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Boston, Paris, Avignon, Courthezon | 6.5.16

France is an old place -- many domaines we work with have been in the business for centuries. But others are newer: winemaker Olivier Leriche left Burgundy’s prestigious Domaine de l’Arlot in 2011, and founded a new winery on old vines in the Ardèche. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed following Olivier over the last five years as he has experimented with grape…

We're on our way to France for a two week tasting trip covering the Southern Rhône, Languedoc, Northern Rhône, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Chablis, and Jura. We hope to post photos to this blog daily.

It may be spring for another month, but here in Boston it’s starting to feel more like summer. Warm weather can make wine pairing tricky -- heat and alcohol rarely go well together, and a cold beer is sometimes the best fit. But when the moment or the meal calls for wine, we look for bottles with low alcohol, good…

Check out our new one-minute video about how Ansonia Wines works.

Thomas Keller's Marinated Skirt Steak -- this is a great way to get a lot of flavor out of an inexpensive cut of meat. The longer you marinate, the more intense the flavor; make sure to brown the meat well.

Moules Marinières -- we were feeling decadent so added some cream to the broth before serving. Made bread à la Tartine to accompany. We let mussels soak in flour/water for an hour -- meat was clean and plump.

It was perhaps inevitable that breadmaking would join our list of minor obsessions. Bread and wine have far more in common than the ecclesiastical: both are the product of fermentation; both mix art and science; and both reward success with sensory delight.

The modern era of organic winemaking dates to the 1970s when winemakers began to realize that over-fertilization of vineyards was resulting in excessive crop production and poor quality. The excessive use of herbicides and pesticides contributed to a monoculture, making vines more vulnerable to disease and insect infestation.

Some wines are meant for occasions — wines you’ve picked out specially, on which you’ve spent a bit extra, and for which you’re waiting until the perfect moment. With Burgundy representing half of our portfolio, we have no shortage of these back-of-the-cellar bottles.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s most widely planted grape. Best known for its starring role in the great wines of California and Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon is a cross, likely spontaneous, between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon blanc — a fortunate gift from the winemaking gods. Its potential for aging is unrivaled.

The January Issue of our Futures Program has just been released. Futures offers near wholesale pricing through advance orders. The deadline for the January Issue is Sunday, January 24.

In our search for expressions of terroir, we never tire of sampling local flavors. Oysters from Belon, chèvre from the Loire, butter from Isigny -- these foods represent their regions as much as any stony Chablis or rich Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

We've always found it hard to get too excited about New Year's celebrations -- but we'll take any excuse to gather family and friends for a fancy dinner. So we've put together a mixed case of four wines for a complete New Year's Feast. Whether you're celebrating the end of this year or the beginning of the next, this case…

We've put together four mixed cases of Champagne and sparkling wines for your New Year's celebration. Options start at $17.5/bot, mixed cases are discounted up to $99, and East Coast shipping is FREE. Order deadline for New Year's Eve delivery is Monday 12/28.