The relationship between tradition and innovation is not a linear one. Sometimes, it can even go full circle. Take appassimento, for instance, an Italian tradition of partially drying grapes before turning them into wine that is taking hold considerably in Canada’s Niagara region. The appassimento style of winemaking began in
A restaurant without Merlot or Pinot Grigio. What are they thinking? “They” turns out to be Sandy Block, MW (Master of Wine) an experienced restaurant wine director for a classic eating establishment in Boston. I sat down for dinner with Block recently at the new Harborside location of the Legal
Challenged with pairing wines this Thanksgiving? Though turkey day is regarded as a most traditional American holiday, increasingly it is celebrated in the U.K., and foodies flock to gastronomic restaurants with highly educated sommeliers that are increasingly attaining the Master Sommelier level. Turkey is a traditional main dish for Christmas
Only an hour away from downtown Boston, is a lovely, well-situated parcel of vineyards, situated between the East and West estuaries of Massachusetts’ Westport River. Westport Rivers Vineyards has more than 25 years under its belt producing wines, though the former potato and dairy farm has been worked by the
The most curious thing happened a few years ago. One of the great wine regions of the world became passé in one of the largest wine markets. Bordeaux was becoming hard to find in the United States. Oh, the Classified Growths and the rarefied boutique darlings maintained their stratospheric price
It has not been a good month for Laike, the two-year-old mutt whose sole task is to identify the hidden locations of white truffles. Her handlers have trained her to identify the scent of the prized underground mushroom, and she has shown great promise. But October, like September, has largely
“Picpoul de Pinet?,” says a woman doubtfully, picking up a green tinted bottle under the “staff’s favorite” sign at a trendy Manhattan wine shop. Though the label is hip and modern, reading "PIC" in giant red block letters, it appears to have the appellation's ancient coat of arms branded on
When I visited Navarra a few years ago, I went home raving about the rosado (rosé) wines made from garnacha (grenache). This time, I found a whole new sphere of great red and white wines, made from both indigenous and-read more-