For the most up-to-date listing of events, go online to masslive.com/entertainment
Weekend
E
|
| THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
OFF THE MENU: 2021 brings changes for restaurant workers, E9 WINE PRESS: Top 10 wines under $10 for 2020, E10 BEST FILMS OF 2020: Diverse thrills, chills, Dickensian laughs and a trip to Greece, E6
PLUS
New Year’s Eve
First Night Northampton goes virtual, E3
Beer, wine suggestions for romantic dinner at home, Page E2
WEEKEND
E2 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
NEW YEAR’S EVE
Celebrate safely By Emily Palmer
New York Times
Along with so many things, the pandemic has dashed many of go-to New Year’s traditions: no raging clubs, no in-person ball drop, no kissing strangers at midnight, not even the annual party that you begrudgingly went to year after year. But before you ditch the night completely and climb into bed at 11, here’s a few ways to ring in the new year. You can still watch the ball drop. This year, the crystal ball will still drop from One Times Square, the confetti will still fall, and “Auld Lang Syne” will still play; it’s just that Times Square itself won’t be crowded with people.
Columnist George Lenker tapped a few local experts for beer and wine suggestions for celebrating on New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve for 2
Beer, wine suggestions for romantic dinner
T
By George Lenker
Special to The Republican
A worker installs a panel of Waterford crystal triangles on the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball Sunday in New York. (KATHY WILLENS / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
“Many of the beloved hallmarks of the Times Square New Year’s Eve tradition will be present,” said TJ Witham, a spokesperson for The Times Square Alliance, a nonprofit neighborhood organization that helps orchestrate the night’s festivities. “That said, the event will be staged for television and online audiences specifically, and public revelers will not be present in Times Square.” A livestream of the event starts at 6 p.m. EST on timessquarenyc.org, or you
SEE CELEBRATE, PAGE E8
his New Year’s Eve promises to be – and should be – different than any before it. Gatherings are verboten, so celebrations should all be on the smallest side possible. For many folks, that might mean two people, often you and your partner. So with that in mind, we decided to offer some suggestions for beer and wine pairings to go with whatever foods you and your significant other might be preparing for at least maybe a semi-romantic celebration to end a definitively unromantic year.
We tapped a few local experts to assist with these selections: Michael Quinlan, manager of fine wine at Table & Vine in West Springfield, and Jordana Starr and Mike Schilling, owners of Beerology in Northampton. Starting with the vino side of the menu, Quinlan gave three solid choices across a varied price range (but all within reasonable reach). He starts off with an Italian red, Zingari Toscana Rosso ($14.99), which he says is a “workhorse” wine that pleases all palates with its bold and intense flavors – just the pairing for a winter’s evening meal. “Whether it be lasagna, pot roast or roast chicken with your favorite sides, this wine is just what the doctor ordered,” he said. Next up is a rich white wine with exotic flavors, Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve ($17.99). Quinlan said that this Pinot Gris Reserve is dry, but not sharp, with a soft, round texture that makes it a great pairing for homemade or takeout Chinese or Indian food. “The Trimbach family is in their 13th generation of making some of the best
wines in France. The exotic spicy cuisine is tempered beautifully by the rich texture of the Trimbach’s great wine,” he said. If you want to dial it up a notch, Quinlan recommends Gabrielle Ashley Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($29.99). “The most exciting new wine at Table & Vine this year,” he said. “For a luxurious New Year’s Eve feast, I would suggest braised short-ribs and with a shallot risotto and this posh Napa Cab. Gorgeous rich texture and ripe black cherry and a savory herbal note – this is a wonderful choice for a special dinner.” Of course, you need some bubbly to ring in the New Year, and here are his go-to choices, from under $10 to just under $100: “If you’re seeking something sweet, Martini & Rossi Asti for $9.98. A bargain bubbly? Dibon Cava for $8.98. For the real thing, Le Brun Servenay Odalie goes for $29.99, and for a splurge: Eric Rodez Cuvee des Grands Vintages at $89.99,” he said. SEE DINNER, PAGE E8
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 | E3
NEW YEAR’S EVE NORTHAMPTON
First Night goes virtual Performances, fireworks and ball raising broadcast free online By Keith O’Connor
Special to The Republican
As Americans prepare to ring in a new year filled with promise and hope now that the coronavirus vaccine has arrived, the virus is robbing people from gathering together at traditional celebrations. However, First Night Northampton, which first began in 1985, lives on as a virtual family-friendly festival of the arts presented by the Northampton Arts Council with partners PeoplesBank. While an important fundraiser in the past with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the local arts, today’s event is free and will be broadcast online and on television featuring favorite performers from the past alongside new artists, as well as the fireworks and ball raising. First Night revelers can celebrate from the comforts of their own homes by tuning in online at links
provided at firstnightnorthamp ton.org or on Northampton Comcast Cable channels 12, 15 and 23. A full list of performances includes: • SHOW Circus Studio: Circus of Light, 12:02-12:38 p.m. • Henry The Juggler, 12:39-12:56 p.m. • School for Contemporary Dance and Thought (SCOT), videos appearing throughout the day • John Porcino Storyteller-Musician, 1-1:25 p.m. • Tom Knight Puppets, 1:26-1:53 p.m. • Yo-Yo Guy, 1:54-2:17 p.m. • Mister G, 2:30-2:50 p.m. • Zoe Lemos, 2:51-3:19 p.m. • Roger Salloom, 3:20-3:45 p.m. • Ragtime Piano with Dick Moulding, 3:46-4:16 p.m. • Ray Mason, 4:17-4:44 p.m. • The Pangeans, 4:45-5:19 p.m. • Diana Alvarez, 5:20-5:40 p.m. • StompBoxTrio, 5:41-6:01 p.m.
• Kalliope Jones, 6:02-6:32 • Max ZT and Priya Darshini Duo, 6:41-7:08 p.m. • Myles Jeh, 7:09-7:39 p.m. • Peter Blanchette, archguitar and friends, 7:39-8:01 p.m. • Kimaya Diggs, 8:02-8:23 p.m. • Lisa Bastoni and Sean Staples, 8:24-8:53 p.m. • The Lonesome Brothers, 8:549:24 p.m. • Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry Duo, 9:26-9:56 p.m. • The Fawns, 9:58-10:25 p.m. • Izzy Heltai, 10:27-11 p.m. • The O-Tones, 11:02-11:30 p.m. • Klezamir, 11:32-11:55 p.m. While the event is free, the lack of button sales this year will deter fundraising efforts to benefit local arts enrichment activities. For those people who want to continue to support the arts, donations can be made to the Northampton Arts Council online at firstnight northampton.org.
Fireworks could be seen from Main Street during Northampton’s 35th annual First Night celebration and festival last year. Today’s event will be broadcast for free online and on television and will feature performances, fireworks and the ball raising. (DANNY NASON PHOTO)
6 international traditions to try at home this year By Natalie B. Compton
a clean break from, it’s 2020.
