Category Archives: Beer + Cider

Italian Elegance: Lugana Wines

Posted on October 31, 2016 by

By Christopher Matthews For wine lovers, Italy’s incredible regional diversity and myriad grape varieties – many of them indigenous, and some produced only in certain Italian locales – are the gifts that keep on giving. But that’s what also makes Italian … Continue reading →

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Hopping Up Hudson Valley Cider

Posted on August 3, 2016 by

By Christopher Matthews With its tradition of apple-producing excellence — and aided by the New York Farm Cidery license option — the Hudson Valley (HV) has become an epicenter of the burgeoning (hard) craft cider scene, supported by the Hudson Valley Cider Alliance. And as a … Continue reading →

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A Winning Home-Brewed Cider

Posted on March 21, 2016 by

By Christopher Matthews Apples have long been a touchstone here at Upstate-Downtown, whether via our farmhouse, where we “inherited” three productive Empire apple trees — a great window into the growing season — or in the Hudson Valley more broadly, through its apple-growing traditions and excellence. Part … Continue reading →

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The Wine Media Guild Does…Cider!

Posted on October 16, 2015 by

By Christopher Matthews It may sound a bit like “man biting dog”, but at the Wine Media Guild of New York’s (WMG) recent October tasting/lunch, the focus was on…cider! Justifiably so. “Hard” (i.e. alcoholic) cider is one of the hottest beverage … Continue reading →

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2014 Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition: Millbrook, Clinton Vineyards Stand Out

Posted on September 8, 2014 by

By Christopher Matthews For the third year in a row, Millbrook Vineyard and Winery, the Hudson Valley’s perennial wine flagship, won the Hudson Valley Winery of the Year award at the 2014 Hudson Valley Wine and Spirits Competition. But it … Continue reading →

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Chinese Chili for the Year of the Horse

Posted on February 12, 2014 by

By Christopher Matthews Chinese New Year is something we observe by way of a home-cooked Chinese meal, now guided by Kathryn’s “clean Chinese” adaptations of some of her family’s favorite recipes, like her mother’s roast pork (Char Siu), her father’s Sichuanese “strange taste chicken” … Continue reading →

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Heritage Zin and Shiner’s Holiday Cheer: A Few of my Favorite Things

Posted on December 28, 2013 by

By Christopher Matthews “Heritage” is a word that’s tossed around a lot these days, especially during the holidays — heritage recipes, heritage x-mas cards, heritage turkeys…etc. But one piece of heritage I’m comfortable with, whether during the holidays or not, is … Continue reading →

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