by glenn on July 19, 2010
Central Bottle and Provision is a busy place. A wine shop with a unique and well chosen inventory of wines from small producers, delicious take-away food and a great cheese wall and case, it has an ambitious calendar of events – chef demos, meet- and- greets with winemakers, a weekly wine bar (or the occasional beer bar) and a staff of congenial folks who actually appear to enjoy their jobs. There is also a seasonal cheese series consisting of four classes – spring, summer, fall and winter. The series is moderated by cheese master Robert Aguilera and David Seaton, the cheesemonger of Central Bottle. I had missed the spring class – I was at The Wine Riot - but I signed up early for the summer session which was devoted entirely to goat cheese. [click to continue…]
I was off to Waltham to the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University for an afternoon of culture. The Rose had mounted a show from its own collection, a survey of the art of the last 100 years.For a small private museum, the permanent collection of the Rose is somewhat legendary – a trove of key works from the 20Th and 21st centuries. Last year, there had been quite a dust-up at the museum when the governing board and president of the university decided to close the museum and sell off the art to raise some money. This didn’t go over well with those donors who didn’t think their gifts of artwork were a rainy day cash cow. To some extent, the university backed down – the museum remains opens – the university avers that it will remain open – though they still may sell some of the museum’s holdings. The whole situation is now the subject of several lawsuits making their way through the courts. And since I was in Waltham, home of Gordon’s Fine Wine and Liquors, what better way to end an art outing than with a little wine shopping – art and plonk in the same afternoon. [click to continue…]
by glenn on April 19, 2010
GLENN – Let’s get this out of the way at the get-go. I was not the oldest person at the Wine Riot – I was the second oldest. The Second Glass, sponsor of the event, aims for a young demographic and panders to the perception that older wine lovers are wine snobs ready to shoot down any young wine novice who wanders into their range of fire. Come to the Wine Riot, taste among your own kind and don’t worry about the disapproval of the geezers. The language used to push the Wine Riot is actually humorous – Really, what is a “baller wine”, really?
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by katrin on April 12, 2010
Let me get this out of the way: I like Tikal wines. I like them a lot. I also really enjoy Luca wines. Each brand is made by children of Nicolas Catena and represents some of the best New World-style wines coming out of Argentina today. A few months ago, KJ Baaron’s, a wine shop in Worcester, was pouring the 2003 Tikal Patriota at a tasting. The price was right, so I bought all seven of the bottles they had in stock.
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by glenn on February 16, 2010
Another in an ongoing series.
I was energized, expansive and focused, having just returned from a weekend at Kripalu – two days of yoga, deep relaxation and restorative message. I was ready for Plonk Patrol! I would be a Wine Warrior in quest for the Perfect Plonk! Since I had to do some grocery shopping, I would make my quest at the Whole Foods Market at River St. in Cambridge. I used to wine shop here but the wine section has been through several transformations and I ended up not been intrigued with the selection. However, in its present incarnation, there is a stand-alone section devoted entirely to value wines – $14.99 and less. And for the eco-minded, there is also a section of organic wines. Let my quest begin. [click to continue…]
