine dinner. The Piedmontese Wine Dinner at Osteria Nino presented several killer wines, three which ended up on my Top Ten Wine lists, accompanied by dishes from Gnocchi al Castelmagno e Noci to Bollito di Manzo. A Cypriot Wine Dinner at Committee offered several compelling wines, two which ended up on my Top Ten Wine lists, wines which you rarely see at other restaurants. The tasty cuisine was Cypriot as well, from Eliopites to Koupes. Both wine dinners helped to show how regional wines and cuisines pair well with each other.

Favorite High-End Wine Lunch/Dinner: Argentina would be hard pressed to find a better advocate for their wines than Laura Catena. At a special lunch at Bistro du Midi, Laura Catena shared with us some of the top wines from Bodega Catena Zapata, wines from the famed Adrianna Vineyard. From the White Bones and White Stones Chardonnays to three incredible Malbecs, we learned about this vineyard and its various expressions. The lunch was informative and inspirational, and the wines were stunning. And the food, from Lamb Carpaccio to Flat Iron Steak Frites, was delicious, pairing well with the two Malbecs at the table. One of the Chardonnays from this lunch also ended up on one of my Top Ten Wine lists.

Favorite Regional Wine Tasting: This category was also a tie, between Franciacorta, an Italian Sparkling Wine, and Georgian wines (the country, not the state). At the Wine Bottega, Jeremy Parzen was Spreading Love For Franciacorta, showcasing 11 wines and helping to give attention to this compelling bubbly. Jeremy is an excellent ambassador for these wines and it made sure the tasting was educational and fun. At Puritan & Co., there was a significant tasting of Georgian wines, which led to my post, Drink More Georgian Wine! Georgian wines can be delicious and intriguing, and it was fascinating to explore more of their wines. And both of these tastings had wines that ended up on my Top Ten Wine lists this year.

Favorite Large-Scale Tasting: This year, this award goes to the Boston Wine Expo, a huge consumer wine event. Thirteen wines from this event ended up on my Top Ten Wine lists. It has its issues, primarily due to the large crowds that attend, but there are ways to maximize your wine exploration and enjoyment, from attending the Seminars to focusing your tasting on certain regions and/or wine styles. Early next month, I'll be posting my suggestions and advice for attending the Expo, which should help to improve your experience. Check here for tickets for the 2017 Boston Wine Expo,

Favorite Private Wine Tasting: My good friend Adam, of Wine Zag, hosts a monthly blind tasting event which is always fun and interesting. There haven't been many tastings this past year due to a number of circumstances but it remains my favorite private event. A group of 15-18 people are assembled, and we taste through about twelve wines, usually with some type of theme. From Champagne to Southern Italian reds, the themes range wide and the wines themselves range in price and style. The attendees include wine newcomers and more knowledgeable tasters, but there is a lack of pretension and the casual atmosphere is one of fun and discovery. This is the fifth year in a row this tasting has garnered this honor. The house has changed, allowing a more intimate event.

Favorite Wine Travel Event: This past June, I attended TasteCamp Vermont, exploring the food and drink or Vermont. TasteCamp is always one of my favorite events as a small group of wine writers get together to explore a wine region, though the event has expanded to include additional alcoholic beverages as well. Vermont is a compelling destination, with delicious and interesting drinks from Hard Cider to Maple Syrup Beverages. There are a number of excellent Distilleries, producing wonders such as Barrel-Aged Gin. And I actually have more to write about this experience so look forward to more info about the delights of Vermont.

Favorite Wine Rant: Is wine simply a luxury, relatively unimportant? In one of my rants, I tried to answer the question, Wine Is Just Fermented Grape Juice? In one respect, it is just fermented grape juice, but there are other levels involved as well. Wine can be important, a key to bringing people together, creating friendships, and prolonging those friendships. Take a look at my Rant and think about its contents. Maybe you will see wine through a different lens.

What were some of your favorite wine-related items this year?

Rant: Holiday Wines--Don't Be A Cheapskate

As October begins, you'll soon start seeing wine blogs, magazines, newspapers, and more to present their recommendations for holiday wines, from Thanksgiving selections to Christmas dinner choices to New Year's Eve bubbly. The majority of these articles tend to be repetitive, presenting similar choices to what they have recommended year after year. You could take one of their articles from five years prior, and you would see nearly identical recommendations. Originality is too often lacking in those articles yet they still garner plenty of attention from consumers, who are seeking advice and recommendations.

Rather than present some specific suggestions of the type of wines you should buy for the holidays, I am hoping to offer something different, to alter your thinking rather than provide specific wines to pair with your holiday celebrations. My advice can be summed up into one simple statement.

Stop being a cheapskate! 

In preparation for the holidays, people stock up on wine to serve their guests at the various parties and celebrations. Often, because they are buying bottles in bulk, their primary concern is price. They generally want to purchase wine that costs $10 per bottle or less and usually end up buying the large, commercial "value" wines, such as the Barefoot or Yellow Tail. It takes almost no thought to buy such wines. Though such wines might be drinkable, they aren't going to impress anyone. You've chosen to take the cheapest route possible, in both price and time.