In years past, many people would travel over New Year’s Eve and immerse themselves in a different culture. Countries around the world ring in the new year with unique customs and traditions, often carried out at the stroke of midnight. But that option is off the table this year, thanks to 2020’s gloom. To celebrate the spirit of travel from home, try bringing international New Year’s Eve experiences to you.
Denmark: Jump off a chair In Denmark, one does not simply let the new year happen. You go on the offense and jump into it. Just before midnight, stop what you’re doing and get on a chair to execute the jump like a Dane would. Should you forget to jump, it’s said that you’ll bring bad luck for the following year, so please - do not forget to jump.
Washington Post
(METRO CREATIVE ARTS)
“year-crossing” soba, which can symbolize having a long and fortunate life along with a clean break from the year. And if there’s a year we need
Spain: Eat 12 grapes Perhaps the easiest tradition to carry out is eating grapes for good luck. The tradition began in Spain, but it is now practiced around the world, particularly in Central and South America. Here’s how to do it yourself: Have 12 grapes, known
Eve underwear while eating your grapes. A pair of red underwear can bring you a new year of love while yellow may bring joy and fortune.
SEE TRADITIONS, PAGE E5
ALWAYS HIGH PRICES PAID.
63 Cabot Street, Chicopee Center (413) 592-0220
3144179-01
Japan: Eat toshikoshi soba Shiwasu is the end-of-theyear period in Japan, filled by many traditions such as traveling to see family, attending parties and thoroughly cleaning your home. To commemorate New Year’s Eve, people eat toshikoshi soba, or
Eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve is a tradition that originated in Spain.
as las doce uvas de la suerte, handy. When the clock starts chiming at midnight, eat one with each clang. Bonus points if you’re wearing special New Year’s
E4 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
WEEKEND
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
MUSIC
Avett Brothers continue New Year’s Eve tradition
T
HE AVETT BROTHers will continue a long-standing tradition of a New Year’s Eve performance with a virtual concert today. The event will be aired through the website nugs. net (tickets available there) beginning at 8 p.m. The concert will feature a full band performance along with special guest appearances from Willie Nelson, Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones and G.Love. Scott and Seth Avett will lead the countdown to the New Year. This is the band’s 17th annual New Year’s Eve performance. Liner notes • Rising country star Morgan Wallen will offer a livestream event from the famed Ryman Auditorium on Jan. 12. Tickets for the livestream are available through ryman. com. Wallen will be celebrating the release of his upcoming album “Dangerous: The Double Album,” which is due out Jan. 8. Wallen is one of country’s fastest rising stars with a No. 1 country single to his name (“Whiskey Glasses”) and a collaboration with Diplo (“Heartless”) that was also a huge hit. In October, Wallen was bumped from a “Saturday Night Live” appearance for violating the show’s COVID-19 protocols. He was later re-booked for December. In 2014, Wallen was a contestant on “The Voice.”
LiveWire
COVID-19 crisis, the venue is hoping the New Year will bring some live music to its stage. The venue has rescheduled singer Lisa Loeb for March 8. She was originally scheduled to play the venue in May 2020. Previously purchased tickets are automatically valid for the new date. The Avett Brothers will continue a long-standing tradition of a New Year’s Eve performance Loeb is best remembered with a virtual concert today through the website nugs.net. (AVIVA LUTTRELL / MASSLIVE.COM) for her 1994 breakout hit “Stay (I Missed You)” which • English metal band Crapremiered on the soundtrack Rogan began his career in dle of Filth has announced a standup and has made a name for the film “Reality Bites” livestream concert. and became a No. 1 single for himself with the popular The band will perform virtu- podcast “The Joe Rogan Expe- before the singer ever had a ally on Feb. 20 at 10 p.m. rience.” For five years, he was record deal. Tickets for the show are the host of the reality series Loeb turned that fortune available through the band’s “Fear Factor.” into a multi-faceted career website, cradleoffilth.com. He is also well known to that includes music, film, chilThe show will be available for fight fans as one of the voices dren’s books, and philanthropy. Known for her signature replays through March 6. of UFC telecasts. “cat-eye” glasses, Loeb has Cradle of Filth formed in also launched her own brand the U.K. in 1991. The extreme • While City Winery has metal band is best known to temporarily closed due to the of eyewear. North American fans for two tours with Ozzfest. Billy Idol will perform as part of the concert livestream to benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides financial assistance to the millions of music industry professionals who are out of work due to COVID-19. (ETHAN MILLER / GETTY IMAGES)
Tommy Shaw, Rick Allen and Lauren Monroe are also scheduled to appear. The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to the millions of music industry professionals who are out of work due to COVID-19.
• Comic and podcast host Joe Rogan has a new Boston date. Rogan is scheduled to perform at the TD Garden on Oct. 8, 2021. Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster outlets including ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000. The show is a rescheduled date from the Oct. 8, 2020, show that was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new date.
Welcome the New w Year with a Bang!
Svakom Emma Neo High On Love Massage Oil
3144187-01
• A concert livestream to benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund will feature a diverse array of artists from rocker Billy Idol to country crossover star Wynonna Judd. “The Big Love” concert takes place Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. EST through nugs.net.
Donnie Moorhouse
Everyone Welcome
Pleasure, Ad Pl Adventure, & F Fun
Kama Sutra Flavored Body Glide
AdamEveGreenfieldMA
18 Main St., Greenfield, MA • 413-774-9800 AEStoresGreenfield www.Greenfield.AdamEveStores.com Mon-Thurs 10am-9pm, Fri. & Sat. 10am-10pm, Sun. 12pm-7pm
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 | E5
MUSIC
A global playlist for New Year’s Eve By Sebastian Modak
finished product was released only this year. This song, a tribute to Allen’s erstwhile bandmate Fela Kuti, shows both musicians in perfect lockstep; Masekela’s trumpet melodies and vocal lines flowing in between the cracks of Allen’s loping rhythms. The song seems particularly poignant now, as Masekela died in 2018 and Allen died this year.
