An excellent infographic on why beer tax reform is needed, particularly from state to state.

The grand tasting featured over 275 whiskies from around the world and attracted nearly 800 enthusiasts to the Westborough liquor store. The event doubled as a fundraiser for the Shriners, with Julio’s raising $6,200 for the charitable organization. The Shriners Pipe and Drum Corps returned the favor with spirited and momentous musical sets, filling the store with the glorious wail of bagpipes and tight, precise snap of snare drums.

In the video, we meet up with Ryan Maloney, the owner of Julio’s Liquors, who led the Grand Tasting with his own hand picked whiskey blend, as well as several other distillers and whiskey distributors at the event including those from Laphroaig, Edradour, Four Roses, Dewars, Deanston, and Carriage House.

Be sure to watch through to the end of the segment, where we capture Sir Jeremy Bell from Glenlivet Distillery celebrating the close of the weekend by sabering a bottle of Champagne!

Continuing a family farming tradition for over six generations, Pioneer Valley’s wines are handcrafted from estate grown red and white wine grapes and locally grown Massachusetts fruit.

The winery produces 10 varieties of grape and fruit wine made from Frontenac grapes, cranberries, and tomatoes – yes, you read that right, tomatoes.

In this video, Linda and Casey Burt, the owners of Pioneer Valley Vineyard, explain the history of the family-owned winery, offer a tour of their vineyard, tasting room and production facilities, and take us through their line-up of wines.

Pioneer Valley Vineyard is located at 41 School Street in Hatfield, MA and is open for free tastings and sales from October – December, on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5 PM.

Editor’s note: This video segment is part of continuing series profiling the Massachusetts Farm Winery & Growers Association and each of its member wineries.

Held at the dazzling Artists for Humanity space in South Boston, the evening had the feel of a summer block party with Beaujolais Nouveau flowing at every turn, house DJs rocking the floor, and guests munching on some of the best street food in Boston with Roxy’s Grilled Cheese and KO Catering supplying the goods.

In the midst of it all, we had a chance to speak with Tom Steffanci, the President of WJ Deutsch & Sons, the local importer and marketer of Georges Duboeuf wines. Steffanci delves into the brilliant history of Beaujolais Nouveau and its origins as a wine of celebration, as well as its role in reaching younger consumers.

Steffanci also discusses Georges Duboeuf’s partnership with Kaves, the renowned Brooklyn artist who designed this year’s innovative, graffiti-inspired labels. We also ask Steffanci to compare the new vintage to its 2009 counterpart – one widely regarded as the best Beaujolais vintage of all time – and you might be surprised by his comparison…

Finally we take a moment to chat with Second Glass founder Tyler Balliet who discusses the aim of Second Glass in connecting wineries with consumers, and in particular, millennials – yes, us wild and crazy kids that are taking the wine world by storm!

Cheers to the Second Glass, WJ Deutsch, and of course Georges Duboeuf, for a truly fun and exciting evening. Wine should always be celebrated like this!

Founded in 1986, Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery is a small, family-owned farm in Westport, Massachusetts. Over the past 25 years, Westport Rivers has produced dozens of award-winning still and sparkling wines, including its bestselling ‘RJR’ Brut and, most recently, its first Pinot Noir.

Westport’s vast vineyard is home to 80 acres of grapes and grows a wide range of varietals including chardonnay, pinot noir, riesling, rkatsiteli, pinot blanc, pinot gris, gruner veltliner, muscat, and pinot meunier.

In this segment, Bill Russell, the winemaker at Westport Rivers, takes us through the family history of the winery and explains the importance of knowing what varietals grow best in his vineyard and working with the land to do so. Also, watch as Russell speaks about what commitment truly means amidst thousands of bottles of sparkling wine.

Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery is located at 417 Hixbridge Rd., Westport, MA and is open year round from Monday–Saturday from 11AM to 5PM. Complimentary public tours are offered at 1 PM & 3 PM on Saturdays.

Editor’s note: This video segment was produced by French Oak TV is part of continuing series profiling the Massachusetts Farm Winery & Growers Association and each of its member wineries.

Overlooking one of the deepest sections of Seneca Lake, Fox Run Vineyards is producing some of the highest quality and critically acclaimed wines in the region. The winery sits amidst fifty-five acres of meticulously managed vineyards, including plantings of Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Gewurztraminer.

