Wine Beer Spirits on Sale, Now Through the Week-End

America has a pretty intense yes-no history with alcohol.

YES, we produce some damn fine beers, wines, and spirits.

But NO, sales on these products -- especially when it comes time to celebrate the country's birthday, for pete's sake -- should not be limited to any one category.

YES, shops all over Boston want you to buy wine for the holiday weekend.

But NO, you should not have to pay too much for it.

That, at least, is the philosophy of some shops around town today and for the next few days.

TODAY, for example, at Blanchard's in Jamaica Plain, wine, beer and spirits are on sale plus they'll be BBQing some good ole American hot dogs and hamburgers just for kicks.

And from now through Saturday, every wine -- every single wine -- on the shelves at Panzano Provviste e Vino in Southborough is on sale.

Time to stock up, even if your stock will go back down after this weekend.

God bless America.


WHAT: Wine, Beer & Spirits on Sale, Plus BBQ
WHERE: Blanchard's Wine & Spirits, 741 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
WHEN: TODAY from 4 to 7 p.m.
COST: $0. Hot dogs and hamburgers available too.

WHAT: Storewide Summer Wine Sale
WHERE: Panzano Provviste e Vino, 154 Turnpike Road, Southborough
WHEN: Now through Saturday, July 3
DETAILS: Every wine in the store is on sale. Save 15% on 3+ bottles, 20% on 6+ bottles.


DAILY TIDBIT:

"A man will be eloquent if you give him good wine." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stories and Wines from Women of the Vine, Free Event FRIDAY

What we love most about wine are the STORIES.

Every bottle, every glass, every sip tells its own.

Which makes Friday evening's event especially appealing.

It starts with the stories -- of women winemakers, or "women of the vine."

It continues with tastes of the wine -- limited production and terroir-focused.

And it finishes with memorable impressions -- of the stories, the wines, and the award-winning women behind them.

Oh, and it's free too.

SEE YOU THERE.


WHAT: Tasting and Book Signing with Deborah Brenner, author of Women of the Vine
WHERE: Tatnuck Bookseller, 18 Lyman Street, Westborough
WHEN: Friday, June 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.
COST: $0


DAILY TIDBIT:

Women of the Vine is the first book written about women in wine that talks about the women themselves and not merely about their wine and the wine industry. It enters into their homes and their cellars.

This is not a book just for women, but for all people who desire to pursue their dreams, take chances, and create the life they want to live. It is not about ratings, scores, competition, techniques, or tasting notes. It is about the true pleasure of wine and what it means to so many of us.

-- From the Introduction to Women of the Vine

It's Summer and the Wine is Flowing: What To Do This Week-End

Summer is here and the wine is flowing.

Today's email is a run-down of what's-up-where around town this week-end.

But it's far from an exhaustive list.

Which means you are bound to find more wine to-do's in your own neck of the woods.

(Find something, or know of something, you want to share? Please drop us a line.)

Go on. Find a few. Or make your own.

Just get out, breathe the air, and let it flow.


WHAT: Latin Music Fest with bands, dancers, outdoor grill and cocktails
WHERE: The Fireplace, 1634 Beacon Street, Brookline
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., rain or shine
COST: $20 entrance fee in advance. Free food.

WHAT: Italian wine tasting with Importer Extraordinaire Jeannie Rogers
WHERE: Formaggio Kitchen, 244 Huron Avenue, Cambridge
WHEN: TODAY, June 11 at 5:30 p.m.
COST: $0

WHAT: Wine, Chocolate and Film
WHERE: The Wine Bottega, 341 Hanover Street, Boston
WHEN: Saturday, June 12 from 2 to 4 p.m.
COST: $10, includes a ticket to the documentary film Fresh, a wine tasting, and a chocolate tasting with Taza chocolate factory of Somerville.

DAILY TIDBIT:

From now until Father's Day, Blanchards Wine & Spirits is offering 25% off all non-sale wines in their locked display case. (Offer is valid in the West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and Revere stores until June 12.) Go on. Splurge on something Dad will love. With any luck, he'll open it right then and share it with you!

