Grant Achatz, chef of Alinea, the famous Chicago restaurant, was recently in Europe as a judge for the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year. He will soon be opening a pop-up restaurant in Madrid. Here he is interviewed by Gabriele Zanatta of Identita Golose.
It is always a pity to spill wine, especially great wine, but sometimes it does happen and can be frustrating. Conrad, from the Wine Wankers, a hugely successful Australian site, has written about the subject and sampled a red wine stain remover called Chateau Spill. What difference is there to using white wine to remove the stains? You can see the difference in results here.
There are always mixed feelings about the sublime pleasure of great food and wine pairing. Here is an interesting article about the subject which explains why finding balance when pairing food and wine is essential.
Do you want the perfect recipe for guacamole? Thanks to Hong Kong Tatler Dining we might have found it. We will surely be giving it a try.
Marina O’Loughlin has an interesting article about some of UK’s most beautiful plates of food. She quotes author Diana Henry saying that “I honestly think that if a plate of food looks good, it can taste better.” Take a look here.
There has been some controversy in Italy about a ruling in Brussels that will allow cheese making in Italy to use powdered milk. There is fear among Italians that this will lead to the loss of their distinct cheeses. The Financial Times has an interesting article on the subject.
It is always interesting to know what is happening in Bordeaux. Gavin Quinney of Chateau Bauduc has written a report about the 2015 vintage in Bordeaux so far, as he braced himself for the heatwave that has hit in recent days.
The Greek wine region of Santorini is amazing and if you have yet to discover its wine, we would highly recommend that you look for these wines. The white wines from the Assyrtiko grapes made in this volcanic island are very distinct and excellent. Here is an interesting wine lesson by Eric Asimov on these wines.
Written by the same author, you may want to read about Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain. He rightly argues that sparkling wine ends up always being compared to Champagne or cheap Champagne and the comparison is inevitable. Asimov writes that he hopes one day that selecting a cava will not be simply a matter of price but of a desire for its winning characteristics.
When we were in Modena we were surprised by how good Lambrusco tasted in comparison to its reputation, and we discovered the bad reputation comes from the fact that the wine which is normally exported is not the real thing. This is slowly starting to change. It is indeed really worth looking and asking for a real Lambrusco. The Wine Spectator has recently written about it.
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