Food & Wine May 2022

2019 MONTENIDOLI TRADIZIONALE VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO ($30) This Italian white is lightly smoky, with flavors recalling golden apples and pears; a little peppery intensity rises on the finish. I wouldn’t call it an orange wine, though technically it might be (the Vernaccia grapes macerate on their skins); instead, it just has remarkable texture and depth. 2020 MELVILLE ESTATE CHARDONNAY ($40) At Melville winery in Santa Barbara County, proprietor Chad Melville poured me three vintages of his estate Chardonnay. The current 2020 vintage suggests fragrant honeysuckle, lemon zest, and salty minerality, while the 2013 and 2003 made it clear that some California Chardonnays age beautifully. 2018 PIERRE GELIN FIXIN ($50) As Burgundy prices rise, the best places to look in the historical home of Pinot Noir are lesser-known villages like Fixin. Pierre Gelin is a…

Flavor Towns, USA IN 2017, I JOINED FOOD & WINE as we moved half of our editorial operations from New York City to Birmingham, Alabama, to be closer to new test kitchens and video studios. The news raised a few eyebrows from provincial big-city chefs and media peers, in part because the magazine’s identity had always been New York City–first since it launched in 1978. But I’d already decamped for Birmingham, a burgeoning food city in its own right, a few years before, and I knew that having editors based in multiple cities would broaden our perspectives and also help us understand how more of you cook, shop, entertain, and travel. “There are sophisticated food eaters and wine drinkers everywhere now, in cities big and small,” I told The New York Times…

TERROIR—THE WAY A REGION’S soil and climate influence a food’s flavor—is commonly used to describe wine, spirits, and coffee. It’s also rapidly becoming an exciting way to differentiate among honeys, which can take your tastebuds to Northern California, Hawaii, Italy’s Piedmont, and beyond. Here are five jars that smell and taste as sweet as a much-needed vacation. 1. BRIGHTLAND THE COUPLET RAW HONEY SET Known for their beautifully packaged and sustainably sourced olive oils, Brightland founder Aishwarya Iyer and her team have partnered with family-run farms to produce a delightful pair of honeys. There’s a classic floral California orange blossom honey from the Central Valley and a complex wildflower honey sourced from Kauai, Hawaii, that has scrumptious, molasses-like notes. ($42, brightland.co) 2. WAI MELI HONEY Macadamia blossoms from the Pa’auilo bee yards of Hawaii…

IF THERE’S ONE TIP I feel confident sharing about going to Japan, it’s that your first meal shouldn’t be at some iconic sushi place or secret yakitori spot only chefs seem to know about: It should be at 7-Eleven. Between the jet lag from the long flight messing up your sense of reality, the flashing lights, and the crowds, the first 24 hours in a place like Tokyo risk feeling like an urban fun house. The Japanese version of the famous convenience store, where you can get canned iced coffee that rivals any pricey cold brew in the States, crispy karaage, as well as bento boxes, makes the transition a little easier. And then there’s the egg salad sandwich. After a lifetime getting them in school lunches, I never believed something…

WHEN I FIRST CAME ACROSS Cadence’s cheery, pastel-hued hexagonal canisters designed to minimize waste when traveling with toiletries, I brushed them off as a clever product that I didn’t really need in an era when I’m simply not vacationing as much as I’d like to. But then I found myself idly wondering how else one might use them. Cadence capsules, with their handy magnetic walls that enable multiple capsules to adhere to one another, are made using certified ocean-bound plastic, which also happens to be food-safe. The lids are also leakproof and dishwasher-friendly. How might they work for food? I decided to find out. I started using the capsules to transport heaping tablespoons (almost .6 ounce!) of dried mint, sumac, and peppercorns for afternoons spent cooking in friends’ apartments, getaways at…

FOR MOST TRAVELERS, staying at a hotel is par for the course when it comes to planning a getaway. While hotels do their part to offer a host of perks, amenities, and accommodations, the guest plays just as important a role in fostering a pleasant experience—for themselves, for their fellow travelers, and for their hosts. Corinne Finn-Heyl, general manager of The Boca Raton Yacht Club, says having grace with hospitality professionals as they navigate the new travel norms can go a long way. “Now more than ever, appreciation, respect, and gratitude are important for our industry. There are staffing issues all over the world, and hospitality is still working, but with less. Good hotel etiquette will make their day,” she says. Now that travel is once again on an upswing,…