Bottle Juice

When he moved back, he tried to sample some of the local wines where he grew up in New Jersey and then in Virginia. "They just didn't taste good." When he and his family moved to Gardiner several years ago and he went to visit many of the vineyards, he said, he was "pleasantly surprised by how far the Hudson Valley wineries had come, how good their wines were and how little people seemed to know about them and their amazing quality."

After educating himself more …

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…fruit ripening too fast. But, at least for the immediate future, this means a lot of positives for New Jersey's wineries.

As the weather continues to get warmer, New Jersey will be able to plant varietals of grapes that used to be exclusive to hotter climates. Heritage Vineyards is already planning on planting a lot more cabernet sauvignon grapes this year than they have in the past, as they anticipate additional sunlight and warmth.

"In our case it's beneficial for us. …

• Topics: Bordeaux, South, Napa, Jersey, Napa Valley

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie acknowledged on Monday that he recently underwent lap band surgery to help him lose weight. The governor says personal health motivated his decision, but his heft—Christie reportedly topped 300 pounds —could also complicate a 2016 presidential bid . William Howard Taft was at least as obese as Christie. Did his doctors tell him to lose weight?

• Topics: Brian Palmer, Christie, Gov., Chris Christie
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Chris Christie underwent lap band surgery over President's Day weekend because the three-day weekend gave him time to recuperate, and because no decision he makes can be free of some connection to the presidency. The New Jersey governor checked in for the weight-loss procedure under an assumed name and he was out later that Saturday. He only told his chief of staff. He informed the rest of his staff yesterday— along with the New York Post .

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Such a law would therefore stand to impact wines north of $ 25/bottle and stores in New Jersey. Why sotres in New Jersey? Because if you do an online search for a wine, one from the Garden State usually is one of the cheapest available. Maybe there would be more shipping discounts in the wake of sales tax collection? But some of the lowest-price retailers are already extremely lean margins.

What do you think-how would the proposed sales tax bill affect your wine purchases? Or the wine …

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The night before I drove down to New Jersey to unite with my mother, aunt, cousin and niece to make "chourico" (Portuguese smoked sausage), "O Lenço da Carolina" by Fado singer Cristina Branco came on via Portuguese satellite TV. Though it's a song about a person in love, all I could think about (as tears [...] Continue Reading →

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…licensing fee rather than the proposed $ 100. He states this fee would be comparable to New Jersey but that is incorrect. The New Jersey licensing fee actually is a spectrum, dependent on the production level of the winery, and ranges from $63-$938. So Andelman has provided inaccurate information concerning New Jersey's license fees.

Andelman also sees this fee as a potential means of revenue for the state, yet there is no rationale for why that should be the case. He …

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…diverse as the northeast ( CT, DE, MA, ME, NJ, VT), southeast ( GA, NC, TN, VA), upper mid-west ( MI, OH, WI), great plains ( AR, KS, MO) and mountain west ( ID, MT, NM, NV). There are variations in the extent to which they give recourse for the suppliers. Some have production limits, so suppliers smaller than an arbitrary size can get out of their franchise ties. Some require that suppliers keep existing relationships but allow a supplier to add a second …

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