New York Times
Around the world, New Year’s Eve is going to look very different this year, but the applause and cheers at midnight might have a level of catharsis not seen for awhile. People will certainly be celebrating 2020’s passing. And these celebrations, whether with a small group of friends, household members only or solo, need a soundtrack. Even with so much put on hold, musicians still managed to put out music this year. This playlist draws from releases all over the world, demonstrating how a guitar-rock band from Mali, a dream-pop singer from South Korea, a reggae legend from Jamaica and more all managed to express little moments of joy in a universally difficult time. You will find beats to dance to, new genres to fall in love with and, hopefully, connections with different cultures that will make you feel a little closer to the rest of the world – even if you pop the cork of a Champagne bottle and toast yourself. ‘Doudou,’ by Aya Nakamura The flashing lights, the thumping bass, the crush of dancing crowds. For most of us, nightclubs are such distant memories, they have retreated into the realm of make-believe. This track, from French Malian singer Aya Nakamura’s latest album, brings it all flooding back. The midtempo, rolling beat and glittering synth hook are full of barely contained energy and possibilities, much like the beginning of a night out. ‘Champetizate,’ by Kevin Florez, The Busy Twist and Caien Madoka What do you get when you combine a globe-trotting producer from Britain, the looping melodies of a Congolese soukous guitarist and a Colombian champeta star
Aya Nakamura performs during the Etam Live Show on the first day of the Paris Fashion Week, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, on Sept. 24, 2019. (BERTRAND GUAY / AFP)
who is known for taking an Afro Colombian dance genre and catapulting it into the 21st century? An absolute rager of a song, this is a four-minute approximation of what it would sound like if the whole world were partying at once. ‘Waydelel,’ by Bab L’Bluz Anchored by the guembri, a three-stringed bass lute that is traditionally used by the Gnawa people of North Africa, this transcontinental quartet creates rollicking, headbanging music. Somewhere in the mix, you will find the hypnotic loops of Gnawa religious music, poetry from the Sahara and the reckless abandon of fuzz rock and blues. And every listen reveals a little more. ‘Yenimno’ by Onipa Highlife – an energetic genre of music propelled by guitars and horns – originated in Ghana in the early 20th century. This song, from the Britain-based Afrofuturist band Onipa, shows what happens when those musical ideas spread through time and space, evolving as they go. It takes exactly 16 seconds for the foot-stomping beat to lock in, and it doesn’t relent until the final roll of drums, almost five minutes later.
from northern Mali, knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity. The band formed in Bamako, Mali’s capital, in 2012, after fleeing their home region in the midst of a fundamentalist Islamist insurgency. Their music, characterized by squealing electric guitars over looping polyrhythms, evokes resilience and determination – two qualities we will be leaning on in 2021. ‘Black Catbird’ by The Garifuna Collective A cut from a compilation of music inspired by birdsong might seem like a strange addition to a playlist for a party, but a few seconds into this groove, it makes more sense. As you bob your head to the rich melodies from this collective of Garifuna musicians of Belize, you can feel extra good that any proceeds from your purchase of the record is going toward protecting endangered birds.
‘Three Little Birds’ by Toots & the Maytals, feat. Ziggy Marley Toots Hibbert, considered one of the forefathers of reggae music, was another of the many musical pioneers we lost this year. “Got to Be Tough,” his band’s final album, was released less than two weeks before Hibbert’s death and serves as testament to his legacy, both in terms of music and activism. There are slow-burning reggae jams, calls to celebrate, social rallying cries and then this, a ska-inflected cover of the Bob Marley classic that turns the roots reggae song into something eminently danceable. ‘Volantia’ by Sexores Sexores, an Ecuadorian duo based in Mexico City, doesn’t exactly specialize in party music. But occasionally, in between the dark undercurrents of shoegaze, synth-pop and psychedelia, they hit upon something that feels jubilant. Propulsive and shimmeringly beautiful, “Volantia” is a song for shaking off the cobwebs of 2020.
‘Bye Bye Summer’ by Aseul Every party must come to an end, even this one. This ‘Never (Lagos Never Gonna dreamy, washed-out track Be the Same)’ by Tony from South Korean producer Allen and Hugh Masekela and singer Aseul is the sound This is what happens when of last call at a bar. It drips two legends, South African with nostalgia, and the hightrumpeter Hugh Masekela pitched whines of synthesizers cut through the mix like and Nigerian drumming virtuoso Tony Allen, end up in the first light of a new year the same room. The majority after a long night. It invites ‘Fey Fey’ by Songhoy Blues of the album was recorded you to take a breath and be Songhoy Blues, a rock band in 2010 in London, but the hopeful for what is next.
Traditions CONTINUED FROM PAGE E3
Costa Rica: Run your suitcase around the block Put your 2021 travel ambitions into the universe by celebrating the new year like a Costa Rican. (The tradition is popular across Latin America.) At midnight, it’s tradition to grab a suitcase and run around the block in the hopes of traveling in the new year. “The farther we run with our suitcases, my family always says, the farther we’ll travel in the new year,” writes Washington Post reporter, Samantha Schmidt, who has spent New Year’s Eve with her extended family in Costa Rica every year since she was born. “We all do it - from my toddler cousins to my eldest aunts in their high heels. Our neighbors always cheer us on, shouting ‘Feliz Año Nuevo!’ and sometimes join in, as fireworks shoot off in all directions.” Ecuador: Burn effigies In Ecuador and other parts of Central and South America, New Year’s Eve heats up when midnight strikes. People head outside to burn effigies that symbolize the year. By lighting the effigy on fire, you’re letting the bad of the year go and moving onto the next. Just remember that there are obvious risks to lighting something on fire. If you live somewhere with a high risk of wildfires, for example, consider this next tradition instead ... Russia: Burn, then drink, your wishes After a year of ruined dreams and canceled plans, set your sights on a fresh start with this Russian tradition. Before midnight, write down your wishes for 2021 on a piece of paper, then light the paper on fire. Once it’s stopped burning, sprinkle the wish-filled ashes into a glass of Champagne and drink up after the clock strikes midnight.
WEEKEND
E6 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
MOVIES
Best movies of 2020 Films feature diverse thrills, chills, Dickensian laughs and a pandemic-friendly trip to Greece
T
By Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
here will come a time, next year or maybe later, when 2020 will have receded enough that we’ll no longer experience it as the never-ending now, when time became maddeningly abstract. We’ll look back on it as a discrete chapter of our lives, defined by anxiety and grief, and punctuated with moments of grace. And we’ll remember it, perhaps most vividly, by what we watched. Stuck at home, with no offices or movie theaters to go to, we burrowed in and binged, catching up with classic TV (we meet again, Chief Superintendent Foyle), flitting from “Tiger King” to “Schitt’s Creek” to “Queen’s Gambit” and “The Crown” with the abandon of easily distracted bees. For a year in which watching became both psychic balm and social currency - what else were we going to talk about on all those Zoom calls? - visual storytelling took on higher stakes than ever before. Although highly addictive series became the biggest cult hits (the darker and more Scandinavian, the better), and although some of the most hotly anticipated movies wound up being pushed back indefinitely or until theaters reopened, 2020 turned out to
Micheal Ward, left, and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn in “Lovers Rock,” the second installment of “Small Axe,” Steve McQueen’s series of five films. (PARISA TAGHIZEDEH/AMAZON PRIME VIDEO AMAZON)
be an improbably strong year for cinema, from the beguiling virtual cinema hit “Saint Frances” to the wildly popular action flick “The Old Guard.” Pandemics and politics be damned, the scripted movies of 2020 trafficked in pure pleasure: indulgent, escapist, hard-won and often eerily timely.
1. ‘Small Axe’
Steve McQueen’s fivefilm anthology for Amazon, linking stories set in London’s West Indian community over the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, demonstrates why McQueen is one of the finest filmmakers working today. Inspired by real-life stories of trauma, oppression, survival and autonomy, McQueen brilliantly captures the intimacy of individual characters’ experiences while conveying the structural realities that conditioned their lives. Bursting with color, sensuality, brutality and transcendent joy, “Small Axe” is a triumph, as gratifying in each individual facet as in its rich, gemlike whole.
