Sip & Savor | Summer 2021 by Rosebud Media

Summer 2021

Su m m e r 2 0 2 1

ADVERTISING INDEX Cartwright’s Market .....................................8

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S TA F F CEO & Publisher: Steven Saslow

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Director of Advertising & Marketing: Scott Sussman Design & Production: Paul Bunch, John Sullivan Retail Sales Supervisor: Laura Perkins Sip & Savor is published quarterly by the Rosebud Media Advertising Department 111 N Fir St., Medford, OR 97501 General Information: (541) 776-4422

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on local restaurant & winery gift certificates!

ONLINE GIFT CERTIFICATE SALE 5 DAYS ONLY! Monday, June 21 through Friday, June 25 On Monday, June 21, go to SOGiftCards.com and find gift certificates from dozens of local restaurants, wineries, and local businesses for 10% off face value. On Tuesday, they will be 20% off, and so on until the final day of the sale on Friday, June 25, when all remaining gift certificates will be 50% off. Buy as many as you like, but don’t wait too long - the certificate to your favorite local business may be gone!

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Questions? Please contact the Rosebud Media Advertising Department at (541) 776-4422

Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

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Asian noodle varieties

and how to use them: Rice, udon, ramen, soba, glass and more by Becky Krystal

Talk about Asian noodles and you’re going to need to be more specific. In fact, there’s so much variety under this umbrella category it’s unfair to even lump them all together. Flat, round, thick, thin, wheat, rice, buckwheat, starch - there are so many types and so many ways to use them. “The world of noodles is its own world,” says cookbook author Hetty McKinnon, whose new book, “To Asia, With Love,” includes a chapter devoted to noodles. “There are lots of different noodles that can satisfy you in different ways.” Fellow cookbook author Andrea Nguyen, author of “Vietnamese Food Any Day,” notes that the diversity of Asian noodles is partly attributable to local tastes and regional dishes. Ingredient availability is another factor, such as the prevalence of rice noodles (and paper) in Vietnamese cuisine. And some noodles, due to their shape and makeup,

Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

are better suited to some dishes than others, Nguyen says. If you’re looking for guidance on how to differentiate between the options, and how best to prep and use them, this guide is for you. Shopping First, you need to know where to look. The biggest selection will be on a dry goods aisle, especially at most chain supermarkets. At Asian markets, you’ll need to expand your search depending on what you want. You can find noodles that are sold fresh, in the refrigerated case, including some types of rice, egg, ramen and wheat. In the freezer aisle, you may come across udon. Nguyen says noodles you buy fresh can also be frozen once you get home. Be sure to read the labels, particularly the ingredient list, and examine what you’re buying. Vermicelli can be used to refer to noodles made with rice or

mung bean starch. Glass noodles might describe those made with sweet potato or mung bean starches. Especially in a typical grocery store, labels may be more generic, Nguyen says, with such names as “rice sticks” or “Chinese noodles.” Particularly if you’ve made the effort to get to a specialty market, don’t be afraid to stock up. Dried noodles will last indefinitely, and frozen ones for many months, too. The varieties Here’s a brief rundown of some of your options, a good number of which are gluten-free and vegan. Egg noodles: McKinnon says she’s been surprised how often people conflate pasta with noodles, but these golden yellow noodles made with egg and wheat are one of the more similar Asian equivalents to the Italian staple. Find them fresh or

dried, with a number of different names and sizes, including lo mein, chow mein and wonton (thick or thin). They have a nice chew to them. Egg noodles are very versatile and can go in soups and salads or be fried, McKinnon says. Ramen noodles: Japan has made an art of these fresh, chewy wheat noodles served with broth and toppings. They can be sold fresh or frozen. Outside of a restaurant setting, many of us are familiar with the dormroom-staple dried instant noodles of the same name, sold with flavoring packets and oil. But don’t swear them off. You can follow the lead of McKinnon and many others by ditching the extras and just keeping the noodles to use in your own soups and broths. McKinnon says ramen noodles are great pan-fried, and Nguyen says some cold salads are made with them as well. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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Rice noodles: The multitude of rice noodles alone can make your head spin. They range from thin, round vermicelli to wide, flat planks akin to pappardelle. They’re also very versatile, appearing in soups, salads and stir-fries. Nguyen says that rice noodles are neutral in flavor, meaning they can go either direction flavor-wise, from lighter broths all the way to bolder Thai dishes made with a rich coconut sauce. Don’t be alarmed if you see tapioca on the ingredients of rice noodles, which Nguyen says is added for stability, as they can be fragile in both dried and cooked forms. They’ll still be gluten-free and vegan either way. Soba noodles: These thin, round noodles are made from gluten-free buckwheat, though some brands include wheat in the mix, which would render them unsuitable for those with gluten-free needs. McKinnon calls soba “one of my favorite noodles of all time.” They’re great for cold salads, she says, and can fall apart more when served warm. Cool them in the fridge or an ice bath before using to help firm up the starches. Nguyen says buckwheat noodles absorb sauces well and, thanks to the somewhat nutty flavor, can hold their own against bold flavors, such as green onion. Somen noodles: Don’t confuse these with soba or ramen. Somen are very thin (more akin to vermicelli), white and made

