Calamaco 2010 Reserva Malbec
At first, very quiet, the flavors expand like a peacock. It is increasingly fun and rich. It brings eucalyptus and mocha first, then crushed blackberries with a wave of soft round …
classic
Heady Topper by The Alchemist
An Imperial IPA Review Impressive aromatics of citrus, highly vinous aromatics of grapefruit, lemon rind, and caramel. On the palate, the complex fruit flavors continue. With mango, citrus, peaches, and pineapple …
City Paper: NYE Toasts Uncorked
The story was originally published by the Philadelphia City Paper on December 27, 2006. NYE Toasts Uncorked Author: Amy Strauss 1 Chimay Cinq Cents. Home Sweet Homebrew owner George Hummel recommends toasting with …
Bodega 2010 El Agosto Bierzo
Spanish Wine Review A beautiful bottling of old vine Mencia grapes. A nose of garrigue with pain grillé, basil, and dark berry. On the palate, rich fruit and savage elements dominate. …
La Fin Du Monde by Unibroue
The more I taste beers from Canada’s rising microbrews, the greater my respect. They embrace the quality of North American grains and hops, and at the same time executing old-school brewing styles. …
Tara Nurin Named 2012 Writer of the Year
The Contest Epikur Writer of the Year is a new event that seeks to honor the best food and booze writing in Philadelphia. It is to be an annual contest and …
Associated Press: Taking wine as gift shouldn’t be a chore
It’s a look wine shop clerks know well. That overwhelmed, glassy-eyed stare that afflicts people as they wade through aisle after aisle of wine in search of the right bottle to bring to a party.
But arming yourself with a little advice and doing a bit of planning can make it easy to break out of the wine shop stupor and get the right wine for the right event for the right price.
Step 1: Relax. It’s just wine. And most shops are jammed with great $10 bottles, so it’s hard to make an awful choice.
Philly Uncorked: Austrian Whites
Philly Uncorked was a series of videos developed, written, and co-produced by Keith Wallace and Banyon Productions for Philly.com. Eventually, the underwriter, the PLCB, wanted to monetize the show with product …
Philadelphia Inquirer: Former LCB chief comes out in favor of privatizing State Stores
The story was originally published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on August 03, 2011. The article is reprinted solely for educational purposes. It is intended to offer insight into the history of Wine …
Philippe Collotte 2009 Marsannay les Champsalomon
A remarkably aristocratic Burgundy, remarkable especially considering the price point (Burgundy is the bizarro world of wine, in which spending under $30 usually gets you an average everyday bottle). The wine boasts deep …
Jaipur IPA by Thornbridge Brewery
Despite its august-sounding name, Thornbridge is a relatively new British brewery (it was founded in 20005). Their beers tend to hew close to classic styles but cleaner and fresher. This India …
Philadelphia Inquirer: Not all are toasting changes uncorked by LCB
It is a case of vintage revenge. Wine merchants in Delaware and South Jersey are now clearing shelf space for their old nemesis: Jonathan Newman, former chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
The “xChairman Selections,” as one shop calls them, are the discounted wines that Newman’s new company will introduce in Pennsylvania border states this month.
Newman had risen to the unlikely status of folk hero among Pennsylvania wine lovers, partly because of his celebrated Chairman’s Selection specials. But one year ago, he resigned in protest after Gov. Rendell’s controversial appointment of Joe Conti as chief executive officer of the LCB.
While Newman’s entry into the private sector is intriguing the sip-and-swirl crowd, it also casts a spotlight back on the LCB. The $1.69 billion-a-year agency has been the subject of skepticism and upheaval since Newman left.
Philadelphia Daily News: NECTAR OF THE GODS
The story was originally published by the Philadelphia Daily News on July 20, 2007. The article is reprinted solely for educational purposes. It is intended to offer insight into the history of …
Domaine De La Bastide Blanche 2009 Bandol
For the sheer force of fruit and a delivery system of nitro-fueled tannin, nothing matches a Bandol. Creme de cassis, mocha, and sandalwood flavors are beautiful and temper the aggressiveness of …
Associated Press: Wine vending machines make their debut
Numerous attempts at reform have been turned back by special interests intent on keeping their slice of the pie. So simply stocking Chianti and cabernet on supermarket shelves is not an option under the state’s post-Prohibition liquor laws. The liquor board has tried to be more consumer-friendly in recent years, including opening 19 full-service state stores in supermarkets. The board touts the kiosks as another step toward modernization – “an added level of convenience in today’s busy society,” liquor board Chairman Patrick Stapleton said in a statement.
Not everyone is swallowing that line. Craig Wolf, president and CEO of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, questioned the machines’ efficacy in preventing sales to minors.
Keith Wallace, president and founder of The Wine School of Philadelphia, described the kiosks as well-intentioned failures with limited selections and overtones of Big Brother. “The process is cumbersome and assumes the worst in Pennsylvania’s wine consumers – that we are a bunch of conniving underage drunks,” Wallace wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. “(Liquor board) members are clearly detached from reality if they think these machines offer any value to the consumer.”