2. ‘Nomadland’
Chloe Zhao’s epic adapta-
John Magaro appears in a scene from the film “First Cow.” (ALLYSON RIGGS/A24 VIA AP)
drama about a former Texas beauty queen preparing her teenage daughter to vie for the crown. Nicole Beharie ‘First Cow’ and Alexis Chikaeze are Maybe it’s because this was note-perfect as the two main characters, whose devotion to the last movie I watched in each other is palpable beneath a theater this year, but I will always have a soft spot for this the bickering and betrayed dreams. And Peoples delivers intriguing period piece, directed by Kelly Reichardt with an acute, often warmly comFrances McDormand stars passionate portrait of smallher characteristic restraint in “Nomadland.” (SEARCHLIGHT town Texas, where the beer and exacting, sensitive eye. PICTURES SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES) is best with a little salt - just John Magaro and Orion Lee like the characters’ freighted star as unlikely friends who tion of Jessica Bruder’s book go into business together in history and their love for each features Frances McDorother. 19th century Oregon, a time mand in a performance that when the American identity grabs the viewer by the heart was still in flux, with white ‘The Personal History and never lets go, as her char- chauvinism and capitalistic acter joins the growing ranks greed overcoming pluralism of David Copperfield’ of itinerant seasonal workers and cooperation. As with all of Armando Iannucci makes who live out of their vans bright, irreverent work of Reichardt’s movies, this one and make their living on the obeys its own rhythms and Charles Dickens’s classic novel, populating the famously margins of the mainstream rhymes, treating viewers not crowded story with a glorious economy. Flinty and funny, just to an engaging yarn, but cast of gratifyingly varied McDormand never asks for to something more contemplative and poetic. actors. As the title character, pity for her character, who Dev Patel bumps up against craves her independence but Tilda Swinton as his aunt and wouldn’t say no to a living ‘Miss Juneteenth’ Benedict Wong as Mr. Wickwage. Zhao gives her a big, field, with the likes of Hugh Writer-director Channing sprawling backdrop of the American West against which Godfrey Peoples made an as- Laurie, Peter Capaldi and sured narrative feature debut Gwendoline Christie tossed to create a timely American SEE MOVIES, PAGE E7 with this closely observed archetype: independent yet connected, tough yet meltingly tender.
3.
5.
4.
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 | E7
Movies CONTINUED FROM PAGE E6
in for good measure. Shake, stir, put into a pacey, quippy narrative and the entire enterprise fizzes with good humor and an unshakable faith in humanism.
6. ‘Palm Springs’
Between the aforementioned “Old Guard” and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” – not to mention the real-life sequel to “Groundhog Day” Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg appear in a scene from the we all seemed to be living in – Hulu film “Palm Springs.” (HULU/NEON) 2020 was an eventful year for time-loop movies. But amid an admittedly strong field, this fleet little comedy stood out. Andy Samberg plays a guy who gets stuck in a cosmic temporal rut while attending his girlfriend’s sister’s wedding; as he repeatedly plays out the same day, he befriends the wry maid of honor, played by Cristin Milioti with winning esprit de corps. Equal parts funny ha-ha and kindamakes-you-stop-and-think, this was a delightful way to trade our rabbit hole for a wormhole, if only for a change in perspective.
Julia Garner plays the assistant to a Harvey Weinstein-like studio boss in “The Assistant.” (TY JOHNSON/BLEECKER STREET BLEECKER STREET)
creepy-funny sleeper hit on the Shudder channel led to a deal with Blumhouse and marked Savage as perhaps the most resourceful filmmaker of the lockdown era. The year’s five best documentaries
1. ‘The Painter and the
Thief’ An engrossing, always surprising examination of accountability and healing outside the confines of adversarial justice.
7. ‘The Assistant’
Julia Garner plays a young, ambitious secretary in Kitty Green’s tautly modulated, Weinstein-adjacent drama. Over the course of one day, we see Garner’s character work the phones, prepare meals and clean up after meetings, all the while pretending not to know what’s often happening behind her boss’s strategically closed door. We never see the actual man, an astute choice for a movie that depends on the audience’s own moral imagination to fill in the blanks. The result is an exceptionally graceful portrait of how sexual harassment and assault at the top of a corporation seeps into its culture, harming even the most “blameless” bystanders.
8. ‘The Half of It’
We all needed a rom-com this year and writer-director Alice Wu delivered, with a de-
2. ‘The Fight’
A splendidly crafted chronicle of ACLU lawyers fighting Trump administration policies within the confines of adversarial justice. Steve Coogan, left, and Rob Brydon in “The Trip to Greece.” (ANDY HALL / IFC FILMS)
lightful retelling of the Cyrano de Bergerac story with an ofthe-moment twist. Leah Lewis portrays heroine Ellie Chu with a well-calibrated combination of smarts and vulnerability, but it’s Daniel Diemer who steals the show as the lunky, hunky jock who asks her to pen letters to his love interest. Together, they work up a believable chemistry – whether it’s as lovers or friends is under lock and key in the Spoiler Alert box. This is that rare rom-com that ends happily and believably.
9. ‘The Trip to Greece’
Steve Coogan and Rob Bry-
don’s “Trip” series has been one of the joys of moviegoing over the past 10 years. Here, they sign off with an installment that captures all the sensory joys of the movies – delicious food, dazzling backdrops – as well as their poignant subtexts. The two actors have aged nicely, their repartee and competing impressions still sparkling and hilariously funny. Re-creating Odysseus’s trip from Troy to Ithaca, they touch on everything from Mick Jagger to mortality, with the witty banter of a prolix Hope and Crosby and the delicacy of a dragonfly’s wing. Godspeed
gentlemen, and to bed.
10. ‘Host’
Once we all began living in Zoom, it was only a matter of time until someone made a movie using the conferencing platform. What began as filmmaker Rob Savage pranking his friends about hearing “strange noises” in his house grew into an impressive DIY horror film, entirely composed of people relating in little black boxes on a computer screen while they participate in an online “seance.” Smart, relevant and genuinely scary, this
3. ‘76 Days’
A heartbreaking account of life and death in Wuhan hospitals at the height of the coronavirus epidemic in China.
4. ‘Coup 53’
An ingeniously structured tutorial on the American-British led removal of Iran’s democratically elected leader in 1953, and the action’s disastrous ripple effects.
5. ‘Dick Johnson Is Dead’
A funny, somber, ultimately exhilarating exercise in learning to let go of the people we love most.
E8 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
Dinner CONTINUED FROM PAGE E2
On the beer side of the menu, Starr and Schilling provided five choices. (Prices are not included as these choices reflect styles as opposed to specific beers, although the pair does make some suggestions for brands.) Starr kicks things off with a suggestion of a fruited lambic. “This is my personal favorite beer style, which pairs superbly with soft cheese – think melted camembert or brie – as well as darker meats like duck, venison, and lamb. The fruit compliments the flavors while not being overwhelmed by them,” she said. Schilling added that while kriek (cherry) and framboise (raspberry) are the most traditional fruited lambics, many producers are now creating tons of new versions. “Look for things like apricot, plum, and wine grapes that have been added to a delicious lambic base,” he said. “Do note that there are both sweet and dry styles available. If you ever see ‘oude’ or ‘oud,’ it will be the dry style.”
