*Eric Broege one of 6 US retailers invited to prestigious Alba Wine Exhibition, Piedmont Italy, May 5-9, 2007 (second from left)

*VINTAGES' ERIC BROEGE featured in leading Italian newspaper
LA STAMPA on May 8, 2007

VINTAGES’ Eric Broege was one of six U.S. wine merchants (the only one from New England) invited to attend the prestigious ALBA WINE EXHIBITION in Piedmont, Italy, May 6-11. On May 9, the Italian newspaper LA STAMPA ran an article featuring three U.S wine merchants.

Eric was photographed and described as “One of the most influential ambassadors of great Italian wine.” A great honor and acknowledgement of Eric’s and VINTAGES’ passion for Italian wine, and his expertise in the wines of Piedmont!

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VINTAGES in BOSTON MAGAZINE, July 2006 as a source for BIODYNAMIC WINES

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VINTAGES in THE GLOBE MAGAZINE, June 21, 2006

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VINTAGES in THE BOSTON GLOBE, "Plonkapalooza" feature

"Plonkapalooza"

When it comes to wine, cheap (what the trade calls 'plonk') no longer means undrinkable. We tasted 25 whites and 25 reds -- each bottle $10 or under -- and picked our favorite everday pours.

By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent  |  October 19, 2005

We asked five retail shops to share their top picks of $10-and-under red and whites that are in stock and in reasonably good supply. We wanted nothing rare or exotic; no roses, sparklers, or sweet wines. The goal was to identify strong candidates that our panel -- Globe staff writers Alison Arnett, Ann Cortissoz, and Joe Yonan joined me in the tasting -- could evaluate for quality, character, and versatility. Wines were wrapped in brown paper bags and identified only by number. Tasters sampled three wines at a time, and then stopped to discuss and record their impressions. Each was asked to identify five top reds and five top whites (see lists on this page).

The shops that contributed their pick of plonk were Curtis Liquors in South Weymouth; Federal Wine & Spirits in Boston; Shubie's in Marblehead; Vintages: Adventures in Wine in West Concord; and Wollaston Wines & Spirits in Quincy. Because we knew there would be duplicates, we asked each vendor to nominate six to eight candidates in each category. We paid standard retail prices for all the bottles and settled on 25 whites and 25 reds that are representative of varietals, regions, and current winemaking styles. (Excerpt from article)

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VINTAGES-Adventures in Wine was recommended by

The Wall Street Journal "Tastings" writers

Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher write "Tastings," the weekly wine column of The Wall Street Journal.

"A merchant who has made wine shopping fun, exciting and rewarding."

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March 6, 2005

VINTAGES' Eric Broege on TV:

NECN Channel 6 Globe at HOME feature:

“Sideways Boosts Sales of Pinot Noir”

ERIC BROEGE of VINTAGES was interviewed on NECN cable by The Boston Globe’s Bella English about Pinot Noir and the surge of interest in wine pursuant to the hit movie “Sideways.” Eric presented three Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, Oregon, and California and discussed the different characteristics of each region.

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Redeeming a wine of ill repute

By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent April 28, 2004

At the West Concord wine shop Vintages: Adventures in Wine, enthusiasm for Soave and its mainstay grape, the undervalued garganega (gar-GAN-uh-ga), runs high. Co-owner Eric Broege just returned from the Veneto and observes that while production in Soave is still mainly directed to mass-market plonk, some wonderful wines are being made in the hilly Classico sector. "New wave" Soave is a hot item at Vintages, but customers often need to be encouraged to try it.

"Once they do," Broege says, "they like it that there's a distinct character to the wine, that it's flavorful, that it has weight. Soaves have a rounder complexion, and their minerality gives grip and intensity."

(Excerpt from article)

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THE LOWELL SUN

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2004

When in Concord, go West
By KATHLEEN DEELY and NANCYE TUTTLE , Sun Staff

WEST CONCORD.But down a winding road on the other side of Route 2 lies its less investigated, more rebellious side: West Concord. Next door, Eric Broege and Carolyn Kemp bring world-class wines and craft beers to the area at Vintages, Adventures in Wine. For four years, the husband-and-wife team have sold wines from every part of the world and thanks to their annual spring junkets to Italy, they've have carved a niche with Italian vintages beyond Tuscany or Chianti.

