Richard Auffrey reports on a "Grand Wine Tasting" at Grapevine Travelers in Medford that involved more than 60 wines - and some beer.

Richard can't say enough good things about this Beacon Hill wine bar/restaurant:

... Overall, this was a top-notch evening with not the slightest of complaints. The food, wine and service all came together in perfect unity. I heartily recommend that you check out this restaurant, for either lunch or dinner. I think it would work well for a couple seeking a more intimate meal, as well as a group seeking a fun time. ...

Mini highly recommends Clio in the Back Bay despite a mediocre fois gras:

... Fortunately however, the main courses and dessert saved the day. I ordered the butter basted lobster while SO got the pork rib (or pig as they called it on the receipt!). I loved my lobster, it might just be the best cooked lobster I've had! The meat was really tender and slightly undercooked towards the center. Wow delicious! I wonder how they do it? ...

Richard A. describes a new group: Boston Wine Writers, with monthly meetings at the Boston Wine School:

As long as you have a passion for good wine writing, it doesn't matter whether you're a published writer, editor, sales rep, importer, restaurateur, blogger, PR person, publisher, wine lover, whatever: you're invited!

365 Days of Wine reports on a heavy-duty, invitation-only wine tasting 33 floors above State Street:

...But then there were the wines that I very much did not want any instruction about. These were the wines that were so delicious I simply didn't want to talk about them. I didn’t want to learn about them. I just wanted to enjoy them. They were the wines that, when I smelled them or tasted them, the noise around me hushed.

When I smelled the 2007 Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, for example, my only thought was, "I would wear this as perfume." ...

Robert Aguilera, manager and cheese buyer for the Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge has teamed up with Julie Cappellano, the wine buyer at the South End Formaggio to bring Boston, the Bueno Queso Social Club. These are monthly wine and cheese pairing classes.

The next class is titled, "From the Stiletto Heel to the Thigh Highs of Italy." and will take place on March 25th at the Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge.

When you order a turkey sammich, and the deli man instead gives you a smoked turkey sammich, your first instinct might be to open that thing up and show him the exact difference between what you asked for and what he gave you. And by “show” I obviously mean mashing it all over his face.

Boston Wine Buzz is a new blog all about drinking wine in the Boston area - check out the guide to upcoming wine events in the region.

It's not every day that you see somebody at Blue Mass. Group saying something nice about Mitt Romney. But Bob raises his glass to Romney for vetoing a bill that would have put new restrictions on online wine sales to Massachusetts residents (following a Supreme Court ruling that states could not block such sales):

... The vetoed bill tried to undercut the Court's ruling. Romney said the measure did not help consumers but protected existing liquor distributors in Massachusetts. Indeed. This kind of back-scratching legislation is what has given the Democratic Party, and especially the Massachusetts legislature, a bad name among many Massachusetts residents and national observers. ...

But fret not - there is a dig at His Mittness in the post.

At least, until the Legislature passes some new regulations. Steve uncorks the news.

Judith reports:

Last evening Ken and I had a marvelous experience at the Wine Gallery on Route 9 in Brookline. This summer we've visited a number of Boston-area liquor stores that have excellent wine departments at discounted prices: Kappy's in Somerville, Martignetti's in Brighton, Marty's Fine Wines in Newton, and several others too unnoteworthy to mention. I must say I had the most fun and the most pleasant experience at the Wine Gallery. ...