If you're hosting a holiday party, don't you want to impress your guests? Or do you want to be known as the person who bought the cheapest wine available? Don't you want your guests to leave the party talking about the great time they had, telling others about the delicious wines they enjoyed? Or would you rather have them later complain that the wine was unappealing?

It only takes a little extra work, and maybe price, to elevate your wine selections. Or would you rather be known as a wine cheapskate by your guests, who know you bought cheap wine with no real thought?

I certainly understand the need to control your wine costs when you are providing for a number of guests. You don't have to buy $50 wines to impress your guests and you don't even have to spend $20 per bottle. I have purchased numerous $10 wines and brought them to parties where the other guests loved then, wanting to know where they could buy them. There are good and interesting wines at this price point, if you know where to seek them out. If you want your holiday celebration to be even more popular, then you need to serve those type of wines. The extra effort will elevate your party and please your family, friends, and other guests.

How do you find these inexpensive but interesting wines?

To start, the easiest path is to seek out one of the better discount wine stores. These places often carry a good selection of wines costing $10 or under, much more than you will find at a regular wine store. You'll find plenty of variety in these inexpensive wines, whites and reds, domestic and imported. You'll find wines comparable in price to those large commercial "value" wines but which offer much more character, taste and value.

My top three recommendations for discount wine stores include Bin Ends in Braintree and Needham, Wine Connextion in North Andover, and Rapid Liquors in Stoneham. Make the effort and drive to one of these discount spots and find better value wines. The investment of time will pay off, creating many happy guests at your next party.

For example, when I go to Bin Ends in Needham, I'll purchase a couple cases of wine, averaging $10 per bottle, and get a nice diversity of wines, reds, whites & rose. These wines will satisfy most people. They are excellent every-day wines, and work well as inexpensive wines for larger parties too. Rapid Liquors has recently expanded their store, offering a large selection and you can always find excellent values there. The Wine Connextion also offers excellent prices, even better than many you would find in New Hampshire.

If you some reason you can't make it to one of these discount wine shops, you still have options. At whatever wine shop you visit, it might be best to ask the wine store staff for recommendations of value wines. They should be able to direct you toward those inexpensive wines which will be more interesting and delicious than those cheap commercial wines. You should also remember that most wine stores offer a discount for bulk purchases, sometimes as few as 6 wines, which is another way to save money on your purchases.

But if for some reason you can't ask a store employee for some recommendations, then my best advice for selecting a good wine that is $10 or under, is to buy a Portuguese wine. At this time, I think some of the greatest value wines are coming out of Portugal, especially at this price point. Chances are that if you purchase a Portuguese wine costing $10 or less, you will find a delicious wine, much better than similarly priced wines from most other regions. And there are plenty of Portuguese wines available in that price range. There is probably no other wine region where you can find as many good wines at that price point.

You also should know that paying a few dollars more for your wine can make a big difference. When you start considering wines priced from $10-$15, your options increase drastically. You can find some interesting wines from all over the world in that price range, though they still offer value. And if you are buying in bulk where the wine store offers a discount for larger purchases, you can save enough money so that the wines end up priced closer to $10 per bottle.

So this holiday season, don't buy the same old cheap wines. It won't take much effort to select some better choices, and still very inexpensively. In the end, you'll impress your guests, make your holiday party more memorable, and drink better wines.

Nøgne Ø: Yamahai Muroka Junmai Sake From Norway

Almost seven years ago, back in December 2009, I wrote an article, Sake in Norway, about Nøgne Ø, a well-known craft beer brewery in Norway which wanted to also become a Sake brewer. They were poised to be the first Sake brewery in Europe and I was excited to see what developed.

Since then, Nøgne Ø accomplished their objective, becoming the first Sake brewery in Europe, and now produces four different Sakes, from a Yamahai Junmai to a Sparkling Sake. Even better, their Sake is now available in Massachusetts, through the Shelton Brothers Inc., which is primarily an importer of beer. Redstone Liquors in Stoneham is currently carrying the Nøgne Ø Yamahai Junmai ($19.99/350ml), and they hope to carry the rest of the Nøgne Ø Sake portfolio in the near future. I bought several bottles, eager to sample this Norwegian Sake.

The name "Nøgne Ø" translates as "naked island" which is "a poetic term used by Henrik Ibsen to describe any of the countless stark, barren outcroppings that are visible in the rough sea off Norway's southern coast." The brewery also has a subtitle, Det Kompromissløse Bryggeri, or “The Uncompromising Brewery.” They make more than 30 different types of ales, and, in addition, have made numerous guest brews & collaborations with other breweries from all over the world.

Nøgne Ø desires to create "bold, rich, flavourful Sakes" and because of such, all their Sakes are made using the Yamahai process. This is an older method of production in which commercial lactic acid is not added to the fermentation, allowing lactic acid from the air to naturally develop within the mix. It takes longer for this type of Sake to ferment, and it is riskier, with a chance of stray bacteria ruining the fermentation. Sake made by this process often tends to be more complex, earthy and gamey. I am a huge fan of Kimoto/Yamahai Sake, so I was especially interested in checking out Nøgne Ø Sake.