"We want to make this a destination for people. We try to find the best wines from around the world and introduce them to our customers," said Broege, who is also an artist.

He savors the discovery as much as his customers. "I like to find an interesting grape or a winery with a level of authenticity. I like the intellectual challenge of tasting a wine and understanding it," he said Broege. In the rear, a cheese case boasts French and Italian cheeses that can be paired with wine by the knowledgeable staff for a great party starter. Wines here range from $7 to $1,000 a bottle. The shop also has an impressive selection of ales from Belgium, England and France.
(Excerpt from article)

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VINTAGES in THE BOSTON GLOBE, July 2, 2003

A case of romance

In a jewel-box space, Eric Broege and Carolyn Kemp hung his artwork and stocked shelves with offbeat bottles. Even an $8 spaghetti wine excites them.

By Stephen Meuse, Globe Correspondent, 7/23/2003

WEST CONCORD - Carolyn Kemp and Eric Broege were living a bohemian life in a rented Oakland, Calif., warehouse in 1988. At 28, she was a published poet, he, 23, a lithographer and portraitist. That spring, when the professor who had agreed to preside over their wedding ceremony failed to show up, the pair took matters into their own hands.

Before 80 bemused guests assembled in a redwood grove, the couple married themselves. The gesture was an early indicator of a talent for improvisation. If, as longtime Concord resident Ralph Waldo Emerson said, all life is an experiment, it looked as if these two would do fine.

Today, you can find Kemp, Broege, a black spaniel named Ferdinand, and - if it's a Saturday morning - their 12-year-old son, Hank, in Vintages, Adventures in Wine, the shop they own and operate here. Even Emerson might have enjoyed the ''adventures'' part of this enterprise.

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. That means many of the labels will be unfamiliar. ''Our goal is to present a selection of wines from producers that are among the best in any given region,'' says Broege. ''An ideal wine shop is one where you get as excited about an $8 spaghetti wine as about a first-growth Bordeaux. It's not an elite thing.''

The couple's own wine adventures began in January 2000, when they bought Vintages, a wine and liquor store, from then owners Marjorie and David White, friends of Kemp's parents. ''We made the move at the peak of the dot-com bubble,'' Kemp recalls. ''Then, it seemed pure folly to be sinking money into such a retro endeavor.''

For Kemp, a Concord native, it was a homecoming of sorts; Broege was raised in the West by his art-critic mom. Moving to the East Coast meant their son could be closer to his grandparents and she to her family, but it was an adjustment for him. ''I forgot to ask about the weather,'' he says.

Kemp found work as a software marketing specialist. Since there were no fine-art-quality lithography shops, Broege couldn't do his work. Instead, he did some ''underground catering'' and took care of Hank as the pair pondered their next move. ''People begged us to open a little bistro or wine bar,'' says Kemp. When they bought the wine and liquor shop, her parents helped by lending capital, Broege hung his lithographs on the walls, and the shop reopened. They decided to model Vintages after the famous Berkeley wine shop run by Kermit Lynch. ''We took a chance replacing the old inventory with new items,'' says Broege. The Whites cautioned them that challenging the clientele might be risky. It didn't prove to be the case.

The second year in business, their enthusiasm ran into some good luck. Broege and Kemp attended VinItaly, the Italian trade show, and found an funny varietal wine from an Alto Adige co-op. Their shop became the only one in the United States to offer it. The Italians were skeptical that Americans would take to it, but the wine was wildly successful.

Customers were beginning to trust the couple.

Broege's confidence in his ability to choose wines developed quickly. It's a crucial skill some retailers never develop, preferring instead to rely on distributor recommendations or information from wine magazines.

People are surprised to learn the artwork adorning the walls is Broege's own. ''They can't imagine that an individual can have different talents,'' he says. But the artist claims to see a similarity between his two disciplines - buying high-quality wines and portrait painting. ''In wine,'' he says, ''some people are able to transcend nature. In that sense wine can be art. I look at everything I do with the same eyes, and when a single aesthetic directs your life, there are some things you just can't do.''

Emerson would have loved this place.

Vintages, Adventures in Wine, is at 53 Commonwealth Ave., West Concord; 978-369-2545.

Stephen Meuse can be reached at mailto:%20onwine@attbi.com.

This story ran on page E2 of the Boston Globe on 7/23/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.