Beer, it’s good…

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We hear quite a bit about the ‘Craft Beer Movement’.  ‘Craft beer’ is everywhere and, in the industry, people just cannot stop talking about the continually increasing sales in that market.  With all this clamor about craft beer and with new breweries springing up all over the place I see an interesting, almost desperate, trend where everyone in the beer business is trying to define the craft beer market and get a piece of the action.

By definition, a ‘Craft Brewery’ is one with an annual production of 6 million barrels, or less.  It is seen as much more than that, though, as creative marketing efforts, eclectic brews and demand spikes over limited releases point towards an incredible market force. Continue reading Beer, it’s good…

Washington State Red Wines: California & Bordeaux Have Met Their Match!

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It wasn’t too long ago (30-40 years) that Bordeaux was THE red wine, and no other wine could compete.  Thanks to the Tasting of Paris in 1976, this was proven to be false; California could also make red wines equal in caliber to those from Bordeaux.  The most recent contender in this on-going battle is Washington State.

In 2009, Wine Spectator named Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 the #1 wine of the year; not many wineries can put that on their resume.  A bottle of Quilceda Creek Estate Cabernet Sauvignon can cost $150-$175, depending on the vintage, but show me a Bordeaux or a Napa Cab that has those same scores and costs about the same; there aren’t many.  Washington State wines are the newest gems in the wine world and, little by little, they are getting noticed.  I love that Washington State wines are still in the dark because the quality of wine isn’t compromised by sales. Continue reading Washington State Red Wines: California & Bordeaux Have Met Their Match!

The Forefathers of Bourbon

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Due to Bourbon’s popularity these days and the recent passing of our nation’s birthday, I thought it would be appropriate to discus the history and the exact requirements that go into producing our country’s official spirit. It is fairly easy to figure out how Irish whiskey or Scotch Whisky got their names, but the way Bourbon got its name is slightly more convoluted.  How Bourbon became Bourbon is really an interesting story.

It all started in 1791 when the Continental Congress put a tax on whiskey production in order to help pay for America’s debt.  So angry were the the settlers of Western Pennsylvania that they refused to pay!  As tensions escalated George Washington was forced to send the Continental Army to stop a potential uprising.  However the situation turned out to be trickier to solve than anticipated and in order to prevent any political humiliation and further trouble with the stubborn Scotch-Irish, Washington came to an agreement with them by offering them incentives for moving to Kentucky (then part of Virginia). Continue reading The Forefathers of Bourbon

Wine Existentialism

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My fellow colleagues-in-wine and I are always discussing, debating, and arguing about hot wine topics.  Sometimes it’s about oak, over-extraction of fruit, old world v. new world, and of course…terroir.  We also discuss what makes a wine good and what sells, and we often find that the good wines don’t sell.

A couple weeks ago, Patrick wrote about Malbec and it’s rise and fall.  Weeks before, Nic wrote about the concept of terroir. These blogs are the result of our on-going conversations.  Both blogs got my attention. Continue reading Wine Existentialism

Summer Tasting at NARA Park in Acton: Tuesday, July 26

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Colonial Spirits will sponsor wine and beer tasting from popular brewers and vineyards, food tastings from local restaurants including Slow Pokes BBQ, Moe’s Southwest Grille, Sweet Bites and more. Music is sponsored by Acton Jazz Café. This event is $10 per person and open to the public. Register on-line www.mwcoc.com or pay at the door. Please call 978-263-0010 for more information.