Wine (and Spirits) Journalism

I became interested in wine only after living a year in Rome, where I came to love brisk, nutty Castelli Romani with Spaghetti Carbonara and bright-berried Valpolicella with Bistecca Pizzaiola. When I returned to the US, I sought out wine and food experiences and venues to write about in a series of columns for Quincy Patriot Ledger, Newton Tab, Middlesex News, and Boston Herald; thumbnail wine, food and restaurant reviews for The Boston Phoenix. Datelines on my wine and food articles include Napa and Sonoma; Santa Fe; Finger Lakes, NY; Melbourne and Victoria, AU; Wellington and Marlborough, NZ; Perugia, Rome, Bassano del Grappa, IT, Chablis, Beaune, Alsace FR; Jerez, Rioja, Navarra, SP; Mendoza and Buenos Aires, AR; Santiago Chile. A short list of features includes:

Beverage Business: Angostura Bitters, Irish Porter, Irish Whiskey, New Zealand wines, Piedmont Wines and Dining, Rioja wines and dining, Umbrian wines, Prosecco (Valdobiaddene, IT), Veneto wines and Grappa, Victoria (Australia) wines, Mezcal (Mexico), Malbec (Mendoza), Pinotage (South Africa), Mezcal (Oaxaca, Mexico).

Middlesex News: Rome’s Restaurants, Wine Touring in Alsace and Burgundy.

Caribbean Beat (BWIA Airways Magazine): Rums

Boston Sunday Herald Magazine: Prosciutto

Since 2000, I've written monthly Profiles and features in Beverage Business showcasing Massachusetts and worldwide professionals in the flourishing beverage and food industries (chefs, sommeliers, salespeople, winemakers).

Soon after I began to write about wine, I realized I didn’t really enjoy wine in a vacuum, that is, without appropriate foods. So a few friends and I formed the Boston Barolo Club, which still has only a handful of members and a modest but deep cellar. We meet quarterly and enjoy quiet meals at each others homes. Email me for menus.

ln 1990, I organized an informal Italian wine/dine club (out of wine classes at Boston Center for Adult Education) and began hosting low-key dinners in Boston area restaurants. AGLIO (Italian for "garlic") is an acronym for Amici Gastronomici Leali all Italia ed all Oenologia (loosely, "Foodie Friends Loyal To Italy and Wine.") We've held similarly loose AGLIO dinners at dozens of  restaurants, mostly Italian. Favorite venues include Bricco, Buoniconti, Davide, Dali, Elephant Walk, Fiorentina, Maurizio, Rani, and too many to count at Newbury College. The didactic factor has yet to trump the camaraderie!

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Fred Bouchard
78 Farnham Street
Belmont MA 02478 USA
617-484-6692
frederickbouchard@gmail.com