Food & Wine August 2024

2022 ANDRÉ BRUNEL CÔTES DU RHÔNE ROUGE ($17) If you need a super deal for any grilled-meat moment this summer or into the fall, it’s hard to beat this Grenache-dominant red, which is made by one of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s top producers. With its blackberry and black cherry flavors and supple tannins, it’s a no-brainer for burgers, sausages, steaks, and more. 2023 RODNEY STRONG ALEXANDER VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC ($25) Rodney Strong is known for its Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc, but its new Alexander Valley bottling adds Musque clone Sauvignon to amp up the wine’s floral, orange-blossom character. It’s intensely refreshing in an almost tingly way—ideal for a warm summer night. NV DOMAINE CARNEROS CUVÉE DE LA POMPADOUR BRUT ROSÉ ($45) I poured this graceful California sparkling wine for a seminar at the…

Slow It Down SOON, I’LL BE HEADING to Northern California for a family vacation. The plan: early morning swims in Lake Tahoe, competitive Rummikub games on the deck with the kids, plenty of rosé (p. 47), and some simple dinner winners from this issue, like the Lemony Braised Chicken with Figs (p. 18), our seasonal ode to Chicken Marbella. I hope you’re enjoying summer and making the most of some well-deserved time off, too. Here are a few things that have inspired me during the making of this issue. HUNTER@FOODANDWINE.COM @NOTESFROMACOOK Summer Hits AN INGREDIENT We’re lucky to live in an age of artisanal everything, but certain ingredients don’t need reinventing. I was reminded of this recently, when I bought a $13 jar of fancy Worcestershire sauce. It looked swanky…

BETWEEN LATE JULY and early September, my North Carolina family lives in thrall to an abundance of fresh, juicy figs—the harvest from our five towering fig trees. What began as casual backyard picking sessions with my mom has escalated into rooftop expeditions during which, equipped with specialized fig-picking sticks and buckets, we gather the figs, all driven by my mom’s desire to “compete with the birds.” The birds aren’t all we’re competing with. Like clockwork, strangers sneak into our yard in the early mornings, attempting to pilfer our harvest. Family, birds, and trespassers, we’re all united by the knowledge that ripe figs are more than a mere sweet treat—they are a treasure to be cherished. Figs have sweetened our world for millennia, and they symbolize peace and fertility across…

AS SOMEONE WHO CRAVES dirty martinis at a rate that easily eclipses her olive consumption, my search for a better way to add a splash of brine—the key ingredient to making any classic martini dirty—was born out of necessity. I found the solution at New York City’s historic Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle hotel, where the red-jacketed bartenders are always willing to chat about the weather, the wait to get in, and the sleek emerald green pouches of Filthy Olive Brine on display there. Filthy produces craft cocktail garnishes and mixers like black cherry syrup, margarita mix, and the olive brine that goes into every one of Bemelmans’ dirty martinis. Previously, Bemelmans used brine from jars of olives, which slowed down the martini-making process. “We can accomplish orders much quicker…

MAYONNAISE IS A DIVISIVE CONDIMENT. You either love it, using it as the foundation for nearly every sandwich, the crisping agent for grilled cheese, and the key to creaminess in your potato salads—or you hate it. And people who hate mayo really hate it. But have these haters considered that, perhaps, they’ve just been eating the wrong mayo all along? Even folks who adore mayonnaise tend not to love all mayonnaise. Many have brands that they swear by, stocking their fridge with jumbo-size jars of it and forswearing all others. At Food & Wine, we put more than 30 store-bought brands to the test to determine, once and for all, which are the greatest mayos of them all. BEST OVERALL DUKE’S REAL MAYONNAISE A combination of egg yolks and egg…

THE BEST DISH RACKS provide an organized and sturdy place to stack your dishes, glassware, and flatware while they dry, but that’s not all. They should also prevent pooling water and be easy to store out of sight when not in use. To find the best dish racks, we tested more than 25 top-rated picks, selecting styles with various features, drying capabilities, and footprints to ensure you find one that works for your kitchen space. From an over-the-sink pick that eliminates swamped countertops to a space-saving collapsible design, here are the best dish racks—the ones that aced our tests. BEST OVERALL SIMPLEHUMAN STEEL FRAME DISH RACK Our top honors go to this comprehensive Simplehuman design (pictured above). The sturdy stainless steel frame has one of the widest footprints of any…