Their Sakes are also made from Ginpu, a type of Sake rice that has been imported from Hokkaido, Japan. This rice type was officially registered in 2002, having been developed by the Hokkaido Central Agricultural Experiment Station. It is rare for any Sake brewery outside of Japan to use a sakamai, a Sake rice, from Japan in their brewery. Even the U.S. Sake breweries which are using Yamadanishiki, also a sakamai, are using rice which was grown in the U.S. Nøgne Ø currently makes a Junmai, Junmai Ginjo, Yamahai Motoshibori, and Sparkling Sake.

The Nøgne Ø Yamahai Muroka Junmai is made from 100% Ginpu rice, which has been polished down to 68%. They use a foamless yeast, #701, in the fermentation process. The Sake has a 16% ABV, an acidity of 2.4 (which is very high for Sake!), and a Sake Meter Value of +3 (which is almost neutral between sweet & dry). As it is a Muroka, that means the Sake was not filtered and it was only pasteurized once (which means it technically could be a Namazake).

The writing and linework on the dark-colored label, as you can see at the top of this post, is very light so the label doesn't stand out on a store shelf. It isn't eye-catching so the average consumer isn't likely to pick up the bottle to check it out. I think a bolder label, which could be symbolic of the bolder flavors found in their Sake, would be more attractive to consumers.

However, the most important question is: how does it taste? First, the color has a slight greenish-yellow tinge, likely due to the fact that is is unfiltered. On the nose, there are appealing and mild stone fruit notes. Taking a taste, you immediately notice its rich mouthfeel, a full bodied Sake with good acidity and flavors of pear and melon, with a lengthy and satisfying finish. Unlike some other Yamahai, it doesn't possess a gamey/earthy element, though it does have that high acidity. That gamey/earthy aspect is very common with Yamahai, but isn't found in all such Sakes and this isn't the first time I have tasted one of those exceptions.

This is also a Sake with strong umami and would pair well with numerous foods. Because of its clean and fruity flavors, it would go well with seafood, from sushi to oysters, but with its high acidity and umami, it could also stand up to heartier dishes, from burgers to pizza. It would be killer with mushroom dishes. I initially enjoyed some of this Junmai with Shepherd's Pie, fine comfort food which worked with the Sake, and I've also paired it with Cheeseburgers, and that was a fine combo as well.

I'm impressed with the taste of the Nøgne Ø Junmai and am even more eager to taste the rest of their Sakes.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food & drink events.
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1) Chef Will Gilson of Puritan & Company and Chef Steve “Nookie” Postal of Commonwealth invite guests to join them on Sunday, August 7, from 11am-4pm, for a Commonwealth “Sunday Slam Summer Brunch Pop-Up. ” Gilson and the Puritan team will be serving up an epically delicious “Shore-to-Shore Pop-Up” menu on Commonwealth’s Kendall Square patio.

The North Shore and South Shore-themed menu, priced a la carte, will include the following items:

North Shore:
Roast beef 3-way sandwich
Fried Clams
Baked Oysters
Grilled Italian Sausage

South Shore:
Bar Pizza (cheese, pepperoni, or veggie available)
Fried Scallop Roll
Stuffies (stuffed clams)
Corned Beef Sandwich

Sides:
Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob with honey butter
Low-Brow Caesar Salad

For Reservations, please call 617-945-7030

2) In celebration of the 7th Annual Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR, Kiehl’s President Chris Salgardo and amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost, along with a crew of celebrity riders, will arrive in Boston on Wednesday, August 10, from 11am-12pm, for a special event at the Kiehl’s store on Newbury Street.

The event is free and open to the public and will consist of meet & greets with the riders, complimentary skincare treatments, music from local artists and small bites from Alden & Harlow and Waypoint Chef/Owner, Michael Scelfo. To continue this spirit of local giving, for the first time ever, Kiehl’s will be donating $5,000 to AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts in an official on-site check presentation.

Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR is an annual multi-day, multi-state charity motorcycle ride to raise funds and awareness for amfAR, one of the world’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to finding a cure for AIDS. This year’s 11-day ride will kick off in Kiehl’s hometown of New York City on August 3rd, with stops in Long Island, Hartford, Provincetown, Boston and ending in Philadelphia on August 13th.

Follow the journey and join the conversation by using #LifeRide7

WHO:
Michael Scelfo, Chef/Owner of Alden & Harlow and Waypoint
Chris Salgardo, President, Kiehl’s USA
Kevin Robert Frost, CEO, amfAR, The Foundation of AIDS Research

And fellow LifeRide for amfAR participants:
Scott Patterson – Actor, known for TV series “Gilmore Girls”
Theo Rossi – Actor, known for TV series “Sons of Anarchy”
Gilles Marini – Actor, known for TV series “Brothers & Sisters” and “Dancing with the Stars” and the film “Sex and the City”
Grant Reynolds – Host, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Teddy Sears – Actor, known for TV series “Masters of Sex”
Millissa Sears – Actress, known for TV series “The Mentalist”
Anthony Carrino – Host, “Kitchen Cousins”
Ben Cohen – World Cup Rugby Champion

Every customer who visits Kiehl’s on Newbury St. on August 10th will receive a 15% discount on all purchases, with the exception of charitable products and value sets. Kiehl’s will donate that 15% to amfAR, up to $125,000.