Food and Wine Tasting Series at The Belfry Inne and Bistro

Food and wine pairings are a many-splendored thing.

They're also a complete bugger.

Take as many flavors as you can pull out of a wine, then multiply that by as many flavors as you can pull out of a dish, and you've got close to the number of possible combinations of food-wine pairings.

Sheesh.

Good thing someone's thought this through.

Many someones, actually, have put pen to paper when it comes to getting a handle on what to drink with what you eat.

What they all agree on?

Take it one bite, and one sip, at a time.

Just like the folks at The Belfry Inne and Bistro in Sandwich are doing with their food and wine tasting series, every Wednesday evening from 6 to 7 p.m.

This week's focus is on Australian reds and the foods that love them.

You sip. You bite. You decide what works, what doesn't.

And then you go back for more.


WHAT: Food and Wine Tasting Series
WHERE: The Belfry Inne and Bistro, 8 Jarves Street, Sandwich
WHEN: Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m.
COST: $18

DAILY TIDBIT:

Virgin America airline has partnered with Wine Library TV's Gary Vaynerchuk on a new in-flight wine and food menu. Their first offerings? The 2002 Arrowood Sonoma County Merlot with a fruit and cheese plate and the 2008 Turnbull Sauvignon Blanc with a tropical fruit appetizer or the poached pear with hazlenut crisp cake.

The Hottest Party Cocktail Right Now

This past weekend got you thinking about summer party season?

Us too.

Which is why you should know what the hottest party cocktail is right now.

Wait for it.

It's punch.

Yep. Punch.

Here's why: these days it's more about the conversation going on outside the glass than it is about what inside the glass.

With punch, there's no theater. It's there when you get there. All you do is put some in your glass, and then move on to more important things.

Like who you'll talk to next.


DAILY TIDBIT:

CHAMPAGNE PUNCH, courtesy of AllRecipes.com
Yields 35 four-ounce servings.

In a large punch bowl, combine the following:

One can frozen cranberry juice concentrate, one can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, one can frozen limeade concentrate, one bottle chilled white wine, one liter chilled carbonated water, and two bottles chilled sparkling wine. Garnish with one sliced lemon and 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves.

Dessert Pairings, with Beer, at Finale

Lots of drinks go with dessert.

Like Port. Or Sauternes. Or sweet Sherry.

And then there's beer.

Beer?

Don't knock it till you try it.

Try it, in fact, on Monday evening at Finale in Coolidge Corner.

Try it -- beer with dessert, that is -- five different times in a very special, very unique tasting.

Pastry chef Nicole Coady puts up her five signature desserts.

You sip a different top-notch beer with each one.

Hard to believe that beer is an excellent match with dessert?

The proof is in the pudding.


WHAT: Beer & Dessert Tasting
WHERE: Finale Desserterie & Bakery (Coolidge Corner), 1306 Beacon Street, Brookline
WHEN: Monday, May 24 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
COST: $19.99 per person


DAILY TIDBIT:

"After eating chocolate you feel godlike, as though you can conquer enemies, lead armies, entice lovers."

-- Emily Luchetti

Wine + Music, Free Concert + Free Tasting

Sure, sometimes a sip of wine makes your mouth sing.

But a whole evening dedicated to the relationship between wine and music?

Call it an experiment. A very sensory one.

Tomorrow night at the Community Music Center of Boston, you'll hear instrumental music from Brazil (think 7-string guitar, flute, and mandolin) and you'll taste wines -- chosen specifically to pair with the music -- from Portugal.

Not sure what that means?

Neither are we, frankly.

But both our ears and our palates really want to know.

The event is free.

So, too, will your senses be once it's over.


WHAT: Wine and Music Concert (Wines chosen by CSW Jo-Ann Ross)
WHERE: Community Music Center of Boston, 34 Warren Avenue, South End
WHEN: Thursday, May 20 from 7 to 8 p.m.
COST: $0


DAILY TIDBIT:

"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence." -- Robert Fripp