This excerpt from Vintage Crime: A Short History of Wine Fraud delves into the lawless world of French wine in the late 19th and early 20th century, in which a splash of something vivid, ripe, and alcoholic from the warmer climes of the south of...

Rum has a long and storied history. The origins of rum and other sugarcane spirits can be traced to the Americas, but rum can be made anywhere that sugarcane is grown, and half of the countries in the world grow sugarcane today, according to Tristan ...

Now seems as good a time as any to reflect on the status of Burgundy, one of the world’s most influential wine regions. As Burgundy has captured the imagination of the wine-drinking public, prices have surged. Place-names such as Les Charmes, L...

When thinking of Monterey, people likely picture rugged terrain, beaches, and surfing. But Monterey County is also one of the premier winegrowing regions in America, particularly known for world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production. Situated al...

Sake, the rice-based alcoholic beverage, is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. It is believed that sake was first produced during the Yayoi period, which spanned from roughly the fifth century BCE to the third century CE—around the same time as...

Yannick Rousseau owns a winery in Napa Valley, so, of course, he makes Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. But for 15 years, he has also made wine with Colombard, first as a varietal wine and later in a blend. The white grape isn’t thou...

Tequila and mezcal, agave-based spirits made in Mexico, are showing unprecedented growth in both sales and reputation across the world. A wider audience of spirits drinkers and cocktail aficionados is increasingly recognizing that agave-based spirits...

If there is one exceedingly worn-out trope in food and wine writing, it’s describing a location as being at a crossroads. And yet, the central European country of Slovenia is indeed crisscrossed by a number of roads. The neighboring Croatians, ...

In the early 1980s, Lew Bryson was a young beer drinker who was eager to try something new, something that wasn’t his father’s mass-market suds and fizz. He had stumbled on a new style—flavorful, intense, and made in small batches b...

Amaro, one of the most diverse beverages in the world, is not easy to concretely define. The literal translation of the Italian name means “bitter,” but amaro offers a kaleidoscope of flavors to decipher. In The Big Book of Amaro, Matteo ...