Tag: Boston

Nino Franco Rustico: A Wine for Holiday Gifts & Celebrations

Nino Franco Rustico has been one of our favorite sparkling wines since we first sipped a glass in a Boston restaurant many years ago.

Recently, we enjoyed a bottle of Nino Franco in Provincetown and couldn't resist doing a photo shoot with the fantastic light and wonderful backdrops we found at Chandler House.

We bring you these photos today with a message.

Please don't give your clients, business associates, and friends the wines you see in TV ads as holiday gifts. A good wine shop can recommend a good wine value that you can give with pride. And, it will be one that will please both the occasional sipper and wine aficionado.

If you buy a good wine by the case, you can save even more. Stock up on "just-in-case gifts for the season" and be ready for a party at a moments notice.

This classic sparkler bottle and elegant label will show your good taste from the moment you hand it to a host, pop a cork for a pre-dinner toast, or when a client unwraps your gift. A second round of applause will come with the first taste of this prosecco.

"The golden color and peach nectar scent predict this to be rich, but a potent, nutty savor keeps it balanced. It finishes clean, tight and grippy – a mouthwatering aperitif," is how Bauer Wine describes Nino Franco Rustico.

And, should you find that after the holidays you have a bottle or two left, we assure you this wine is the perfect match for a chair-for-one, on a deck by the ocean.

Or, an evening for two by a fireplace in a mountain cabin or a city apartment.

Always give a wine you will be happy to have in your own wine rack for a special moment.

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite Wine Books.

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover's Companion

The Wine Bible

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2009-2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 7, 2013
Holiday Decoration That Keeps Boston Green and Shaded

When you see a truly stunning holiday wreath on a Boston doorway or in someone's home, there is a good chance it was created by the talented volunteers from The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

Each year, members of this organization decorate and deliver hundreds of wreaths and poinsettia and use the funds raised to provide grants that maintain and protect Boston's trees and parks.

Recently, the Garden Club sent out a reminder that a late Thanksgiving means placing your order early for one of these beauties or for simple greens and poinsettia to decorate your home or business.

"Ordinarily we don't begin to worry about wreath orders until much later in the season, but this year we need to remind everyone that Thanksgiving is late– November 28, and that day is our wreath order deadline date.

Yes, if an order comes in on Friday we will certainly accept it, but the danger is that many people wait until Thanksgiving is over to begin thinking about Christmas or Hannukah, and this year that is not an option. No extra week between Thanksgiving and wreath week means your orders must be in the mail before you carve that turkey.

We will be setting up for decoration on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, and decorating from Monday through Thursday, December 2 – 5. We don't accept orders for fully decorated wreaths during wreath week, so please click here and print your order form today."

Take a few moments to place your order. Here's their gallery of wreaths for more ideas when ordering.

And, as you walk around the city and enjoy the trees, parks, and shaded sidewalks, give thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers who raise thousands of dollars by giving their time during a busy time of the year.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for an early Holiday Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: Courtesy of the Garden Club of the Back Bay

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 4, 2013
Holiday Decoration That Keeps Boston Green and Shaded

When you see a truly stunning holiday wreath on a Boston doorway or in someone's home, there is a good chance it was created by the talented volunteers from The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

Each year, members of this organization decorate and deliver hundreds of wreaths and poinsettia and use the funds raised to provide grants that maintain and protect Boston's trees and parks.

Recently, the Garden Club sent out a reminder that a late Thanksgiving means placing your order early for one of these beauties or for simple greens and poinsettia to decorate your home or business.

"Ordinarily we don't begin to worry about wreath orders until much later in the season, but this year we need to remind everyone that Thanksgiving is late– November 28, and that day is our wreath order deadline date.

Yes, if an order comes in on Friday we will certainly accept it, but the danger is that many people wait until Thanksgiving is over to begin thinking about Christmas or Hannukah, and this year that is not an option. No extra week between Thanksgiving and wreath week means your orders must be in the mail before you carve that turkey.