The cure is in your hands: 100% of net profits from the sale of Kiehl’s Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, a jumbo size of the brand’s classic formula ($28.50), up to $25,000, will benefit amfAR.

3) On Saturday, August 27,, from 1pm-5pm, The Wine ConneXtion, located in North Andover, is bringing Boston’s chef, restaurateur and “Top Chef” finalist Tiffani Faison of Tiger Mama and Sweet Cheeks Q, to the North Shore for a complimentary tasting of her BBQ and biscuits which will be paired with their robust red wine blends and exclusive small batch bourbon.

Tiffani Faison is an American chef, restaurateur, culinary consultant and television personality who rose to fame after her stellar performance on Bravo’s “Top Chef” series. Recently named “Best Chef of 2016” by Boston magazine, Tiffani spent much of her childhood in the South, which inspired her first restaurant, Sweet Cheeks Q. In 2011, Sweet Cheeks Q took Boston’s Fenway neighborhood by storm with delicious Southern-style food and inspired cocktails served in a welcoming, family-style space. Sweet Cheeks has been awarded “Boston’s Best Barbecue” by both Boston Magazine and The Improper Bostonian and featured in Food & Wine, Forbes, Travel & Leisure, CBS’ “The Dish,” NBC’s “The Today Show,” People, and The New York Times, to name a few. In 2015 Tiffani opened her newest concept, Tiger Mama, which is located just steps away from Sweet Cheeks on Boylston Street, featuring playful interpretations of Southeast Asian-inspired dishes set in a funky, transporting space.

All afternoon, the staff at The Wine ConneXtion will be pouring samples of robust red wine blends and specialty bourbons from their BackRoom which will complement signature BBQ dishes that will be prepared onsite by Tiffani Faison herself. As guests sip on summer’s savory spirits and bold blends, they will have the chance to meet Tiffani and try her famous Southern-style eats, including her excellent biscuits.

Tasting is complimentary. Walk-ins welcome all day, must be 21+.

4) Chef/Owner Michael Schlow and the Tico Boston team invite guests to celebrate summer on their patio with a special “keep calm and summer on” party. On Monday, August 8th, Tico will host a “keep calm and summer on” patio party featuring boozy build-your-own sundaes, complimentary chips and guac, and beats by Dj Dolo.

The sundae bar will be available from 5 p.m. onwards will offer a selection of ice cream flavors infused with homemade vanilla bean-infused Ketel One vodka and a variety of unlimited toppings for $15.

Ice cream flavors will include:
Mint Chocolate Chip
Vanilla
Chocolate.

Sundae toppings will include:
Oreo
Strawberries
Sprinkles
M&M’s
Fudge
Caramel sauce
Whipped cream
Cherries
Mini Twix

In addition to the build-your-own boozy sundae bar, complimentary chips, guacamole, and salsa will be provided. DJ Dolo will also be spinning beats on the patio from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

For reservations, please call (617) 351-0400

5) $1 Oysters, all week long! Starting August 1, Bar Boulud, Boston is making oysters more affordable. As a permanent addition to their menu, they will now serve freshly-shucked Malpeque oysters from Prince Edward Island for just $1 from 2pm-6pm, Monday through Friday, in the bar, lounge and terrace areas of the restaurant. With most places offering oysters for $2-$3 per oyster, if not more, this is a nice bargain, especially as it isn't a temporary special. Get your brine on & order some oysters with a nice chilled Rosé wine.

6) And more Oyster joy! Saloon, in Davis Square, is now serving up new oyster-themed specials available through Labor Day. Dubbed “Mollusk Madness,” executive chef Shayne Nunes will be shucking $1 oysters from local waters served with classic cocktail sauce and a red wine mignonette. (Saloon’s delicacies of the sea normally are priced at $15 for a half-dozen and $30 for a dozen.)

To complement the blissful brininess of the bivalves, the beverage team will shake up a specialty cocktail, Mother of Pearl, made with Scotch, lemon, Combier, St-Germain and Amaro Averna ($10).

WHEN: Available daily through September 5 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

7) Are you up for a mighty Burger Challenge? In honor for the 2016 Olympics, A&B Burgers, one of my favorite burger spots, is bringing back their "Challenge Burger" from August 5th-August 21st. This Triple stacked, fully loaded burger weighs in at nearly 2 LBS. Wow!

What will you find on this Burger? Three Beef Patties, three layers of American Cheese, 3 Fried Eggs,  3 layers of Pickles, 3 layers of Haystack Onion Rings, Arugula, and AB Sauce (creamy feta, garlic base, aji amarillo deliciousness). All stacked between a Brioche Bun. And it only costs $21! That is a real bargain for such an enormous burger.

Anyone who is willing to accept this challenge will be timed and in the running for a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal. Winners will be announced on August 22nd and given an A&B gift bag.