of wheat. They’re vegan. While they’re traditionally served cold with a dashi dipping sauce, McKinnon uses them in soups as well. Glass noodles: The term “glass noodles” can refer to two different noodles made with root starches, both of which are vegan and gluten-free. The type made with sweet potato starch may also be labeled as sweet potato noodles or Korean glass noodles, McKinnon says. They’re what you find in japchae, a Korean stir-fry. Mung bean vermicelli (or cellophane noodles, bean threads, bean thread noodles) are made from mung bean starch, and McKinnon recommends them for salads, soups and braised dishes. Glass noodles can serve as a filler in Vietnamese rolls, according to Nguyen. As you might guess, both types of noodles turn just about clear when cooked. They are sturdy with a robust chew and “absorb flavor like little sponges,” Nguyen says, noting that starch-based noodles tend to have a bouncier bite than wheat-based ones. Udon noodles: These thick, white wheat noodles are often in soups, though McKinnon says they can be stir-fried, too. She recommends going for fresh noodles that are either frozen or vacuum-sealed. Dried, straight noodles labeled as udon “are not the real deal and will give you a very different finish.” Nguyen says she’s also had cold salads made with udon, with the wheat soaking up the sauce: “It totally

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worked.” Wheat noodles: Simply made of wheat and water, these vegan noodles have “a springy texture and are a good ‘any occasion’ noodle that can be adapted to most dishes, particularly stir-fries or soups,” McKinnon writes in the book. She adds that they’re also a good substitute for recipes that may call for ramen noodles. Nguyen likes thicker wheat noodles pan-fried, too. Find wheat noodles fresh or dried. Prep tips McKinnon recommends reading the instructions on whatever noodle you purchase, as the advice can vary by brand even for the same variety. That’s just a start, though. Nguyen is less wedded to what the package says. “They don’t know what you’re going to be doing with the noodle,” she says. “You gotta test it yourself.” If the noodles are going to be subjected to additional heat after boiling, such as in a soup or stir-fry, you may want to slightly undercook them - similar to the al dente conventional wisdom about pasta - so that they don’t veer into mushiness in the finished dish. Even noodles that you plan to pan-fry into a crispy “noodle pillow,” as Nguyen puts it, before adding toppings can stand to be a little underdone. (Not all recipes require cooking, as some call for the noodles to be soaked first instead.) Keep in mind that noodles can continue to absorb moisture, so, for example, don’t let your udon or ra-

men sit around too long in broth lest you end up with wet noodles instead of soup. McKinnon and Nguyen offer a couple of strategies for making sure noodles don’t clump together while you wait to add them to a recipe. One tip Nguyen shares is that when she drains the noodles she places a small cup in the center of the colander, which keeps them from sticking together in the middle. Rinse the noodles under cold running water once or twice and drain. If you’re waiting awhile to use them (such as for a cold salad), you can let them hang out in an ice bath, or toss them with oil and refrigerate. For shorter waits, you may choose to just leave the noodles in the colander, and if you find they’ve adhered to one another, simply run them back under cold water, Nguyen says. Be ready to experiment Look through McKinnon’s book and you’ll find noodles given the full cross-cultural treatment, including cacio e pepe udon and shawarma “Singapore” noodles made with rice vermicelli. “I kind of think of them as a blank canvas,” she says. And don’t be afraid to swap noodle types depending on availability or dietary needs. “Go for it,” Nguyen says, giving examples of people who have made her vermicelli bowls with pad thai-size noodles or her pho with vermicelli. Just be aware you may need to adjust the cooking time or method and could end up with a different, if still equally enjoyable, result. ■

on local restaurant & winery gift certificates!

