The cover of Bon Appétit this month: pancakes! It’s not the pancake issue (sadly), but the American travel issue with pancakes being an attraction at their top-rated hotel. (Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN if you’re curious.)[level-members]
The Wine Insider column is devoted to “natural” wines, which writer David Lynch feels are changing the we way drink for the better. Natural wines are meant to be just that – natural. No commercial yeast in the winery, no pesticides in the vineyard.
Of course, this used to be the way all wines were made, but that was a long time ago. It’s safe to say that some large percentage of the wine-drinking public has never had anything but “un-natural” wines.
Unfortunately, natural doesn’t necessarily mean better. And while natural can be a marketing hook for a new winemaker to hang its hat on, it can – and will – also mean some growing pains as the segment matures. A few natural wines, AKA “minimal-intervention” wines that Lynch feels are worth checking out:
Wind Gap 2010 Sonoma Coast Syrah
Broc Cellars 2011 “Vine Starr” Zinfandel
Donkey & Goat 2011 El Dorado Grenache Blanc
None are cheap – prices range from $27 to $36 – which is what you’d expect from a new, low volume segment with niche appeal.
The Party feature focuses on a springtime sunday brunch. The cocktail, a nice take on the usual mimosa, consists of grapefruit juice, St-Germain, Campari and the sparkling wine of your choice. Very refreshing.
There’s also a fun column singing the praises of the hotel bar.
And I can’t not comment on the “Go Fish” feature. Having done some camping and fishing in that part of the world (Montana, Wyoming, Idaho), I have to admit, my campfire meals never looked like these. Bacon-wrapped trout, fresh from the stream … mmm.[/level-members]