Food & Wine May 2021

2018 ISTINE VIGNA CASANOVA DELL’AIA CHIANTI CLASSICO ($45) This stunning Italian red—floral, full of energy, and brimming with pure black cherry fruit—was a revelation at a recent virtual tasting of Chianti Classico terroirs that I attended. It’s no wonder Istine’s Angela Fronti is considered one of the new stars of Italian winemaking. 2016 MARINA CVETIC MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO RISERVA ($32) Need a great Mother’s Day gift? This Italian red, made by mother-daughter team Marina Cvetic and Miriam Lee Masciarelli, will transport her to Abruzzo. With the wine’s wild berry flavors and dried herb notes, you could add to the experience by pairing it with an herb-roasted leg of lamb. 2018 TWO VINTNERS SOME DAYS ARE DIAMONDS SYRAH ($50) I opened this alluringly aromatic Washington Syrah with friends while dining outdoors in February at New York’s Wu’s…

In Praise of Escapes RECENTLY, I FOUND MYSELF in a 20-foot boat on the May River in South Carolina, where the tides of the Atlantic Ocean fill and drain the salt marsh like a giant saltwater bathtub. As a squadron of pelicans glided low over the glassy gray-green water, the ebb tide lapped at blades of wild oysters, clustered by the thousands in the mud banks of sea grass islands. With Hilton Head Island and Daufuskie Island behind him, captain Trey Snow spied shrimp on his sonar. He cut the engine and cast his net to land the day’s prize, two dozen translucent white shrimp. Hours later, back at Montage Palmetto Bluff resort, I ate some of them on the porch of River House restaurant, where the chefs tempura-fried the meaty essence…

THROUGH A RIOT OF TEXTURE, color, and precision married with ingredients like miso, red bean, and yuzu, Japanese confectioneries capture our imaginations and our taste buds wherever we encounter them. These six Japanese-inspired confections, ranging from chocolate bonbons to luscious cheesecakes and, of course, some truly magical mochi, draw on their makers’ heritage and childhood memories. Call it the ultimate indulgence, but when it comes to dessert time in Japan, we’re all just kids in a candy shop. SUGOI SWEETS These iridescent, hand-painted bonbons from chef Elle Lei are filled with memorable flavors such as milk tea, guava cheesecake, and mango–passion fruit caramel. There’s not a single dud in the box of 24. ($69, sugoisweets.com) PATISSERIE TOMOKO Pastry chef Tomoko Kato’s crowd-favorite chewy mochi stuffed with truffle-like fillings in flavors such as fudgy Earl…

After a lifetime of consuming beverages flavored with high-fructose corn syrup and generic citrus, I was floored by the intensely fruity, creamy varieties before me. THIS PAST OCTOBER, I hit a milestone birthday approximately 6,218 miles from where I had planned to be: wandering the streets of Tokyo on a full-blown ramen-yakitori-takoyaki bender. The pandemic may have quashed those plans, but my wanderlust for Japan remains intact. One of my favorite travel activities is surveying convenience stores to figure out the flavors and textures different cultures value most, and I have long dreamed about eating and drinking my way through Japan’s many great konbini, or convenience stores. Some time ago, I started keeping a list of Japanese beverages I wanted to try on said trip, but I soon realized there was no…

THE RANKS OF CULT CLASSIC kitchenware are tight, filled with the likes of the Le Creuset Dutch oven, KitchenAid stand mixer, and John Boos butcher block. But when it comes to Zojirushi, there’s no one clear iconic product; rice cookers, insulated tumblers, and water boilers all inspire equally ardent followings. The launch of the brand’s first automatic breadmaker in 1988 helped get its name out to the broader American market—before then, Tatsu Yamasaki, president and CEO of Zojirushi America, says that the Zojirushi was mostly found only in Asian groceries and gift shops across the country. Since then, the brand has developed staggering street cred and even released special-edition versions of its tumblers with popular brands like Sanrio’s Hello Kitty and urban fashion label Supreme. Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale, a Japanese-American sake…

ANY VISIT TO TOKYO necessitates a huge appetite and an openness to eating noodles at every hour of the day. From the rise of the sun, you will find locals standing shoulder to shoulder slurping noodles, often soba, served either hot or cold, sometimes topped with tempura, grilled fish cakes, or onsen tamago (soft-cooked egg). Noodles are ubiquitous in Tokyo; the variations are staggering, with an infinite ability to satisfy cravings. On a hurriedly planned family vacation long before COVID-19 paralyzed international travel, my family and I arrived with only very basic knowledge of this iconic city, but with a firm recommendation from a friend to visit Udon Shin. Upon arriving by train to Shinjuku Station, one of the world’s busiest railway hubs, a blur of dizzying lights and arcades—a formidable…