We’re so inspired by Nous, a progressive cooperative based on sharing resources, regenerative practices encouraging soil health and biodiversity, and enabling small farmers to succeed in an industry dominated by BIG wine. Could this be the future for small-scale natural winemaking?
A primer on organic wine certification levels and what they mean from our friend Amanda Simpson of organic wine distributor Mountain Peoples Wine.
So, you’re planning a trip to Napa or Sonoma and want the bucolic wine country experience. But now, you’re fully aware of the difference between conventional and natural wine, so you can’t just head up Highway 29 and wing it like in the old days, before you KNEW. A quandary, for sure, as most of Napa isn’t farmed organically. And generally winemaking there is very formulaic, the following of a recipe to achieve a consistent product that gets the scores and justifies the price tag. In other words, the opposite of natural. Because, let’s be honest, most visitors are coming for the Disneyland wine country experience — the perfectly groomed vineyards, the cult Cabernets, the fancy shit.
We sit down to talk to Pamela Busch, founder of The Vinguard and it’s annual event, WINeFare — initiatives driven by women and gender-nonconforming individuals that are committed to social justice, environmental protection, and shared mentorship in the world of wine, with a focus on natural wine.
It is imperative, now more than ever, that we dig into the human side of our favorite wines, and ask how our favorite producers create sustainable work environments, not just vineyards. We wanted to know what an alternative to the existing labor system could look like for wine producers and for workers, so we took a deeper look at Stolpman Vineyards.
You’ve probably heard the term “volcanic wine” thrown around lately. As in, “I only drink volcanic wines these days,” from your hipster friend, or “I heard about this volcanic wine from Etna called Susucaru from Action Bronson, but I can’t find it anywhere,” from about a million followers of Action’s Vice show, F**ck That’s Delicious.
I love winter, and the excuse to hunker down and get cozy. Put on a wooly sweater, some fluffy socks and break out the red wine. But pairing red wines with the food we normally eat – fish, veggies, salads – can be challenging. So this recipe, which relies on the earthy, umami-ness of mushrooms and miso and a long, slow cook for depth and complexity, has become a cold weather staple. It’s rich and satisfying, and I might venture to say, even better than the meaty original.
There’s a ton of excellent natural wine out there, one just needs to know how to find it. But without ingredient labels to guide you, you might be asking yourself: “how do I find such wines if my wine shop/restaurant server/local Whole Foods doesn’t know anything about how the wine is made?” Answer: acquaint yourselves with the importers who specialize in low-intervention wines! information alone will provide important clues about the style and constitution of the juice, and help guide you when choosing blindly.
We eat salmon at least once a week in our house. It’s a nutritional superstar, full of brain-boosting, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids — and all of us, including my two little guys, love it. This recipe, from Indian goddess Madhur Jaffrey’s book At Home with Madhur Jaffrey, is in constant rotation.
Full disclosure: I am obsessed with all things Moon Juice, a Venice, CA juice/lifestyle brand based on medicinal herbs, whole foods and the soothing cosmic wisdom of fabulous founder Amanda Chantal Bacon. The whole package is right up my nouveau-hippie alley. Expensive, yes, but can one really put a price on optimal health or eternal beauty? Priceless I say! So […]
I’m a mom of two young boys, a sommelier, a former restaurateur, and a passionate home cook. I believe in eating well and celebrating life every day, not just on weekends or holidays or vacation. With delicious, healthy food, good wine and family and friends gathered around the table. This is my happy place.
My goal is to inspire to get you into the kitchen, and to take the mystery out of serving wine with food. On a Tuesday night. With picky eaters, even toddlers. It’s totally doable. Especially with a glass of wine. Trust me.