Celebrate
WEEKEND
season,” she said. “A few sea“For your midnight sonal spiced beers definitely worth checking out include cheers, this Prairie’s Seasick Crocodile, (gueuze) is my Hardywood’s Gingerbread Stout, and Epic Brewing’s Big top pick in lieu Bad Baptista.” of Champagne. Schilling added that, Effervescent, “When I’m looking to pair a high-impact spiced beer, I bright, and looks often look to butter cookies or great in a flute.” cheesecake, which are blank Jordana Starr, co-owner of canvases that take beautifully Beerology to spicing.” The couple’s next suggestion is barleywine. Schilling then suggested “Aged English barleywines a helles lager. A less wellcan be somewhat reminiscent known cousin of pilsner, of a tawny port and include this style is generally more flavors of toffee, caramel, raimalt-focused and less hoppy, sins, dates, and figs,” Schilling said. “It’s practically already a he said. “It won’t overwhelm some- Christmas pudding! Some of thing as delicate as turkey, yet my favorites are Thomas Hardy’s Ale and J.W. Lees Harvest can take rich, buttery dinner Ale. Some of these even have rolls or even a honey-baked interesting barrel-aged variham. Some terrific examples ance ranging from Scotch to include Andechs Vollbier brandy or sherry.” Hell, Mahr’s Helles, and Starr noted that barleywine Schilling Beer’s Paulus.” Starr volleyed with a sugges- pairs extremely well with tion of spiced beers. strong cheeses, nuts, and dried “What is the holiday season fruit. without a little spice? Spiced “Consider a fruitcake or beers, which can range from panetone, or a block of blue sours to stouts, perfectly cheese – it’ll pair like a dream,” encapsulate the spirit of the she said.
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
Last (on this list and to drink) but certainly not least (and it maybe should be most important in terms of making sure you have it for your celebration) is a gueuze. “For your midnight cheers, this is my top pick in lieu of Champagne,” Starr said. “Effervescent, bright, and looks great in a flute.” Schilling added that geuze is bone dry, with no residual sugar, much like Champagne. “It’s also a similar acidity level, unlike your standard beers, which are relatively more alkaline,” he said. Starr notes that they have some rare bottles put away for special occasions and suggests others do the same if they have some cellared brews. “This is the time to go into your cellar and pull out that bottle of Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen you’ve been hanging on to,” she said. However, if you don’t happen to have a lambic cellar at your disposal, Schilling said that some more readily available brands that can be found on shelves include Boon, Tilquin, and Lindemans. Happy New Year and cheers.
You can still head to Times Square. Just because you can’t CONTINUED FROM PAGE E2 see the ball drop in person can watch on most broadcast doesn’t mean your personalized avatar can’t go in your networks. The special performances and musical acts place. planned include Gloria GayThe Times Square Allinor performing her signature ance and its partners have song, “I Will Survive.” organized a free, virtual According to the organizers, Times Square experience. the night’s festivities will Once you make your avatar, recognize those Americans you will be able to snap a getting us through the panselfie with the crystal ball; Messages people wrote on confetti are displayed in Times demic: essential, front-line view digital art along the Square, New York, Monday. The confetti will be dropped on and emergency medical Times Square plaza; take Times Square during the New Year’s Eve celebration, which workers. Several of these the elevator to One Times unlike a normal year, will not have the tightly packed crowds workers will be the event’s Square’s observation deck; official “Special Guests” – an of revelers. Submit your New Year wish on the Times Square and play games, like dancing Alliance’s virtual wishing wall at timessquarenyc.org or honor bestowed each year or experiencing zero gravity. on individuals representing through social media using #ConfettiWish. You can also collect cele(SETH WENIG / ASSOCIATED PRESS) bratory confetti to bedazzle “public service, resiliency your avatar as you go, and and the human spirit.” The honor usually inically distanced viewing at midnight, an augmented or through social media cludes joining New York’s area. using #ConfettiWish. Some reality fireworks show will mayor onstage to count Have a New Year’s 100,000 of these hopes and burst onto your screen. down the final 60 seconds wish? Submit yours on the To join the party, visit dreams will be printed on of the year. This time the Times Square Alliance’s colored confetti that will fall nye2021.com on your guests will watch the ball virtual wishing wall at mobile phone or tablet or over Times Square as the drop from a private, phystimessquarenyc.org download the free NYE app. clock strikes midnight.
DINE & WINE
George Lenker Beer Nut
What’s brewing in the year ahead
H
APPY NEW BEER! We made it through 2020, and since we are now heading into 2021, I thought I’d make a list of beer thoughts that have been floating around my mind. So here are 10 random musings to get us ready for the New Year: • While the craft beer world is still more male-centered than I’d like, I have noticed an ever-increasing amount of beer-savvy women. Some areas are still bro-heavy, but it’s encouraging to see more and more women with impressive acumen about beer. • Are there too many breweries and/or beers now? I admit the market seems saturated, but I would hesitate to say there are too many of either. As long as people can make good beer and survive. I say the more the merrier. • As regular readers will know, I’m not a huge sour beer fan, but I have to admit that Supah Phunk (I had the latest, No. 10) from Hermit Thrush is really good and super sour. They seem to do a new iteration every so often, but No. 10 is still available on the brewery website. • I often like to have a whiskey before drinking a beer or two. I have tried plenty of whiskeys over the years, and my fa-
SEE BEER, PAGE E11
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 | E9
DINE & WINE
2021 brings changes for restaurant workers
T
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo. The dinner packages are sized to serve four and come with dinner rolls or, in the case of the Alfredo, garlic toasted rolls. Advance notice of 30 minutes is required for pickup orders. Call Johnny’s Roadside Diner at 413-256-8036 for details.