So who wants to come with me and attempt this challenge? How fast can you devour this huge burger?

Rant: Choosing Spirits At A Liquor Store

When you peruse the shelves of your local liquor store, seeking maybe Rum, Mezcal or Gin, you're most often confronted with generic labels identifying only the very broad categories of spirits. For example, you'll see "Gin" but no other signs breaking down that category into different styles or types. At best, the Whiskey category may see a bit more differentiation, though even that provides only slightly less broad general categories like Bourbon or Scotch.

Each of these broad spirit categories likely includes dozens of different brands as well as a number of different styles and types. For example, within the general Rum category, you'll find French, Spanish and British styles, yet when is the last time any liquor store sorted and labeled their Rum section into those different styles? When is the last time you visited a liquor shop which provided separate signage for Barrel-Aged Gins? Probably never to either question.

How does a consumer navigate this morass of choices? It's not easy unless you know the categories well, which often leads an uniformed consumer to select just the brands they know., which may often be the large commercial brands which everyone knows. Instead of seeking out something different, they go with the safe choice. The consumer can speak to the employees of the store, seeking advice and recommendations. However, they are not always inclined to do so, sometimes preferring to be approached by the staff. What else might help these consumers?

It might be beneficial if there was better signage on the shelves, a more clear demarcation of the different styles and types of spirits. At Thirst Boston, one of the presenters, Benjamin Melin-Jones, mentioned that it would be good if liquor shops would separate rum into the three basic types, to help consumers understand the different types. And if a consumer had a preference for a specific style, they could more easily find those rums which fit within that style. This idea is a good one for all spirit categories and it is true that most liquor stores only use generic categories which are almost useless to the average consumer.

It would be nice to see clear signage separating Mixto Tequila from 100% Blue Agave Tequila, or London Dry Gin from Old Tom Gin, or Wheated Bourbon from High Rye Bourbon. This would better help consumers differentiate the various spirit types and it might also perk their curiosity about different types they didn't know about. They might also be a bit more adventurous in the brands they select. If the brand they usually purchase is in the Wheated Bourbon category, then maybe they will try other brands in that category, feeling a bit more secure to make that purchase. It could also lead them to ask the employees more specific questions about the various types. Maybe they enjoy drinking certain Gin but aren't sure what a n Old Tom Gin tastes like so they ask about it.

Why don't liquor stores use more signage for their spirits? First, it is much easier to use only a small number of broad category signs. It would take more time and effort to better differentiate the spirit types but I think the benefits would be worth it. Second, some stores want consumers to ask them questions, so they intentionally keep the signage low. Though that sometimes works, it also fails with other customers who'd rather just buy what they know rather than seek out a store employee to question.

Let's see liquor stores take a more proactive role in helping to educate consumers by providing more detailed signage for their spirits, breaking them down into specific styles and types. Show consumers that all rums, tequilas, gins and other spirits are not the same.  Show them that the difference between the various brands is not just about price points.

Do you know any liquor stores who actually do provide more detailed signage for their spirits?    

Rant: White Wine Drinkers Are Less Experimental

During the last four years that I've worked at a wine store, I've found that white wine drinkers tend to be less experimental than red wine drinkers.

Is this a generalization that applies across the country? Does it occur in most wine stores? Or is my experience an aberration? I tend to believe that it is far more common than many might think and deserving of more attention.

When a white wine drinker comes to the store, they generally are seeking Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. And it is difficult to get them to choose another white wine rather than their preference. They are usually very firm in their choice, reticent to purchase anything else. All you might be able to do to help them is to recommend a specific wine within their preference. They rarely want to hear you discuss the wonders of Portuguese Vinho Verdo, Spanish Albarino, or French Muscadet. And even if they do listen to you, they will often still choose their preferred white.

When a red wine drinker comes to the store, they generally seek a larger range of wines, from Cabernet Sauvignon to Malbec, Pinot Noir to Chianti. However, I've found them to be far more open to alternative suggestions. They aren't as firm in their preferences, willing to take a chance on a different red. They will try a Portuguese Red Blend, an Uruguayan Tannat, or a California Pinot Meunier. They tend to be open to hearing about different types of red grapes and wines, and will opt for your recommendations more times than not.

Why is this the case? What makes these white wine drinkers much pickier? Why aren't they more adventurous? It seems that the vast majority of those white wine drinkers are women. What does that mean, if anything? The ages of these white wine drinkers varies throughout the range, from the 20s to 80s, so it doesn't seem to be age related. It isn't price related either.

It's a curious enigma.

2015: Favorite Wine-Related Items

What were some of my favorite wine related items of the past year?

Let me continue the lists of my best recommendations and favorites of 2015. I have already posted my Top Ten Wines Under $15, Top Ten Wines Over $15 and Top Wines Over $50 lists. This post will now concentrate on some of my Favorite Wine-Related Items, which are not specific wine recommendations. This is certainly not a complete list but it is more a sampling of compelling and memorable matters I have experienced and posted about over the past year.