On Monday, June 21, go to SOGiftCards.com and find gift certificates from dozens of local restaurants, wineries, and local businesses for 10% off face value. On Tuesday, they will be 20% off, and so on until the final day of the sale on Friday, June 25, when all remaining gift certificates will be 50% off. Buy as many as you like, but don’t wait too long - the certificate to your favorite local business may be gone!

ONLINE GIFT CERTIFICATE SALE 5 DAYS ONLY! Monday, June 21 through Friday, June 25

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Questions? Please contact the Rosebud Media Advertising Department at (541) 776-4422

Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

Tight on space?

Turn a closet into a ‘cloffice.’ by Jura Koncius

The cloffice - a closet that doubles as an office - wasn’t born during the pandemic. The concept has been around for some time. But with the explosion of working and learning from home, more people strapped for space have taken a good, hard look at the tiniest nooks in their homes. “All of a sudden, with people being at home all the time, our houses were faced with so many needs and were being stretched,” says Mary Maydan of Maydan Architects in Palo Alto, Calif. “People needed more spaces to work and speak quietly and be able to close the door.” Cloffices sprang up on Pinterest, and Instagram was peppered with #cloffice selfies. It struck a chord, especially with those struggling for privacy in small apartments and those looking for a separation between work and living spaces. Cute little workspaces with simple white desktops, bold paint or wallpaper, and compact pastel office chairs have emerged. Others have a modern, minimalist look, with white walls, wood or stone desktops, and sleek lighting. Some people use cloffices as tiny craft rooms. And in larger cloffices, a laptop and files may share space with shoes and party dresses. When the pandemic began, Christine Warnke already had a cloffice in the entry hall of her two-bedroom Washington, D.C., condo. Warnke, who works in global business development, had turned part of a closet for out-of-season clothes into a compact workspace using the Container Store’s Elfa desk and shelf system. “It was so great during covid, as I needed a designated space to clear my head,” Warnke says. Her small desk is big enough for her laptop, calendar

and lamp, plus a vase of flowers. She swiped one of the fuchsia Trica dining chairs she had bought at the D.C. shop Theodores to put by the desk, because it was the perfect scale for the space. Mirrored sliding doors from Home Depot add sparkle. Nina Cooke John of Studio Cooke John in New York created a clean and modern cloffice for psychologist Eva Burt in her Upper West Side apartment. Burt’s family of four was stretched for working surfaces, and she wanted her own space for conducting telehealth appointments with patients and storing family paperwork. Cooke John took a deep storage closet with 10-foot ceilings and tricked it out. Cooke John put in a combination of closed/open storage and made space for keeping files, manuals and kids’ artwork. She installed double French doors, because, she says, “if the office was going to be in a closet, then the doors had to be translucent. She could close the doors and still get light and not feel like she was sitting in a closet.” Cooke John says she’s always figuring out how to make use of every square inch in a home, but during the pandemic, this became even more important. If you’re a bit handy and creative, you can install a basic cloffice yourself. If you need some help, though, or want something a bit more custom, a handy person, interior designer or remodeler can help you. Alexandra Gater, a Toronto home-decor YouTuber who specializes in “helping millennials

decorate their rental spaces on a budget,” installed a cute cloffice in her 800-square-foot apartment. “I did it pretty soon after I moved in. I had just started my business, and I needed a place to store my laptop, stationery everything,” she says. The previous tenant on the top floor of the Victorian had used green paint in a three-foot-wide storage closet, which opened into the living room. For $200, Gater transformed it. First, she painted it with Modern Love, a “warm, muted pink” by Backdrop. “Pink is my favorite color,” she says, “and I wanted to create separation from the rest of my apartment.” She added components from Ikea: the Ekby Alex shelf with drawers; a Lack wall shelf; and the Skadis pegboard, which, she says, maximizes her vertical storage space. At the end of the day, she closes the doors, so she can put her work behind her and relax. “In the pandemic, it’s been a great thing to have, to create separation between my living space and workspace,” she says.