We will be setting up for decoration on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, and decorating from Monday through Thursday, December 2 – 5. We don't accept orders for fully decorated wreaths during wreath week, so please click here and print your order form today."

Take a few moments to place your order. Here's their gallery of wreaths for more ideas when ordering.

And, as you walk around the city and enjoy the trees, parks, and shaded sidewalks, give thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers who raise thousands of dollars by giving their time during a busy time of the year.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for an early Holiday Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: Courtesy of the Garden Club of the Back Bay

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 4, 2013
Holiday Decoration That Keeps Boston Green and Shaded

When you see a truly stunning holiday wreath on a Boston doorway or in someone's home, there is a good chance it was created by the talented volunteers from The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

Each year, members of this organization decorate and deliver hundreds of wreaths and poinsettia and use the funds raised to provide grants that maintain and protect Boston's trees and parks.

Recently, the Garden Club sent out a reminder that a late Thanksgiving means placing your order early for one of these beauties or for simple greens and poinsettia to decorate your home or business.

"Ordinarily we don't begin to worry about wreath orders until much later in the season, but this year we need to remind everyone that Thanksgiving is late– November 28, and that day is our wreath order deadline date.

Yes, if an order comes in on Friday we will certainly accept it, but the danger is that many people wait until Thanksgiving is over to begin thinking about Christmas or Hannukah, and this year that is not an option. No extra week between Thanksgiving and wreath week means your orders must be in the mail before you carve that turkey.

We will be setting up for decoration on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, and decorating from Monday through Thursday, December 2 – 5. We don't accept orders for fully decorated wreaths during wreath week, so please click here and print your order form today."

Take a few moments to place your order. Here's their gallery of wreaths for more ideas when ordering.

And, as you walk around the city and enjoy the trees, parks, and shaded sidewalks, give thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers who raise thousands of dollars by giving their time during a busy time of the year.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for an early Holiday Gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: Courtesy of the Garden Club of the Back Bay

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

November 4, 2013
Discovering November Bubbles! Canard-Duchêne Comes to U.S.
One sip of Canard-Duchêne Authentic Brut and we knew we had discovered a special Champagne. Toast on the nose and luscious Pinot fruit on the palate – not overwhelming, just right.

The blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay captured our attention and never let go. Canard-Duchêne Cellar Master Laurent Fédou puts it best with the words “intensity … complexity … and balance” to describe their Champagnes.

He characterizes the Authentic Brut as having …
- “A straw-yellow appearance and delicate mousse."
- "Intense aromas of fresh fruit typical of the Pinot varietals."
- "Fruity flavours [that] jostle with pastry notes, a sign of excellent maturity.”
We always like to taste through the temperatures of our first glass of wine. In this case, moving from the initial chilled sip to that warmer last splash brought out more of the Chardonnay.

After lingering over the rest of the bottle, our only question was, “Why haven’t we heard about this Champagne before?” Well, it hasn’t been readily available in the U.S. until recently, but has been well-known and respected for more than a century in other parts of the world.

We found our bottle of Canard-Duchêne for $38 at The Urban Grape, South End

Clinking glasses to toast each new month has never been more enjoyable – à votre santé!

Watch for a few extra wine posts this month. We'll be telling you about some of our favorite value sparklers that are perfect for holdiay entertaining or as great value gifts.

Here's more about Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
November 1, 2013
Discovering November Bubbles! Canard-Duchêne Comes to U.S.
One sip of Canard-Duchêne Authentic Brut and we knew we had discovered a special Champagne. Toast on the nose and luscious Pinot fruit on the palate – not overwhelming, just right.

The blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay captured our attention and never let go. Canard-Duchêne Cellar Master Laurent Fédou puts it best with the words “intensity … complexity … and balance” to describe their Champagnes.

He characterizes the Authentic Brut as having …
- “A straw-yellow appearance and delicate mousse."
- "Intense aromas of fresh fruit typical of the Pinot varietals."
- "Fruity flavours [that] jostle with pastry notes, a sign of excellent maturity.”
We always like to taste through the temperatures of our first glass of wine. In this case, moving from the initial chilled sip to that warmer last splash brought out more of the Chardonnay.

