Food & Wine July 2021

2020 CHÂTEAU DE BERNE INSPIRATION ROSÉ ($20) Need a good Provençal rosé for midsummer sipping? Well, what kind of question is that? Everyone does. This zesty version, a blend of Grenache, Cinsaut, and Syrah from an estate (and quite beautiful hotel) tucked away between Marseille and Nice, is ideal. As a bonus, the square-based bottle is unusually striking. 2019 DREW WINES FAÎTE DE MER FARM PINOT NOIR ($45) Jason Drew makes wine on the far edge of Mendocino, right up against the Pacific Ocean. I visited there recently and loved this small-production Pinot from his own organic vineyards; it suggests wild raspberries and dried herbs, with a kind of shimmering intensity. (Easiest place to find it: drewwines.com.) 2016 SMITH-MADRONE NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON ($58) Brothers Stuart and Charlie Smith spent several days last fall fighting…

Point of the Spear ADAM EVANS REMEMBERS the moment when everything he thought he knew about fish changed. The chef had just opened Automatic Seafood and Oysters in Birmingham in 2019 when a local scuba diver brought in red snapper from the Gulf of Mexico. Barely in rigor mortis, their flesh was firm and almost translucent because the fish had been shot through the brain with a speargun, killing them instantly. “I’ve been chasing that quality ever since,” Evans said. Most commercial fishermen haul fish up to the deck of a boat, where they suffocate in the air, Evans explained to me recently while butchering a yellowedge grouper. The stress builds up lactic acid in their flesh, which changes the flavor. Of the 1,000 pounds of fish Evans buys each week, about…

WHILE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY are considered an inseparable pair for good reason, some especially compelling newcomers to the nut butter and jam aisles have forced the question: Why can’t that dynamic duo involve watermelon seed butter and chia jam? Or CBD almond butter plus damson plum? We can’t stop raving about these updated combinations that are sure to excite both PB&J loyalists and change-seekers alike. 1. 88 ACRES ROASTED WATERMELON SEED BUTTER Watermelon season is fleeting, but this unexpected seed butter extends the best part of summer by imbuing subtle sweetness, delicate, chunk-free texture, and just a hint of toasty salinity into sandwiches year-round. ($15, 88acres.com) 2. OMMADE ESPRESSO ECSTASY PEANUT BUTTER Associate Features Editor Nina Friend loves this peanut butter made from Virginia peanuts. It makes for an ideal balance of sweet…

HOW CAN YOU TELL if a kitchen tool is truly worthy of being described as “life-changing”? It doesn’t need to be flashy, expensive, or hard to find; if your eyes light up as you gush to friends about your vacuum sealer, vegetable peeler, or ladle, it’s safe to say that you’ve discovered something particularly special. Congratulations are in order! We invited some of our favorite chefs, cookbook authors, and hosts to wax poetic about the coveted tools they simply can’t imagine cooking, entertaining, or eating without. 01 Atlas Copper Pepper Mill JUSTIN CHAPPLE, FOOD & WINE CULINARY DIRECTOR AT LARGE “I love this exquisite copper pepper mill for its durability and beauty. Each one is handmade entirely of metal, and the steel grinding mechanism is adjustable, too. They were originally used centuries ago…

IF YOU’RE A HANDS-ON HOME COOK, like me, who likes to use your hard-earned skills, intuition, and cookbooks in the kitchen, it’s natural to be a little leery of all the latest tech being integrated into appliances. After all, who wants more screen time, more alerts, and a screaming match with Alexa at dinnertime for not understanding your Australian-inflected English? But even hardened skeptics can’t begrudge an oven that cooks a roast perfectly for you with the push of a button, or a fridge that automatically orders groceries. Welcome to the world of smart-kitchen sorcery, where a new class of appliances won’t just help you get organized—they’ll help you cook and entertain better, too. CLEANING To make after-dinner cleanup a bit less painful, the dishwashers in Miele’s G 7000 series automatically dispense…

ALEXA, I’M COOKING. PLAY SOME MUSIC. “Here is some music you might like,” the robot replies, before rocking my smart speaker with an algorithmically inspired cross-section of my music. While chopping, sautéing, or stirring, I might hear Coldplay’s back-it-up bop “Hymn for the Weekend,” but never the sleepier “Fix You.” Although Alexa may not know exactly what I’m cooking, the music always captures my kitchen mood. That’s because staffers at the major music streaming services curate playlists to match recipes, restaurant patios, and home kitchens, providing some of the most popular smart-speaker content out there. “Not having the music become intrusive is crucial; guests should feel welcomed and relaxed. The mood is more important than popularity,” says Apple Music spokesperson Jessica Bass. She says midtempo, breezy tunes mix well with conversation, so Apple…