This is also a purely subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. But all of the items here have earned my strong recommendations and I hope you will enjoy them as well. For more wine related items, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

Analysis Of My Favorite Wines: In my three prior Top Wine lists, I mentioned a total of 38 wines, which included wines from 10 different countries. At the top was Italy, with 11 wines. In second place was Spain with 6 wines and third place went to France with 5 wines (three of them from Alsace). About 60% of my picks came from just these three countries. Uruguay made a strong showing with 4 wines, and California had 3 wines on the lists. South Africa, Brazil, Uruguay and Bulgaria each had 2 wines on the list while Greece had a single spot. As for wine types, the list is also broken down into 15 Reds, 9 Sparkling, 7 Whites, 6 Fortified and 1 Rosé.

Favorite Discount Wine Stores: Consumers always want bargains, excellent value wines which won't stretch their wallets. You can buy the cheap, mass-produced commercial wines which can be found in almost any wine store or instead, you can seek out excellent, value wines which put to shame those cheap wines. Certain discount wine stores provide not only excellent prices but also an interesting selection and good service. I want to highlight three such stores which continue to do an especially good job, places where I go to seek bargains: Bin Ends in Braintree & Needham, Wine Connextion in North Andover, and Rapid Liquors in Stoneham. Shop at any of those stores and you won't be disappointed.

Favorite Wine Stores: This is a small list of wine stores which consistently impress me with their selection and service. Each shop is worthy of your patronage and wine lovers should make the effort to visit these places if you have not done so yet.
Lower Falls Wine Company in Newton Lower Falls
Winestone in Chestnut Hill
Wine-Sense in Andover
Wine Bottega in Boston's North End
Central Bottle Wine & Provisions in Cambridge
Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose (where I also work part-time)

Favorite Wine Book: It is one of the most ignored wines, seen more as a cocktail ingredients rather than a compelling wine on its own. A compelling new book, Vermouth: The Revival of the Spirit that Created America's Cocktail Culture by Adam Ford, provides a fascinating look into this fortified wine, giving you plenty of reasons to explore Vermouth. You'll find a history of Vermouth, an exploration of some American producers, and plenty of Vermouth-based cocktails. You'll realize the complexity and diversity of Vermouth and see why it is a special wine worthy of your attention.

Favorite Wine Dinner: It is extraordinary that for the third year in a row, an Alsatian wine dinner took the honors in for this category. Dining with Dominique Schoenheitz and her son Adrien, of the Schoenheitz Winery, at Bergamot was educational, fun and delicious. As usual, the fine wines of Alsace impressed, showing diversity, complexity and value. In addition, three wines from this dinner were mentioned in my Top Ten Wine lists. The food, from the Salmon Head, to the Popcorn Ice Cream, was creative and tasty, exactly what I expect from a great restaurant like Bergamot. And our conversation was stimulating, covering a diversity of topics including wine, Alsace, vinegar flies, sexism, taxes and more.

Runner-Up Favorite Wine Dinners: This category was a tie, with wine events at restaurants which are very close to each other in Inman Square, Cambridge. First, there was a Natural Wine Dinner at Puritan & Co. The good folks at Mise Wines presented five intriguing natural wines which paired well with the excellent cuisine, from Black Bass to Crispy Duck. One of the wines from this dinner ended up on one of my Top Ten Wine lists. Second, there was a Greek wine dinner, with the Parparoussis Winery, at BISq. Once again there were five wines which were paired with a Greek inspired dinner, including a stellar Roast Leg of Lamb. One of the wines from this dinner also ended up on one of my Top Ten Wine lists.

Favorite High-End Wine Dinner: As I've mentioned before, pairing Sparkling Wine with every course of dinner works very well, It should be more than a mere apertif or celebratory drink. At Sorellina, I had the pleasure to meet Marcello Lunelli of Ferrari Trento and he shared some special Italian Sparkling Wine, including three vintages of their Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore. The 1993 Vintage (about $400) was amazing, one of the best Sparkling Wines I've ever tasted. Marcello was a fine dining & drinking companion, enhancing the experience of the evening. This is serious Bubbly and you really need to seek out these Sparkling Wines.

Favorite Regional Wine Tasting: On two occasions, I was able to delve into the wines of the Montefalco region of Umbria, Italy. You can read about those explorations in Umbria, Montefalco & Sagrantino: Wine Rising From The Shadows and Montefalco Rosso & Sagrantino: Winter Wines. The history of this region fascinated me and the wines were compelling and delicious, with several of the wines ending up on my Top Ten wine lists. These wines don't get enough recognition, often being overshadowed by better known Italian wine regions. The tastings opened my eyes and I hope that many other wine lovers discover the wonders of Montefalco.

Favorite Twitter Wine Tasting: At a Twitter wine tasting, people from all over the world drink the same wines and then discuss them at the same time on Twitter. I have been participating in these tastings for years, and they can be lots of fun. This year, I participated in two fun Twitter tastings of Franciacorta, a Sparkling Wine from Italy, and you can read my reviews in Franciacorta: Serious Bubbly You Should Be Drinking. Two of those wines ended up on my Top Ten wine lists. Franciacorta may not be on your radar but it should, offering excellent taste at a very good value.