designed to get the restaurant through to the spring. Similarly, several weeks ago Sylvester’s Restaurant on Northampton’s Pleasant Street announced that they, too, were closing for a “winter hibernation.” The exact date of Sylvester’s reopening will be coordinated with the anticipated widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in the • Facing uncertain prospects during the weeks ahead, second quarter of 2021. several area restaurants have In West Springfield, the elected to go on cold-weather Irish House Restaurant at hiatus. the Irish Cultural Center has Caminito Steakhouse also hit the “pause” button, on Old South Street in suspending food service and Johnny’s Roadside Diner in Hadley is promoting three hearty Northampton took that entertainment bookings for Family Dinner Packages as carryout options: a Turkey Dinner, a difficult step back in the fall, the foreseeable future. Meatloaf Dinner and Chicken Broccoli Alfredo. electing to close for the winter Faced with cold weather, (DON TREEGER / THE REPUBLICAN FILE PHOTO) months and characterizing winter storms, and mandatSEE MENU, PAGE E12 the move as a “lifeboat” Side dishes • Mt. Tom’s Homemade Ice Cream and Candy Store in Easthampton has a sweet suggestion for ushering in 2021. Its takeout Sundae Box provides everything needed to make and enjoy sundaes in your own home. The box contains two pints of ice cream, a large container Hugh Robert of dark chocolate fudge sauce, Off The Menu a can of whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate jimACROSS FROM THE BEACH - issues of minimum wage tip mies, and cherries as well as THE VILLAGE GREEN. Rates from credits, pay rates for nontwo “sides” of candy topping. $60 - $85 to 5/21/21 (excluding holidays, tipped “side work” duties, and Families ordering the box the diversion of tip pool mon- can specify any two ice cream some restrictions apply). 3 Night Special ey into a restaurant’s general varieties, including Mt Tom’s off season starting from $140 all week. revenue stream. daily flavor inspirations. Ocean views and efficiencies available. Legal opinions on the imThe Sundae Box, which pact of these new rules, which is priced at $29.95, must be FREE continental breakfast in season. will take effect after a public preordered at least two hours All rooms have refrigerators and cable TV. comment period, suggests before a planned pickup time. that the changes will benefit Mt. Tom’s Homemade Ice Heated outdoor pool. Take children to the employers at the expense of Cream and Candy Store anbeachside playground. Close to several swers at 413-529-2929; orders tipped employees. golf courses, tennis courts, whale watch Individual state regulations can also be placed online at dealing with tip pooling, such mttoms.com. cruises, ferries to Nantucket and Martha’s as those that exist in MassaVineyard, restaurants, shops, bike trails and chusetts, will also complicate • Johnny’s Roadside many more of the Cape’s unique attractions. the eventual impact of these Diner in Hadley has created new Federal rules. three hearty Family Dinner 10% Senior Discount. South Look for the whole subject Packages that it’s promoting Shore Drive, South Yarmouth, MA 02664. of mandatory tip pooling and as carryout options. 1-800-487-4903. www.vgreenmotel.com. back-of-the-house sharing of Choices include a Turkey tips to continue to be a murky, Dinner Package that features somewhat contentious, com- roasted turkey with traditionpensation issue for restaurant al trimmings, a Meatloaf Dinner that comes with mashed employees and employers potato and roasted corn, and alike.
New England TRAVELER CAPE COD
TO ADVERTISE HERE CALL 413-788-1165
3143598-02
3135607-01
HE FINAL DAYS OF 2020 saw several federal agencies take actions that have the potential to significantly impact the restaurant industry in the months ahead. Just before Christmas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, issued its recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. In developing categories prioritizing vaccine availability, the Advisory Committee designated food service employees, including restaurant workers, as “other essential workers.” Such a classification places those employed in food service into round 1C for vaccine eligibility, behind round 1A (healthcare workers and nursing home populations) and round 1B (frontline essential workers such as first responders, teachers, and the like). The CDC designation is only advisory, since individual states have the responsibility to establish their own vaccine distribution policies. On Dec. 16, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also ruled that employers could make COVID-19 vaccination a condition of employment. Employment law experts, however, warn that restaurant owners and operators be cautious about mandating COVID-19 immunization for workers, since there are a host of employment and disability law issues involved in putting such a policy into practice. In an unrelated but equally significant step, the Department of Labor, in late December, finalized new tipped employee regulations. The rules are targeted at the workplace practices of mandatory tip pooling and the use of such a tip pool to compensate backof-house employees such as cooks or dishwashers. Complex in nature, these “final” rules also address
WEEKEND
E10 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
DINE & WINE
Top 10 wines under $10 for 2020
W
INE MIGHT SEEM like an extravagance to some people. It’s expensive, some might say. It’s confusing. There are so many grapes, so many different wine regions and subregions within each region. Even simply trying to make sense out of the wine labels can be confusing sometimes. No wonder so many people are beer drinkers or only have wine on special occasions. But wine doesn’t have to be this way. Wine can be fun and accessible and easy to enjoy. Great wines also don’t have to cost a lot of money. These are some of the reasons why I started writing this weekly wine column (422 and counting) a little over eight years ago. I wanted to share my love of wine with other people and I’m continually grateful for the opportunity to do so each week. I also wanted to break down the barriers that often seem to prevent people from enjoying wine on a regular basis. And in many cases, I believe that starts with convincing people you don’t have to spend a fortune to find delicious wines. That’s why I always look forward to this annual column about the best wines under $10 a bottle. Coming up with the list some years is easier than others. This year was a challenge for several reasons. Simply finding and buying wines was sometimes difficult due to the ongoing worldwide pandemic. The price of some wines has also gone up significantly based on my completely unscientific observations this past year. Maybe it’s due to tariffs. Maybe it’s due to demand, which I’ve heard is way up this past year. All I know is it was sometimes challenging to find wines for under $10 a bottle. Fortunately, I was able to do
full-bodied cabernet sauvignon. Here, the fruit flavors (blackberries, plums) are muted, dry and last a full 30 seconds after each taste. I highly recommend this outstanding wine, which costs only $5 a bottle if you purchase a 3 liter box, the equivalent of four bottles of wine.
Ken Ross Wine Press
so. And many of these wines were absolutely outstanding. Technically, there are 12 wines on this list. I decided to group two wines together since they’re from the same wine region and have a lot in common. I also just couldn’t decide which wines to leave off the list so I kept all of them on here in the end and there’s a tie for 10th place. Besides, 12 wines come in a case, so why not add two more wines this year? Of the 12 wines on this list, seven are red, four are white and one is a rose. As for where the wines come from, seven are from France and the other five are from five different countries – Argentina, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and the United States (California to be precise). Many of these wines are widely available at wine stores hopefully near you. Hope you enjoy.
Chardonnay Macon Villages 5. 2018 Laya Almansa Red Wine ($8.99 at Table & Vine) 4. 2018 Bonterra Merlot ($8.99 at Table & Vine) 3. (tie) 2016 Chateau Castagnac Cuvee Tradition Bordeaux ($9.99 at Table & Vine) 3. (tie) 2016 Chateau Les Vallees Bordeaux ($8.99 at Table & Vine) 2. 2018 Domaine L’Enclos “Cotes de Gascogne” ($8.99 at Table & Vine) 1. 2016 Ninety Plus Cellars French Fusion Lot 21 ($9.99 at Table & Vine)
Top 10 wines under $10 for 2020 10. (tie) 2018 Cotes De Provence Racine Rose ($9.99 at Table & Vine in West Springfield) 10. (tie) 2019 Voga Pinot Grigio ($10 Suggested Retail Price) 9. Domaine Bousquet Cabernet Sauvignon ($20 SRP for 3 Liter Box) 8. 2019 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($9.99 at Table & Vine) 7. 2018 Penya Rouge Grenache Carignan Syrah Mourvedre Cotes Catalanes ($9.99 at Table & Table) 6. 2018 Cave De Lugny La Cote Blanche Unoaked
Tasting notes 10. (tie) 2018 Cotes De Provence Racine Rose Region: Provence, France Grapes: Blend of cinsault, grenache, syrah Tasting notes: This captivating, complex rose wine has a wine range of flavors. At first, the wine tastes slightly spicy with a hint of tart apple. A few minutes later as the wine starts the warm up, other soft flavors start to emerge, including a hint of sea salt and ocean mist. All the flavors also linger for close to half a minute after each sip. Really enjoy this rose wine from France’s Provence region, home to the best rose wines in the world.
