Food & Wine September 2024

2023 BISOL CREDE VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO SUPERIORE BRUT ($26) One of my favorite late-summer activities is sitting in the tree-shaded patio at Popina in Brooklyn during aperitivo hour. A glass of Bisol Prosecco—from a family that’s grown grapes since the 16th century—and a plate of Don Bocarte anchovies and marinated olives make it easy to forget life’s problems for quite a while. 2022 CLAY SHANNON EL COYOTE CHARDONNAY ($17) Made with organic grapes from the Shannon family’s 1,000-acre Lake County estate, this lemon-creamy Chardonnay is rich enough to satisfy old-school Chard lovers yet has enough zip for those who lean more crisp and zesty. Either way, it went spectacularly well with a lobster, chicken, and chorizo paella cooked on a grill by the water in Maine. 2023 DOMAINE TEMPIER BANDOL ROSÉ…

Living History MINE IS A RICE FAMILY. Our weeknight staples are jasmine or sushi rice, but when the occasion feels celebratory, I’ll upgrade to Carolina Gold from Anson Mills, rinsing the starch off the rice until the water runs clear so each grain will fluff up and retain its individual character. Popping the lid off the rice cooker and inhaling the earthy, popcorn-y fragrance of the steamed rice is a ritual to savor, even more so now that I know the origin story of this particular noble grain. Last year, I visited the new International African American Museum on the waterfront in Charleston, which overlooks the harbor that once served as the portal for an estimated 40% of all enslaved people who were brought to these shores. As I learned at…

CHOOSING A WINE to go with a specific dish is usually all about flavor. But when it comes to pairing wines with spicy food, you need to consider more than your taste buds. The foods we tend to categorize as spicy don’t just impart flavor—they cause a physical reaction. Which wines work best with spicy dishes—whether it’s mapo tofu with its tingly heat, sushi with a dab of nose-zapping wasabi, or tacos liberally doused with Cholula—depends on what type of spiciness you’re working with. Chiles gain their heat from capsaicin, a naturally occurring chemical compound. Numbing spiciness—think Szechuan peppercorns—comes from an entirely different source. And the pungency you encounter in ingredients like mustard and horseradish comes from yet another compound. Each elicits a different physical response, which in turn impacts…

IF YOU’RE NOT going to finish a bottle of wine in one sitting, a set of quality wine stoppers is a must. Wine starts to oxidize the second it’s opened, but resealing the bottle can help preserve its aromas, flavors, and freshness for days or even weeks. From simple silicone stoppers to long-term wine preservation systems that can reseal a bottle for years, here are four of our favorite wine stoppers. For the best results, put your resealed bottles of wine in the fridge. (Let red wines come back to room temperature before serving.) 1. BEST OVERALL VACU VIN WINE SAVER In this two-part system, a silicone wine stopper is inserted into the neck of the bottle, and a small hand-operated pump removes air from the bottle to create an…

AS THE OWNER OF LIHOLIHO YACHT CLUB and Good Good Culture Club, two restaurants that thoughtfully draw inspiration from his Hawaiian upbringing, chef Ravi Kapur is uninterested in leaning into stereotypes about the island’s food and culture. “In 2018, I had an uncle pass at his home in Maui, and the night before the funeral, my family and I were just decompressing with tropical drinks and beers by the pool,” he says. “My palate got exhausted from these delicious but very sugary, kind of cloying drinks.” Looking down on the vista and ocean from his aunt’s home, Kapur realized that the sweet, tropical drinks many people associate with Hawaii failed to showcase the island’s indigenous ingredients. The day after the funeral, he headed to the local farmers market and felt…

IN THE LATE 1940S, Rita Hayworth turned heads in Hollywood with her sultry, sharp-tongued, titular role in the movie Gilda. Hayworth’s character also made a lasting impression further afield in Spain, at Casa Vallés bar in Donostia-San Sebastián, inspiring the creation of a pintxo—a tiny, toothpick-speared snack—that still bears her character’s name today. The new pintxo was so popular that it was quickly adopted by other spots throughout the city. It is now Basque country’s most iconic bar snack. Alluring yet bracing and with plenty of bite, the original Gilda has it all: olive (manzanilla), anchovy (Cantabrian, ideally), and pickled peppers (specifically guindilla chiles). Salt, fat, acid, and just a little heat. Drizzled with good olive oil, maybe resting on a small slice of bread, she’s the ideal pintxo—just enough…