• The TRAVEL CHANNEL

Geoff Edgers, host of the Travel Channel show "Edge of America," stopped in at VINTAGES Concord shop recently to film a segment of his new episode "A Day in the Life of Geoff Edgers." Wine Director Eric Broege made some wine recommendations for Geoff and offered a few observations along the way.

Most memorable line? "What I like about Eric is that he can teach you something about wine that you didn't know before without making you feel THAT stupid."

Click here to view the episode.

Catch more of Geoff's fresh take on the Travel Channel "Edge of America" and under his Boston Globe Arts & Entertainment byline.
 

• Boston Globe

  • Globe wine writer Stephen Meuse bids farewell

    • The postmodern wine shop: one that combines the neighborliness of the corner package store with the sophistication of a university cultural studies department. These are mainly tiny enclaves where everything on the shelf has been personally selected and for which every staffer can provide telling details, including the precise exposition of the vineyard and when the winemaker’s wife is expecting the baby. It is in these shops (such as Vintages in Belmont, The Wine Bottega in the North End, and Dave’s Fresh Pasta in Somerville) where consumers meet wines in context and learn that there’s life beyond merlot, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc. Pinot d’aunis, trousseau, grignolino, anyone?

  • Lost in the vineyards? Local experts know the way.

    • Eric Broege and Carolyn Kemp decided to take a big risk focusing on high-quality, sometimes unfamiliar wines in their boutique. They concentrated on Italian, especially from the Piedmont area, and French wines, learning about them during regular excursions. Broege, also an artist, quickly developed an ability to sniff out unusual wines that best represent the places where the grapes grow.   "We taste everything," said Broege. "That's how we select it."  

  • BELMONT: End is near for town's dry spell Board OK's first alcohol licenses
    • "VINTAGES has attracted customers from across New England for its selection and expertise in wine-and-food pairings."
       
  • A case of Romance

    • “Vintages is a tiny jewel box of a shop which seems to have room for everything except run-of-the-mill wines. It’s a true boutique where every bottle is hand-picked, and the focus is high-quality, off-the-beaten-path properties.”

• Dr. Vino
  • Massachusetts Wine Shops Worth Seeking Out

    • Vintages, 53 Commonwealth Ave, Concord, MA
      Owner Eric Broege clearly doesn’t get tired of talking customers out of obvious, big name wines in this well-heeled town because he doesn’t stock many. Instead, he offers lots of enticing wines from small Italian growers as well as some great domaines and estates in the Loire, Burgundy, Jura, Germany and the Left Coast. He has a small selection of craft beers too and even a few box wines from vignerons stashed beneath the counter. If every town in America had a shop like this, the nature of our wine discussion would be a whole lot different.

• La Stampa, Italian newspaper

  • “[VINTAGES’ Eric Broege] is one of the most influential ambassadors of great Italian wine.” – Pietro Ratti, former President, the Albeisa Wine Association, from article in Italy’s LA STAMPA newspaper

• Wall Street Journal

  • From Tastings, by Dorothy Gaiter & John Brecher "Wine Shopping, Minus the Big Chill"

    • "A merchant who has made wine shopping fun, exciting and rewarding: Vintages, in West Concord, MA."
       

• Massachusetts Beverage Business

  • Eric Broege Interview
  • "I don’t have room for anything I don’t want or wouldn’t recommend."
  • I want a wine that I don’t fully understand, that shows me something I never noticed the last time.   A truly original wine that's unique, pleasurable, evokes a sense of wonderment."
  • I work for my customers, not distributors. My obligation is to put the best products in my customers’ hands. "