Last year, two D.C.-area designers, Pamela Black and Don Love, collaborated on a cloffice when they ran out of room for a home office as part of a Foggy Bottom condo renovation. They took a 7-by-7-foot closet and designed a desk and cabinetry to provide storage for files and room for a printer. A grass cloth (Shinto/ Jute by Clay McLaurin Studio) wall covering added texture and color. “We really like to use wallpaper in small spaces, such as powder rooms, since they can be so boring,” Love says. “It really makes the space.” Maydan recently turned a small closet off a kitchen in a 1930s San Francisco apartment into a private office for a client. She says the goal is “to make even a tiny space feel more welcoming and open and airy. You don’t want to feel like you are stuck in a closet.” In this 81/2-by-6-foot cloffice, a sliding-glass door was installed to let in natural light. She’s a big fan of floating desks in little CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Summer 2021 ▪ Sip & Savor

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spaces such as this. She suggests avoiding anything chunky in terms of desks or built-ins, which can overwhelm a small space. She also prefers drawers over open shelving to conceal clutter. “Lighting is important in a small space and such an amazing way to make a statement and make a space look styled,” Gater says. Her closet came with a single lightbulb. “I changed the ceiling light to a hanging simple pendant to look more decorative,” she says. For the Upper West Side apartment, Cooke John installed a modern brass light fixture with three adjustable heads. One of them can act as a task light. “This client doesn’t like too much glare on her computer, so we did not put in under-cabinet lights,” Cooke John says. “Sometimes, for other clients, we have added a task light on an adjustable arm that attaches to the wall.” Cloffices can reflect your style, whether Bohemian or corporate, and your personality. Or not. The most important thing is to ensure the space is comfortable and cool. Choose a sturdy and, if possible, ergonomic office chair that’s scaled to your space. Add a small rug, plants and a wastebasket,

and install organizers to hold your office supplies. Chuck Ludmer, an executive coach in Palm Beach, Fla., needed space in his two-bedroom condo to hold videoconferences. New York designer Michael Borden saw potential in a six-foot-wide closet in Ludmer’s guest room. Ludmer asked for “something with a nice high-tech feel.” The result was a sleek black granite built-in desk and a white faux leather office chair. Ludmer wanted his meetings to sound professional, even if he was talking from a former closet. “If you’re in a closet, you don’t want it to sound like you’re in a closet,” Ludmer says. He ordered wall-mounted acoustic panels from Amazon that have textured fabric to absorb sound. A black steel rolling mobile pedestal file cabinet from Staples provides three drawers to hold office essentials. And comfort is about more than just a plush or ergonomic chair. Burt says low air circulation in her cloffice sent her on a search for a fan. She found a small bladeless fan on Amazon that operates quietly. “I plug it in, and it creates a little bit of a breeze,” Burt says. ■

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Vineyard soils

How they affect the taste of your wine by Dave McIntyre

Special To The Washington Post

Here’s a fun exercise for less than $25 that will help you explore one of the great mysteries of wine. Two white wines from northern Portugal - the popular light, refreshing vinho verde - made by the same producer, from the same grape variety and in the same manner. The difference? One is made from grapes grown on granite soil, the other from grapes grown on schist. And they taste different. Not a lot, but noticeably so. Importer Fran Kysela, of Kysela Père et Fils in Winchester, Va., was tasting wines at Adega Ponte de Lima, a cooperative winery, in January 2019, when he noticed distinctions between two tanks of vinho verde. When he learned that the only difference was the soil type in the vineyards, he decided to bottle them separately. Concept design, label approvals and pandemic-related shipping delays later, the 2020 vintage of Encostas do Lima Vinho Verde Granite and Schist are now in the market. “The Granite has more bass notes, power and viscosity, while Schist has more aromatics, lightness and acidity,” Kysela told me. “They really do stand out as different and unique.” To my palate, the Granite is tightly focused and rooted in the earth. The Schist looks to the sky with its aromas of citrus blossom and tropical fruit - it is more diaphanous in texture. Now I’m not arguing - and neither is Kysela - that you can taste granite or schist in these wines, or that the vines somehow draw minerals directly from the ground into the grapes. But soil clearly influences how a wine tastes. Wine lovers rhapsodize about terroir, a romantic if imprecise term that explains a wine’s “sense of place.” The ancient