The top 5 wines under $10 for 2020. (PHOTO BY KEN ROSS)
10. (tie) 2019 Voga Pinot Grigio Region: Venezie, Italy Grapes: 100 % pinot grigio Tasting notes: Made with pinot grigio grapes from Italy’s Venezie region (which is part of the Friuli Venezia Giulia), this crisp, clean, dry white wine packaged in a modern-looking capsule-like glass bottle just might make you rethink what’s possible for pinot grigio wines. Here, the flavors have a more mineral-like finish with a hint of sea salt. Yes, there are definitely hints of lemon and lime familiar to fans of Italian pinot grigio. But I was impressed by the range of flavors and their subtlety.
8. 2019 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc Region: Marlborough, New Zealand Grape: 100 % sauvignon blanc Tasting notes: When it comes to sauvignon blanc, New Zealand consistently produces some of the best, refreshing and affordable sauvignon blancs in the world. New Zealand’s Marlborough region on the northern tip of New Zealand’s south island in particular reigns supreme when it comes to crisp, refreshing white wines. This particularly popular sauvignon blanc deserves all the attention it gets. In a taste test with the other New Zealand sauvignon blancs that cost less than $10 a bottle, I personally found that this one stood out with its crisp, signature freshcut grass flavors that made New Zealand’s Marlborough region famous. There’s also a slight hint of citrus and ripe green apple flavors as well. An absolutely delightful and thoroughly refreshing white wine.
7. 2018 Penya Rouge Grenache Carignan Syrah 9. Domaine Bousquet Cab- Mourvedre Cotes Catalanes ernet Sauvignon (Box Wine) Region: Roussillon, Location: Mendoza, ArgenLanguedoc Roussillon, France tina Grapes: 65 % grenache, 20 Grape: 100 % cabernet sau% carignan, 10 % mourvedre, 5 vignon % syrah Tasting notes: Who says you Tasting notes: One of my can’t find great wine in a box? favorite, go-to red wines for Made completely with organic under $10 a bottle, this wine grapes from Argentina’s famed consistently tastes terrific right from the start. You don’t have to Mendoza region, Domaine open this spectacular wine and Bousquet just might be one wait a few hours to taste all the of the world’s best affordable delicious flavors. Everything is wine producers. No matter what wine they make, Domaine right there right away. The first flavors I often notice Bousquet seems to hit it out of the park. The same is true with are hints of ripe cherries and this outstanding, understated, SEE WINE, PAGE E11
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 | E11
DINE & WINE
Wine
of the party straight out of the bottle. I was blown away by its complex, subtle fruit flavors, CONTINUED FROM PAGE E10 which range from dried raspberdried blackberries. And like ries and blackberries to toasted many great, dry, red wines that almonds and dark chocolate. easily cost twice as much, the The next day, those flavors flavors in the Penya linger on were more subtle, more underthe tip of the tongue for nearly a stated. In fact, I found the wine minute. Truly a great wine at an to be a bit too subdued the second day. Personally, I preferred outstanding price. the wine the day before, when it 6. 2018 Cave De Lugny La was bright and lively and thrillCote Blanche Unoaked Char- ing to be around. And best of donnay Macon Villages all, this wine costs less than $10 Region: Macon, Burgundy, a bottle, making it an absolute France steal at this price. Grapes: 100 % chardonnay Tasting notes: I wanted 4. 2018 Bonterra Merlot to point out that this wine is Region: Mendocino County, from the village of Macon in California Burgundy since Chardonnay Grapes: 100 % merlot wines from here have such a Tasting notes: Merlot wines distinct, refreshing taste. One at any price often get a bad rap. of the things I love about wines I blame the movie “Sideways.” made with chardonnay grapes That’s why I have made a point is how well they express the soil the past few years of highlighting several great merlot wines, they’re grown in. And that’s especially true when it comes to including six outstanding merlots from California earlier this Chardonnays from Burgundy. year. This incredible bargain Chardonnay grapes grown a few hundred yards apart often from California deserves additional attention as well. Made taste dramatically different from one field to the next. And entirely with organic grapes by this is especially true in the Bur- one of the best bargain wine gundy’s southern region, where makers in California, this Bonterra merlot goes down smooth Macon is located. Like many Chardonnays from and easy right from the first sip. Macon, this particular wine has A beautiful blend of subtle, dry, a bright, light, refreshing taste soft berry flavors (including with a hint of citrus. There’s blackberry, raspberry and a hint also a slight hint of butter of cherry) mixed with a hint of often associated with Charnuttiness and dark chocolate, donnays. But the butter flavors this wine tastes great with everything from steak to salmon are much more subtle, much and perfect on its own. less pronounced. There’s also a wonderful dash of almond 3. (tie) 2016 Chateau flavors which make this wine an ideal one for hot, hazy summer Castagnac Cuvee Tradition Bordeaux afternoons. Region: Right Bank, Bor5. 2018 Laya Almansa Red deaux, France Wine Grapes: Blend of merlot and Region: Alamansa, Spain cabernet sauvignon Grapes: 70 % tintorera, 30 % Tasting notes: Like the other monastrell Bordeaux red wine recomTasting notes: This is one mended below, this wine is a of those wines that dreams are blend of merlot and cabernet made of – affordable, stylish sauvignon grapes. I’m not sure and delicious. I’ve had this what percentage of each grape blended red wine from Spain is in the wine. But in general, before but it’s been a while. Bordeaux blends from the Boy, am I glad I tried this wine Right Bank (meaning the north again. side of the Gironde River) are Some wines take a while often predominantly made with to warm up and reveal their merlot grapes. secrets, sort of a like a shy party This red wine has an intense, guest. This wine was the life luxurious flavor straight out
of the bottle. There are also initial notes of licorice as well. Give this powerful wine time to breathe, meaning time to expose the wine to oxygen to release its flavors. In fact, if possible, save most of this wine for the second day. That’s when the wine really smooths out and becomes softer and silkier. The second day, hints of raspberry and rose petal flavors emerge in this smooth aromatic wine. 3. (tie) 2016 Chateau Les Vallees Bordeaux Region: Bordeaux, France Grapes: 70 % merlot, 30 % cabernet sauvignon Tasting notes: This soft, subtle wine has the understated flavors you would expect from a Bordeaux wine made predominantly with merlot grapes. According to the wine label, the grapes were grown in a blend of clay and limestone soil. Rocky, limestone soil consistently produces outstanding wines in my opinion. And this one’s a gem. Let me add that this wine more than holds its own against wines that cost double or triple or even more. I tasted two bottle of this wine on four different occasions. And each time, this wine was an absolutely wonderful blend of soft, subtle fruit flavors (dried raspberries and blackberries) with an austere, long finish.
taste buds like a passing breeze or the foam-like bubbles left on the sand by a gentle, ocean current. There’s nothing overpowering or over the top about this wine. And yet it’s flavors linger long after each sip, like the sound of a large, old church bell humming after the last peal. And one more great thing about this wine – it still tastes vibrant and alive several days after opening the bottle – if you can wait that long to finish it.
