Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Turning wine-speak into comics and other food and drink news

This Sommelier Is Turning Wine-Speak into Comics - When it comes to restaurant lingo, nothing is more perplexing than somm-speak. ... Because descriptions like “loamy forest floor” can sound ridiculous to casual wine drinkers, MaryseChevriere—sommelier at Dominique Crenn’s Petit Crenn in San Francisco—decided to channel foofy wine slang into art. The result: Fresh Cut Garden Hose, an Instagram account that contains a series of cartoons inspired by the strangest of somm-speak.

freshcutgardenhose"A little sweaty sock never killed anyone." - Ryan Brazell@grassrootswine (via #delectableapp), Trousseau, Cuvée Les Berangères, Jacques Puffeney, 2012

Does ultraviolet radiation improve wine quality? - "We've found very strong correlation between the high UVB and the higher UVB after leaf removal and compounds called flavonoids and these flavonoids are produced by the plant to protect itself against the UVB, so it basically absorbs the UVB, but they are also very strong anti oxidants, so they're actually adding some clear benefit to the berry and indeed to the wine making process." - Lincoln University's Professor Brian Jordan

The Case for Bad Coffee "Maybe it all started a few months ago when I found myself paying $18 for a pound of what turned out to be so-so coffee beans from a new roaster in my neighborhood. It was one of those moments when I could actually imagine my cranky diner-coffee-swilling Irish grandfather rising from the grave and saying, "You know what, kid? You're an idiot."

A Seismic Shift in How People Eat - Consumers are walking away from America’s most iconic food brands. Big food manufacturers are reacting by cleaning up their ingredient labels, acquiring healthier brands and coming out with a prodigious array of new products. ... Food companies are moving in the right direction, but it won’t be enough to save them. If they are to survive changes in eating habits, they need a fundamental shift in their approach.

Intoxication: the business of wine and weed - So within a century, we see the failure of USA prohibition in killing two great satans: first, alcohol; now pot.

A Tasting of Chinese Wines - The group of five red wines I tried have no reason to apologize. They were all competently made and can stand with pride among the ranks of commercial wines produced and sold all over the world. What they lack is any sense of distinctiveness, or, to use a bit of wine jargon, terroir.


Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Food as art: the Getty Center puts salads on show and other food and drink news


Salad-Making Is Performance Art At The Getty In Los Angeles - If the Getty Center in Los Angeles is going to treat salad as art, then you can bet iceberg lettuce is not part of the equation. And indeed, from now through January 11, the Salad Garden performance art stage features artists making salads from more than 50 exquisite heirloom herbs, vegetables and edible flowers. Part of the spectacle is also the artists devouring their salads on site.

Beyond the Honeycrisp Apple -  Take one bite of a Cosmic Crisp — dramatically dark, richly flavored and explosively crisp and juicy — and it’s easy to see why it is already being hailed as the most promising and important apple of the future. Americans have been falling hard for new apples. Of the top 10 sellers in the 2014 crop, the only three to post sales gains were recently developed, premium-priced varieties.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Are wine and cigarettes the secret to French longevity? And other food and drink news

Are wine and cigarettes the secret to French longevity? - A report published by the OECD this week revealed that the French enjoy one of the world’s highest life expectancies. It also showed they are among the West’s biggest consumers of tobacco and alcohol.

Legendary Belgian brewery Cantillon faces problems as climate change ruins traditional brewing methods - The boss of legendary Belgian brewery Cantillon has said he has been forced to stop production due to climate change, as an unusually warm autumn has meant temperatures are too high to cool the beer overnight.

Cantillon has been making what are considered some of the world's best sour, spontaneously fermented lambic beers in its Brussels brewery since it opened in 1900. According to the traditional recipe, Cantillon leaves their wort, the fermenting mix of grain and warm water, overnight in the cool late October air so it is exposed to the wild yeasts around it.

Can Domino's takeout the Italian pizza market?

What Every Wine Geek Needs to Know, Right Now - Listen up: Do you know what these phrases mean: “Pet-nat,” “concrete eggs,” “en rama,” “koshu,” or “red blotch”? You’re not up to speed with the latest trends if you don’t. These terms tip off changes in the ever-more-evolving wine world that affect what you’re drinking.  Fortunately, they also happen to be among the 350 new entries in the just-published 4th edition of the weighty, authoritative, indispensable Oxford Companion to Wine, so it’s easy to catch up.

China’s Winemakers Seek Their Own Napa Valley -  The winery, Silver Heights, has been a pioneer in China, bringing sophisticated Western winemaking techniques to what had been an industry focused on bulk production. ... Taking a cue from that boutique-winery model, Ningxia has ambitions to become the Napa Valley of China. Local winemakers have won prestigious awards, and plans are underway to double the region’s vineyards and create a wine tourism hub. Foreign investors have also taken notice. The French Champagne maker Möet & Chandon makes sparkling wines there, while the spirits giant Pernod Ricard is spending heavily to modernize its local winery.

Winemakers promise Alsace red 'revolution' - Long known for its top-of-the-range white wines, the northeastern French region of Alsace has begun touting its reds, which are rapidly becoming worthy rivals to the great Burgundies.

The Advertiser Top 50 Restaurants for 2015

The finalists in the annual best restaurant list of the Adelaide Advertiser:

Top Shelf

Best Italian

Best Indian

Best Asian

Best Regional

Best New Restaurant

Osteria Oggi

Lunch in CBD

Hotel Dining

Community Eatery

Paddy's Lantern


Adelaide SA 5000 Cafe

RestaurantPaddy's Lantern
Street address219 Gilbert Street
SuburbAdelaide CBD
StateSA
Postcode5000
Phone402 586 245
Websitepaddyslantern.com.au
StyleCafe
Awards Fairfax Good Food Guides
Awards Gourmet Guide
The Australian Top 50
Restaurant & Catering Awards
Other Awards2015 One of best Cafe Advertiser Top 50
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Owner's note

Market Street


Adelaide SA 5000 Cafe

RestaurantMarket Street
Street address11 Market Street
SuburbAdelaide CBD
StateSA
Postcode5000
Phone08 8231 5014
Websitefacebook.com/Market-St-689506504418724/
StyleCafe, bakery, grocery store
Awards Fairfax Good Food Guides
Awards Gourmet Guide
The Australian Top 50
Restaurant & Catering Awards
Other Awards2015 Best Cafe Advertiser Top 50
Reviews & NotesMarket St prices may look to be on the steep side for a cafe, but they are more than justified by the generosity on the plate and the amount of thought given to each dish."
ReviewerMary Taylor - InDaily 5/6/2015
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Reviews & Notes
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Owner's note

Pasta Deli

Glynde SA 5070 Pasta Cafe

RestaurantPasta Deli
Street address31-33 Glynburn Road
SuburbGlynde
StateSA
Postcode5070
Phone08 8365 0539
Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/Pasta-Deli-503667066405160/
StylePasta Cafe
Awards Fairfax Good Food Guides
Awards Gourmet Guide
The Australian Top 50
Restaurant & Catering Awards2015 Best Community Restaurant Advertiser Top 50
Other Awards
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Owner's note