Favorite Large-Scale Tasting: This year, this award goes to the Boston Wine Expo, a huge consumer wine event. Several wines from this event ended up on my Top Ten Wine lists. It has its issues, primarily due to the large crowds that attend, but there are ways to maximize your wine exploration and enjoyment, from attending the Seminars to focusing your tasting on certain regions and/or wine styles. Early next month, I'll be posting my suggestions and advice for attending the Expo, which should help to improve your experience.

Favorite Private Wine Tasting: My good friend Adam, of Wine Zag, hosts a monthly blind tasting event which is always fun and interesting. A group of 15-18 people are assembled, and we taste through about twelve wines, usually with some type of theme. From Champagne to Southern Italian reds, the themes range wide and the wines themselves range in price and style. The attendees include wine newcomers and more knowledgeable tasters, but there is a lack of pretension and the casual atmosphere is one of fun and discovery. This is the fourth year in a row this tasting has garnered this honor.

What were some of your favorite wine-related items this year?

Rant: Choosing Holiday Wines (Part 2)

The holidays near and the question on everyone's mind is, What wines should I buy? Last week, I offered some initial advice on choosing holiday wines: First, stop being a cheapskate! And I;m back, to provide more suggestions and advice, to help you select wines for the holidays, for your dinners and parties, as well as for special gifts.

Second, stop buying that same old fruitcake!

Most of the wine articles you'll read right now offer very similar advice, recommending the same types of wines again and again. For example, you'll see many suggestions for Pinot Noir and Riesling for Thanksgiving, the same wines that have been recommended by these articles year after year. You might have served them at Thanksgiving last year (and previous years) but can any of your dinner guests actually remember which wine was served? Doubtful.

Because they are so ordinary, they usually become very forgettable. They are the "same old fruitcakes" the same old traditional wines that everyone serves and think little about. Wouldn't you rather ditch those trite old fruitcakes and serve wines that are more memorable? There is nothing wrong with these fruitcake wines, They can be tasty and fitting for your meal, but why just stick to such wines? You can do more and make your dinner or party even more exciting.

A Thanksgiving meal is diverse, with many different flavors, from savory to sweet, and many different textures. No single wine is a perfect pairing with all these different dishes. And you can serve whatever wines you want. There are no rules. As such, you have an opportunity to serve a diverse selection of wines, to serve wines that will surprise and please your guests. For example,I've recommended serving Sherry or Sake for Thanksgiving.

This same idea applies to when you are buying wine as gifts for family, friends, and others. Don't you want to give something memorable to the recipient? It is easy to give someone a bottle of Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon. They are probably the same type of wines the recipient might buy on their own. Instead, why not splurge and buy something different, something the recipient might not buy on their own but which they would enjoy. Stop sending "fruitcakes" and go for something more exciting.

You have plenty of options for more exciting gift wines. Pick something local, such as a Massachusetts wine, or something from another New England state, or even from nearby New York. Or find wines from either Mexico or Canada, our neighbors who are making some delicious and reasonably priced wines. Find wines with less common grapes such as Mencia, Assyrtiko, Petit Verdot, Grillo, Zweigelt, and Touriga Franca. Choose some different sparkling wines such as Franciacorta or Cremant d'Alsace. There are so many options available that it is easy to opt for something besides the same old fruitcakes.

All I want is for people to be more open in their holiday wine choices. Don't be lazy and choose the same old wines when there is an abundance of excellent choices out there. There are so many thousands of different wines available so why limit yourself to a mere handful? The holidays are a time many people splurge so splurge on diversity.

Rant: Choosing Holiday Wines (Part 1)

As the holidays approach, it's time for wine blogs, magazines, newspapers, and more to present their recommendations for holiday wines, from Thanksgiving selections to Christmas dinner choices. The majority of these articles seem repetitive, presenting similar choices to what they presented in the years before. Originality is too often lacking in those articles yet they still garner plenty of attention from consumers, who are seeking advice and recommendations. I am hoping to offer something different, to alter consumer's thinking rather than provide specific wines they should drink on the holidays.

First, stop being a cheapskate! 

During the holidays, many people stock up on wine to serve their guests at various parties and celebrations. Often, because they are buying bottles in bulk, their primary concern is price. They generally want to purchase wine that costs $10 per bottle or less and usually end up buying the large, commercial "value" wines, such as the Barefoot or Yellow Tail. It takes almost no thought to buy such wines. Though such wines might be drinkable, they aren't going to impress anyone. You've chosen to take the cheapest route possible, in both price and time.

If you are hosting a holiday party, don't you want to impress your guests? Don't you want them to leave the party talking about the great time they had? It only takes a little extra work, and maybe price, to elevate your wine selections. Or would you rather be known as a wine cheapskate by your guests, who know you bought cheap wine with no real thought?

I certainly understand the need to control your wine costs when you are providing for a number of guests. You don't have to buy $50 wines to impress your guests. You don't even have to spend $20. I have brought a number of $10 wines to parties that the other guests loved and wanted to know where they could buy them. There are good and interesting wines at this price point, if you know where to seek them out. If you want your holiday celebration to be even more popular, then you need to serve those type of wines. The extra effort will elevate your party and please your family, friends, and other guests.