1. 2016 Ninety Plus Cellars French Fusion Lot 21 Region: Languedoc, France Grapes: 60% syrah, 30% grenache, 10% mourvedre Tasting notes: This outstanding wine immediately grabbed by attention the first time I tasted it a few weeks ago. Straight out of the bottle, this easy-drinking, dry red wine has a smooth, luxurious silky finish. Flavors range from ripe blackberries to dried raspberries with a hint of almonds and dark chocolate. This wine is bold yet subtle, intense but not overpowering – a beautiful combination which makes this wine perfect for slowly savoring for several hours. Let me add that this wine tastes just as great the second day, when the flavors are just as pronounced and fascinating and complex. Just don’t wait too long to finish this wine since 2. 2018 Domaine L’Enclos I noticed a definite difference “Cotes de Gascogne” the third day after the wine Region: Gascony, France was open, which is typical for Grapes: 50 % colombard, 50 % almost all red wines. ugni blanc One more thing about my favorite wine of the year for under Tasting notes: In a country $10. I’m not surprised that three filled with world-class wine regions, Gascony (or Gascogne of the French red wines on this list (this one along with both as the French call this region) remains one of the most undis- number three wines) feature covered gems when it comes grapes from the outstanding to French wine. That might ex- 2016 vintage in France. There’s plain why so many fascinating also definitely something to be wines from this region remain said for red wines that are several years older like this wine. so remarkably affordable. Many wines need time to maDry and austere, this wine’s ture, time to evolve. And right flavors cover a wide range – now, this wine tastes terrific from fresh picked pears and and proves without a doubt that peaches to hints of tart apple and sea salt. There’s also a crisp you can find great wine without spending a fortune. mineral-like hint to this wine, Cheers! giving it a slightly rocky, chalky Wine Press by Ken Ross appears finish – two flavors I absolutely adore in a crisp, dry, white wine. on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s weekend Let me add that all of these section every Thursday. flavors gently wash over your
Beer CONTINUED FROM PAGE E8
vorites are Irish ones. While Green Spot is my favorite, I’m also a fan of Slane, which is notably cheaper. But in the end, I can always be perfectly happy with Jameson’s. It never lets me down. • Speaking of Jameson’s, I sampled its “CaskMates” offerings. They were all fine, but I prefer the straight stuff, especially when sipping one with or before a beer. • Non-alcoholic beers are starting to gain traction. This is great for those who don’t drink alcohol but who like beer. If you want to check out a great site for NA beers, go to https://www.na-brews. com/ • So many beers these days are being quaffed straight from the can. Some are even recommended to be consumed that way. What is your preference? I mix it up: Some are fine from the can, while I will pour others into a glass. • We have been fortunate that many breweries have survived the pandemic and we have been able to enjoy their efforts. And while some places have been open, sitting at a bar is still off-limits. One of the things I am most looking forward to is bellying up to a bar (and my belly will be taking up more room) and chatting with others. • And with the above item, I also look forward to being able to have extended chats with my many bartender friends. There is nothing like a great bartender for good conversation. • COVID-19 masks were quickly turned into fashion items of sorts. People would have them printed with various themes to represent their cultural affinities. There were plenty of beer ones, of course, but two of my favorites were simple: one that said “Insert beer here,” and another that read, “Will remove for beer.” (Of course I hope the latter would only be done when safe to do so.) I wish you all a healthy and happy New Year.
E12 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
WEEKEND
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
DINE & WINE
Menu CONTINUED FROM PAGE E9
ed capacity rollbacks, other restaurant owners may in the weeks ahead also decide to hunker down and wait out the current COVID-19 surge. • A taste of the holidays, country style, is being offered at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations in the form of Grandma’s Holiday Sampler, a plate of country-fried turkey served with pan gravy, two eggs, and two buttermilk pancakes topped with cranberry orange butter. Fried apples or Cracker Barrel’s signature hash brown casserole is also part of the meal package, which will be available through the holiday season. • During the state-mandated post-holiday “lull,” Champney’s Restaurant at the Deerfield Inn in Deerfield will continue to offer five distinctively styled $40 Family Meals to Go, each of which features the locally-sourced, gastropub style fare Champney’s specializes in. The “Let’s Eat Casual” meal, for example, includes chicken wings with blue cheese dip, two thin-crust, one-topping pizzas, and a choice of local greens or Caesar salad. “Just Like Mom Made” features Black Angus meatloaf with red wine gravy, mashed potatoes, and fresh market veggies. More indulgent-sounding, the “Something Fancy” package includes grilled chicken breast and shrimp paired with a Marsala wine jus and wild rice pilaf. The $40 Family Meals to Go are available seven days a week, with orders taken from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call Champney’s at 413-772-3087 for more details.
• Spoleto Restaurant in Northampton recently announced that it was putting a winter schedule of operation into effect, opening the restaurant Tuesday through Saturday at 4 p.m. for dinner and remaining closed on Sunday and Monday. “Classics Night” will be the order of business on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with threecourse offerings of traditional Italian-American favorites that include a house salad and a dessert sampler. Entree options include pasta shells, spaghetti & meatballs, chicken francese, rigatoni Bolognese, and crazy Alfredo. An overall menu update has also been put into place, offering new selections such as salmon with lemon butter served over faro as well as many Spoleto favorites from the past. All menu items are available for takeout. The updated menu can be viewed at the restaurant’s Facebook page, facebook. com/SpoletoRestaurant. Spoleto’s telephone number is 413-586-6313. Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 45 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.
Happy New Year!
Giving a gift of 274 Olive Oil and Rubio Balsamic Vinegar is sending the gift of health good wishes. Make with a delicious bread dipper on your holiday table.
We have homemade cheeseball and a variety of delicious cheeses. A great way to celebrate the new year!
www.frigosfoods.com 90 William Street, Springfield • 732-5428 159 Shaker Rd, East Longmeadow • 525-9400
3144403-01
• Coco & The Cellar Bar in Easthampton is making its distinctive variety of “New American” cookery available as “Coco to Go,” a selection of menu favorites available for at home enjoyment.
In addition to sandwiches and entrees, there is also a “Coco Market” selection of prepared foods and condiments. Among the former are the likes of a take-andbake phyllo lamb pie, mac & cheese, ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls, and a take-home s’mores kit that features house-made marshmallows. Condiment options include the restaurant’s honey miso dressing and Coco’s special recipe ranch dressing. Previous day preorders are encouraged, but same-day ordering is possible subject to product availability. See the full range of “Coco To Go” options at the restaurant’s web site, cocoandthe cellarbar.com. For more information call 413-203-5321.