After lingering over the rest of the bottle, our only question was, “Why haven’t we heard about this Champagne before?” Well, it hasn’t been readily available in the U.S. until recently, but has been well-known and respected for more than a century in other parts of the world.

We found our bottle of Canard-Duchêne for $38 at The Urban Grape, South End

Clinking glasses to toast each new month has never been more enjoyable – à votre santé!

Watch for a few extra wine posts this month. We'll be telling you about some of our favorite value sparklers that are perfect for holdiay entertaining or as great value gifts.

Here's more about Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
November 1, 2013
Discovering November Bubbles! Canard-Duchêne Comes to U.S.
One sip of Canard-Duchêne Authentic Brut and we knew we had discovered a special Champagne. Toast on the nose and luscious Pinot fruit on the palate – not overwhelming, just right.

The blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay captured our attention and never let go. Canard-Duchêne Cellar Master Laurent Fédou puts it best with the words “intensity … complexity … and balance” to describe their Champagnes.

He characterizes the Authentic Brut as having …
- “A straw-yellow appearance and delicate mousse."
- "Intense aromas of fresh fruit typical of the Pinot varietals."
- "Fruity flavours [that] jostle with pastry notes, a sign of excellent maturity.”
We always like to taste through the temperatures of our first glass of wine. In this case, moving from the initial chilled sip to that warmer last splash brought out more of the Chardonnay.

After lingering over the rest of the bottle, our only question was, “Why haven’t we heard about this Champagne before?” Well, it hasn’t been readily available in the U.S. until recently, but has been well-known and respected for more than a century in other parts of the world.

We found our bottle of Canard-Duchêne for $38 at The Urban Grape, South End

Clinking glasses to toast each new month has never been more enjoyable – à votre santé!

Watch for a few extra wine posts this month. We'll be telling you about some of our favorite value sparklers that are perfect for holdiay entertaining or as great value gifts.

Here's more about Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
November 1, 2013
Halloween Sights around the Back Bay

Pumpkins, witches, ghouls, goblins, and flying bats have taken over the usually sedate front yards and doorsteps in the Back Bay.

Looks like the pumpkin above lost a few teeth in a bar brawl.

His pal, on the step below, is just sick about it. (Or else, he ate too much candy!)

While the winner of the tussle smirked at them from his perch, out of reach, in the fork of a tree.

This house on Marlborough Street went on a pumpkin carving spree but, sadly, only a few made it until today. I'm glad we preserved their work in photos.

Elsewhere, there was plenty of evidence of busy spiders and creative minds.

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 31, 2013
Halloween Sights around the Back Bay

Pumpkins, witches, ghouls, goblins, and flying bats have taken over the usually sedate front yards and doorsteps in the Back Bay.

Looks like the pumpkin above lost a few teeth in a bar brawl.

His pal, on the step below, is just sick about it. (Or else, he ate too much candy!)

While the winner of the tussle smirked at them from his perch, out of reach, in the fork of a tree.

This house on Marlborough Street went on a pumpkin carving spree but, sadly, only a few made it until today. I'm glad we preserved their work in photos.

Elsewhere, there was plenty of evidence of busy spiders and creative minds.

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 31, 2013
Halloween Sights around the Back Bay

Pumpkins, witches, ghouls, goblins, and flying bats have taken over the usually sedate front yards and doorsteps in the Back Bay.

Looks like the pumpkin above lost a few teeth in a bar brawl.

His pal, on the step below, is just sick about it. (Or else, he ate too much candy!)

While the winner of the tussle smirked at them from his perch, out of reach, in the fork of a tree.

This house on Marlborough Street went on a pumpkin carving spree but, sadly, only a few made it until today. I'm glad we preserved their work in photos.

Elsewhere, there was plenty of evidence of busy spiders and creative minds.

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

October 31, 2013