May 26th 2015
The ABC of Biodynamics
Turning biodynamically-treated compost at Granton Vineyard in Tasmania. Credit: Mark Smith.
There are a just handful of really hot topics in the world of wine right now and one of them concerns an ap
…
May 19th 2015
Fragile Oil: The Decimated Olive Harvest of 2014
After record low olive oil production in Italy and France, something of a silver lining might come from Greece.
The winter of 2013-2014 was too mild. The spring and summer that followed, by contrast
…
May 14th 2015
How Many Kinds of Wine Are There, Anyway?
“What kind of wine is this?” is a question heard frequently in the Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge wine corner. Wine is categorized and merchandised so many different ways today that it's not surprising
…
May 12th 2015
Coffee Cupping with Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Coffee cupping at Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Last month I spent a long weekend in the undisputed coffee capital of America -- Seattle. Even though I missed the US Coffee Championships by a few days, I
…
Apr 9th 2015
Vieilles Vignes: Do Old Vines Make Better Wine?
Gnarly 90 year-old grenache vines in the Languedoc
Vieilles vignes is a phrase you frequently see on French wine labels. These are somewhat mysterious words since, though it’s obvious they refer to vi
…
Mar 17th 2015
Matcha, Sencha, Gyokuro, Hojicha: A Guide to Ippodo's Japanese Green Teas
Ippodo Matcha
Matcha, gyokuro, sencha, hojicha, these are familiar terms to Japanese tea lovers, but to many Americans they’re still pretty obscure. To be honest, I think it’s hard to find really gre
…