In this segment, we sit down with both Bell and Fox Run owner Scott Osborn, who explain their unique paths into the wine world and discuss the draw of the Finger Lakes for winemakers and enthusiasts. We also delve into the question of what makes for a delicious wine at Fox Run and, in particular, the notion that wines should not only taste good, but also be refreshing.

Finally, we visit Fox Run’s vast vineyard and taste a sampling of wines including two very distinct vintages of Riesling (one drawn directly from a stainless steel tank) and a spectacular unreleased Port.

Fox Run Vineyards is located at 670 State Route 14 in Penn Yan, NY. The winery offers tours every day, every hour, on the hour, with the last tour at 4 PM. For more information, visit http://foxrunvineyards.com.

A thousand thanks to Scott and Peter for being such tremendous hosts on our first visit. We’ve been dreaming of a return ever since!

Founded by winemaker Marco Montez, Travessia Urban Winery opened its doors in downtown New Bedford in December 2008. Montez focuses on producing high quality wines with grapes grown from a few local vineyards including Westport Rivers.

The winery recently opened a brand new tasting room showcasing the range of wines that Travessia produces including two styles of Chardonnay, a Vidal Blanc, a Rosé, and most recently, a Pinot Noir.

In this segment, Montez gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his amazing winery and explains his particular winemaking philosophy as well as why he chose the name “Travessia” for his winery.

Travessia Urban Winery is located at 760 Purchase Street in New Bedford, MA and is open for tastings and sales from Wednesday through Saturday from 12 PM – 6 PM and Sunday from 12 PM – 5 PM.

Editor’s note: This video segment is part of continuing series profiling the Massachusetts Farm Winery & Growers Association and each of its member wineries.

Zoll Cellars also offers a number of unique private winery classes including the ability for consumers to produce their own private label wine. Participants are are given a unique hands on winemaking experience with one-on-one training from Frank Zoll. The classes begin with an initial consultation and one-of-a kind harvest crush class, all the way through to the aging and bottling of the wine. Consumers are rewarded with 240 bottles of personally handcrafted wine.

“We want to give people the ability to make their own wine without the limitations of equipment wine science knowledge or space,” Frank Zoll said. “I want to show people that you can make a traditional wine in a traditional style without any fancy bells or whistles and you can still make a good product.”

Additionally, Zoll Cellars features monthly food and wine pairings as well as its very unique yoga and wine classes which in the winery’s vineyard.

In this segment, Frank Zoll explains more on the history of the vineyard and winery and takes us through one of his exciting harvest crush classes where 1000 pounds of Alicante grapes are readied for their next step in the winemaking process.

Zoll Cellars is located at 110 Old Mill Rd in Shrewsbury, MA. Private tastings and tours are available by appointment on Saturday & Sunday. Please contact Frank Zoll at 857-498-1665 or visit zollwine.com for more information.

Editor’s note: This video segment is the fifteenth in a series profiling the Massachusetts Farm Winery & Growers Association and each of its member wineries.

The Parkers have created five unique wines produced from estate grown grapes including Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc, Vignoles, Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, and Cabernet Franc. Each of the wines has garnered praise and acclaim from local wine enthusiasts as well as a a number of New England wine competitions.

In this segment, the Parkers explain how they decided to to start the winery – with virtually no experience, why the land makes for an excellent site to grow grapes, and how the process of renovating and restoring the barn was a massive undertaking, though well worth the effort.

Willow Spring Vineyards is located at 840 West Lowell Ave. in Haverhill, MA 01832, Please e-mail jim.willowspring@yahoo.com or call 978-374-1473 for a personal tour and tasting.

Editor’s note: This video segment is the fourteenth in a series profiling the Massachusetts Farm Winery & Growers Association and each of its member wineries.

The winery handcrafts 13 different styles of wine including its Lighthouse series, which has won a number of awards in competitions near and far.

Truro Vineyards has been owned and operated by the Roberts family since 2007, and in this segment, Dave Roberts takes us on tour of the winery and vineyard and explains how a focus on quality and careful craftsmanship has helped propel growth, recognition, and especially, great wine at Truro.

Truro Vineyards is located at 11 Shore Road in North Truro, MA. The winery is open Friday – Monday 11 AM – 5 PM and 12-5 PM on Sundays.

Editor’s note: This video segment is the thirteenth in a series profiling the Massachusetts Farm Winery & Growers Association and each of its member wineries.