What should you do?

To start, seek out one of the better discount wine stores. These places often carry a good selection of wines costing $10 or under, much more than you will find at a regular wine store. You can find plenty of variety in these inexpensive wines, whites and reds, domestic and imported. You will find wines comparable in price to those large commercial "value" wines but which offer much more character, taste and value.

My top three recommendations for discount wines stores include Bin Ends in Braintree and Needham, Wine Connextion in North Andover, and Rapid Liquors in Stoneham. Discount stores like Costco and B.J.'s Wholesale may sell wine, and if they do, they also offer discounted prices. Make the effort and drive to one of these discount spots and find some better value wines. The investment of time will pay off, creating many happy guests at your next party.

If you some reason you can't make it to one of these discount wine shops, you still have options. At whatever wine shop you visit, it might be best to ask the wine store staff for recommendations of value wines. They should be able to direct you toward those wines inexpensive wines which will be more interesting and delicious. You should also remember that most wine stores offer a discount for bulk purchases, sometimes as few as 6 wines, which is another way to save money on your purchases.

But if for some reason you can't ask a store employee for some recommendations, then my best advice for selecting a good wine that is $10 or under, is to buy a Portuguese wine. At this time, I think some of the greatest value wines are coming out of Portugal, especially at the price point. Chances are that if you purchase a Portuguese wine costing $10 or less, you will find a delicious and interesting wine. And there are plenty of Portuguese wines available in that price range. There is probably no other wine region where you can find as many good wines at that price point.

You also should know that paying a few dollars more for your wine can make a big difference. When you start considering wines priced from $10-$15, your options increase drastically. You can find some interesting wines from all over the world in that price range, though they still offer value. And if you are buying in bulk where the wine store offers a discount for larger purchases, you can save enough money so that the wines end up priced closer to $10 per bottle.

So this holiday season, don't buy the same old cheap wines. It won't take much effort to select some better choices, and still very inexpensively. In the end, you'll impress your guests, make your holiday party more memorable, and drink better wines.

Rant: The Best Way To Buy Wine

Fall will arrive in a couple days and besides cooler weather, it also brings the start of the busiest wine-buying season. The next few months, until New Year's Day, will see wine stores packed with consumers seeking wine to serve at parties and holiday dinners as well as to give as gifts. The holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, and more bring out people seeking wine.

For some people, this might be the only time they visit a wine store during the entire year. For other people, this might be the only time during the year that they spend so much on a single bottle of wine. The commonality of many of the wine consumers at this time is that they need help in selecting wine. They want wine and food pairing advice, as well as help in selecting the perfect wine to give as a gift. Some want advice in choosing a diverse mix of wines for a party. Some are seeking wine values while other want to splurge.

However, buying wine can be intimidating and frustrating so what should these consumers do?  What is the single, most helpful advice to assist them in choosing the best wines for their needs?

Forget wine scores, badges, contest medals, critter labels, celebrity endorsements and such. Though they may offer some questionable value to consumers, they are not, by far, the most valuable information you could garner about wine. The recommendations of wine bloggers, wine columnists, friends, family and others also have limited value. The problem is that when you visit a wine store, they might not carry the wines that were recommended to you. So what do you do then?

I am often asked for Sake recommendations and though I could easily rattle off a half dozen or so, I rarely do so. Whatever I recommend might not be available at that person's local or favorite wine store so my recommendations become nearly worthless. Instead, I suggest that they go to their chosen wine store and take a photo of their Sake selection and send it to me. I can then give them recommendations based on the Sakes that are available at that store. That works much better than a blind recommendation.

However, if you don't have such an option at hand, then my best advice is to ask the wine store owner, manager or employee for advice on selecting your wines. It is simple advice but can be extremely effective, with the caveat that you need to shop at the right wine store. You need to shop at a store with passionate owners and staff, knowledgeable people who can help you find wines that best fir your needs. Not all wine stores are the same. Not all provide the same level of service. You need to locate and patronize the best shops.

Let me provide you some recommendations for my favorite wine shops. This is not a comprehensive list and there are plenty of excellent wine stores that I haven't mentioned here. Consider this list a starting point only, and feel free to add your own wine store recommendations in the comments.

If value is a primary consideration, you need to find a discount wine store that provides not only good prices but also an interesting selection and good service. And at the best of these stores, you will not only find inexpensive wines, but also discounted prices on higher end bottles. A few of my favorites include:
Bin Ends in Braintree &Needham
Rapid Liquors in Stoneham.
Wine Connextion in North Andover,

Some of my other favorite wines stores, which possess a good selection and service, include:
Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose (where I also work part-time)
Central Bottle Wine & Provisions in Cambridge
Lower Falls Wine Company in Newton Lower Falls
Pairings in Winchester
Wine Bottega in Boston's North End
Wine-Sense in Andover
Winestone in Chestnut Hill

Buy and drink plenty of wine this season!