Grapes

Festivals offer an opportunity to taste the offerings of several wineries in one place. The second annual Connecticut Wine Festival will include 15-18 wineries. A dozen are expected to participate in the Shoreline Wine Festival . Connecticut Wine Festival July 31 and Aug. 1 Goshen Fairgrounds, Goshen www.ctwine.com/index.php?events Shoreline Wine Festival Aug. 14 and 15 Bishop’s Orchards Winery 1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford www.shorelinewinefestival.com/

Q. Are the benefits of red wine from the alcohol or the grapes? A. Red wine has been touted as a health food ever since it was proposed as a solution to the "French Paradox" — the fact that the French have relatively low rates of heart disease despite a diet high in saturated fat. The source of red wine's benefits "is an unresolved issue," says Arthur Klatsky, a cardiology researcher at Kaiser Permanente Northern California....

PARIS -- Grape vines in the Champagne region are sagging this year with an abundance of fruit. But this won't mean increased supply -- or cheaper bottles of bubbly for consumers. It may, however, mean a very good vintage. In Champagne -- where the wine was served to kings for centuries to celebrate coronations -- large harvests tend to produce great wines, said Daniel Lorson, spokesman for the Committee of Champagne Wines. This harvest has the potential to be the Champagne region's largest since it first started recording yields about 100 years ago, Lorson said.

Serves 6 Serve the cheese and fruit with a crusty baguette or grilled flatbread. 8 ounces fresh goat cheese 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil 1½ cups seedless red grapes, halved 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon chive blossoms (optional) 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) 1. Cut the goat cheese into 10 or more slices and arrange on a serving platter.

Serves 6 Serve the cheese and fruit with a crusty baguette or grilled flatbread. 8 ounces fresh goat cheese 2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil 1½ cups seedless red grapes, halved 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon chive blossoms (optional) 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) 1. Cut the goat cheese into 10 or more slices and arrange on a serving platter.

It's easy to forget that at one time the celebrated  vineyards of northern Europe were nothing more than wooded hillsides. The Romans, who generally took the long view of things, planted vines wherever they thought there was a chance they would thrive. The further north they moved, the more challenging viticulture became. In higher northern latitudes the cold can be severe enough to winter-kill vines; sunlight so meager grapes do not ripen sufficiently to make a  stable, palatable wine.

Boston Winery was founded in 2006, the vision of Italian-born, former North End baker Ralph Bruno. Every autumn, Bruno and his team welcome a limited number of wine enthusiasts to their Dorchester cave , where, for a fee, amateurs make their their own cabernet, chardonnay, and zinfandel from fresh California grapes. The winery provides the facilities and equipment (including a destemmer/crusher, fermenters, barrels, and bottling line). Participants order their grapes in advance and are encouraged to lend a hand with every aspect of the work.

Here is a list of Quim Sánchez's favorite cavas and what Sánchez, owner of a popular tapas bar in Barcelona, has to say about them. Look for many of these brands here and abroad. Gramona : "Excellent cava. These guys are tops in the quality-to-price ratio. " Augusti Torelló : "A cava of great quality with a very refined taste. Much of their production comes from old vines. There's a lot of work that goes into it. " Recaredo : "All the grapes come from their property," not something every producer can boast.

This fox has a longing for grapes. He jumps, but the bunch still escapes. So he goes away sour and, 'tis said, to this hour declares that he's no taste for grapes. -Aesop   I can't say I knew about the demise of the Quarterly Review of Wines until Decanter magazine tweeted its story on the development this morning. Not having been a subscriber - or even a casual reader - of the Winchester, Massachusetts-based publication during any of the 35 years that it was a going concern disqualifies me from having an informed opinion...

Welch's, a brand known for its grapes and grape juice, said it is relocating to new space in Concord as it merges its corporate headquarters and technology center at a single site. Welch's said Tuesday that it has signed a 12-and-a-half year lease for 85,000 square feet of space at 300 Baker Ave., which is owned by Normandy Real Estate Partners. The address of Welch's current headquarters is 575 Virginia Rd., Concord. Its technology center is located at 749 Middlesex Turnpike in Billerica.

It's easy to forget that at one time the celebrated  vineyards of northern Europe were nothing more than wooded hillsides. The Romans, who generally took the long view of things, planted vines wherever they thought there was a chance they would thrive. The further north they moved, the more challenging viticulture became. In higher northern latitudes the cold can be severe enough to winter-kill vines; sunlight so meager grapes do not ripen sufficiently to make a  stable, palatable wine.

Welch's, a brand known for its grapes and grape juice, said it is relocating to new space in Concord as it merges its corporate headquarters and technology center at a single site. Welch's said Tuesday that it has signed a 12-and-a-half year lease for 85,000 square feet of space at 300 Baker Ave., which is owned by Normandy Real Estate Partners. The address of Welch's current headquarters is 575 Virginia Rd., Concord. Its technology center is located at 749 Middlesex Turnpike in Billerica.

The 100th anniversary of Fenway Park might seem worthy of a champagne toast, but the folks from Welch's are proposing the next best thing: Having fans lift a glass of its Sparkling Grape Juice Cocktail at a Red Sox game set for April 20. According to Welch's, representatives from Guinness World Records will be on hand to verify whether this grape juice cocktail salute is worthy of the record books. In a statement, Welch's vice president of marketing Matt Wohl said the toast to both look back at Fenway's storied past --- and to look ahead as...

This fox has a longing for grapes. He jumps, but the bunch still escapes. So he goes away sour and, 'tis said, to this hour declares that he's no taste for grapes. -Aesop   I can't say I knew about the demise of the Quarterly Review of Wines until Decanter magazine tweeted its story on the development this morning. Not having been a subscriber - or even a casual reader - of the Winchester, Massachusetts-based publication during any of the 35 years that it was a going concern disqualifies me from having an...

While some wines sail carefree on a sea of feel-good associations generated by history, fashion, or really good marketing, others seem ever on the verge of sinking beneath waves of ignominy. Wines burdened with a low-rent aura don't always deserve their fate, however. Scratch some poor, cachet-bereft category and it's just possible you will find something authentic, honest, and appealing. Consider Lambrusco, the grapey, juicy, lightly-sparkling red wine with origins in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, where its place alongside the region's salumi...

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Roll down the windows. That's the first thing I do after easing off the interstate. As I cruise along roads with unfamiliar names that hug northern Vermont's undulating landscape, the humid air is filled with the scents of bluegrass and clover, sugar maple and spruce, and fields of blooming wildflowers. I inhale deeply, and as my trusty van crests a hill above Route 15 I see what I'm looking for: rows and rows of neatly spaced grape vines. Grapes are not the first crop that comes to mind when we think about Vermont.