Romans and Greeks noticed that some vineyards produced consistently better wines than others. Cistercian monks identified the best vineyards in Burgundy, which are recognized today as grand cru or premier cru and fetch high prices for their wines. Terroir includes not just soil, but also climate, altitude, the direction a vineyard faces and even the actions of the winemaker. I wrote a few years ago about an experiment at Pollak Vineyards in Virginia that compared cabernet franc wines grown in different soils just a few feet apart. The wine grown on a mix of gravelly loam and clay soil was deeper in color and more complex in flavor than one grown on simple clay soil. Of course, most wines we drink are blends from different areas of a vineyard or different vineyards altogether. So does this concept of terroir even matter, in a practical sense? Scientists have tested the legend of terroir, either to debunk it as a myth or to prove it. A recent peer-reviewed study sponsored by the Catena Institute of Wine in Argentina found that it is possible to identify the vineyard a wine was grown in through chemical analysis. The study analyzed three vintages of malbec wines grown in 23 vineyard parcels smaller than a hectare (2.5 acres) throughout 12 geographical indications (appellations) and six larger zones in Mendoza, Argentina’s main wine region. While vintage variations in climate were the most important factor in identifying wines, the researchers were able to point out wines from 11 of

the 23 parcels, with the other 12 parcels placed with 83% certainty. In other words: Yes, terroir exists and it can be measured. For more proof that terroir can be tasted, I participated in a recent online tasting for media by Dan Petroski, winemaker of California’s Larkmead Vineyards, and geologist Brenna Quig-

gravel wine was lean and focused. Poured over clay, a liquid spreads to the side and then sifts slowly through the dirt - the wine grown on clay was broader, fatter in texture, even a bit thick. With sandy soils, liquid filters through more quickly than clay, but slower than on gravel. Our tasting didn’t include

ley. Larkmead is located at the “hourglass” point of Napa Valley, squeezed between mountains to the east and west. That means all the geologic shifts over millennia filtered through this narrow strip of land, giving the vineyards at Larkmead a diverse palette of soils. We tasted three barrel samples of cabernet sauvignon from 2019, vinified in the same way, but grown on parcels of three soil types, about 650 feet apart. The soil types were gravel, clay and sand, and Petroski said the differences in the wines focused on texture. He described each in terms of soils in a flower pot: Pour water (or wine) over gravel in a pot and the liquid drains quickly around the stones - the

blending the three wines, but I tried it afterward, and my impromptu mix was seamless and delicious. I will be eager to try Larkmead’s estate cabernet, a blend of wines from the three soils. And although this was billed as a “soil tasting,” we didn’t actually taste the dirt samples included in the package. Petroski did ostentatiously chug a “sample” from a similar test tube, but he quickly admitted it was filled with Oreo cookie crumbs. After all, we don’t have to taste the actual soil to taste its influence on the wine. Dave McIntyre blogs at dmwineline. com. ■ Summer 2021 ▪ Sip & Savor

The new American status symbol: A backyard that’s basically a fancy living room by Karen Heller

Special to The Washington Post

Bill Paliouras dreamed of a backyard Eden. Not your garden-variety deck with stackable plastic chairs and a kettle charcoal grill - why settle for that? - but a loaded, supersize, deckedout deck with an outdoor living room, dining area, 54-inch grill, full kitchen, bar, two-draft kegerator, oversized island, massive weatherproof television, elaborate sound system and semicircular fire lounge. “I’m Greek. I love being outside. I wanted to extend my outdoor living during the winter,” says the 45-year-old dentist. His deck kitchen is only a few steps from the family’s sublime indoor one. What else? A second dining area, a pizza oven and a mammoth rotisserie grill from Greece. To control climate and mood, a louvered roof, infrared heaters, ceiling fans and Vegas-level lighting. Leading to the pool area, Paliouras desired twin curved staircases because - and this is a common exterior design request - “I wanted to replicate the inside part of my house outside.” Sean McAleer completed the dream deck in June for $350,000; Paliouras’s entire outdoor extravaganza including landscaping, pool, waterfall, slide, hot tub and grotto, totaled $550,000. “Why would you want to go to the beach when you can hang out on a beautiful deck with a TV, day beds and refrigerator?” asks McAleer, owner of Deck Remodelers. “It’s all there.” The project claimed first place in a 2020 North American deck competition - yes, there are awards for such things - and it became an Instagram hit with well over a million views. “Everybody wants to come,” Paliouras says. Friends dubbed his oasis “Paliouras Paradise” and “The Resort.”

Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

Outdoor spaces are many things these days but rustic is not one of them. Neither is natural. For many well-to-do Americans and those who aspire to join their ranks, the backyard has become the ultimate family room, a place to be decorated and tamed, a receptacle for stylish stuff, while nature is held at bay. During the past decade, decks transformed into major design statements. Patios mimic hotel lobbies. Backyards are stage sets, with dramatic lightscaping after the sun recedes. Pools, if you’re fortunate to have one, are excuses for ever-proliferating furniture and conversation areas. It’s the Great Fauxdoors. “We have a very interior design look outside,” says Lindsay Foster, senior director of merchandising for Frontgate, the high-end decor company. “We put tassels and fringes on our outdoor throw pillows.” (They have indoor prices, starting at $139.) In 2012, Frontgate offered a dozen coordinated outdoor furniture collections. Today, it features more than 30 with evocative names like St. Kitts, Palermo and Newport. Americans long made do with lawns, nature’s outdoor rug. This is no longer enough. Now, we have actual outdoor rugs, a design statement to tie the outdoor living room together, the outdoors being a place to be coordinated and tied together, and where feet require protection from dirt, heat, and cold. We’re glamping without ever having to leave home. “People want being outdoors to be as sophisticated as an indoor living room,” says Los Angeles designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. Interior design long exhorted homeowners “to bring the outside in,” embellishing rooms with plants, wood,

stone and natural light. Today’s design ethos inverts this, turning the inside out: outdoor living rooms, deluxe kitchens with cooler drawers, a luxury grill that rivals any stove in size and price, elaborate sound systems, and supersize, weather-durable televisions. “When we were kids, parents would say ‘stop watching television and go outside,’ “ says McAleer. “Now, you can go outside and watch television.” Exterior decorating was on the rise before coronavirus shutdowns, possibly because

some folks ran out of rooms to revamp. Investment in the outdoors makes sense when you consider how much time, pre-pandemic, many workers spent in offices with sealed windows, fluorescent lighting and view-thwarting cubicles, nature seeming as distant as Mars. During the pandemic, the home transformed into everything - office, school, gym, asylum. The backyard’s status became more exalted, a safe space where we could gather. McAleer’s business doubled this year while scarcity of building materials

forced prices up 30 percent. He completes 125 decks a year at an average cost of $125,000. Despite the dalliance with tiny homes, many Americans covet space. It’s in our DNA, a domesticated turn on Manifest Destiny. For decades, the number of people in the average U.S. household continued to shrink, while new family homes emulated “The Bachelor” pads. “It’s a natural desire to enlarge a home’s square footage, and this is easier than putting on an addition,” says Jane Latman, president of HGTV. The network, with 56 million unique viewers in April, is a huge influence - a favorite channel of the Paliouras deck, where the TV is frequently on - and has amped the G (garden) in its programming with shows like “Inside Out” and “Backyard Takeover.” Says Latman, “you can be more whimsical with the outdoors. You feel more freedom.” A big beautiful outdoor space “is a little showoffy,” she says, on display in a way that living rooms rarely are. Meanwhile, the dining room died. Too fussy, too formal, no place for soft pants or grilled treats, the dining room in many homes is a repository for bills, bric-a-brac, dust, Thanksgiving. Outdoors offers the antidote. For something that has long been there, it seems modern and liberating. “Americans feel they’re losing their freedom. We think we’re losing control,” says Carleton Varney, head of the venerable design firm of Dorothy Draper & Co. (who extolled bringing the

outside in). Taming the outside is an exercise in control and liberation simultaneously. “Being there, you don’t feel all containerized,” Varney says. “And being outside is happy.” “There’s this whole craving for comfort, in creating your own luxury hotel,” says Lori Greely, CEO of Serena & Lily, the furnishing company, which has seen a spike in outdoor furnishing sales since 2015. Cabanas are no longer just for resorts. Serena & Lily sells a $4,000 outdoor twin-size day bed. Greely says contemporary exterior design is “polished, refined. There’s zero compromise in aesthetics.” The desire to quell the outdoors is occurring atop a warming planet. In the Sisyphean struggle between humans and nature, it’s wise not to bet against nature. Fires in California. Valentine’s Day snowstorms in Texas. Shirt-drenching humidity. And bugs. Bugs were here long before us. Bet against them at our peril. And what has it led homeowners to do? Hurl money at the problem: Louvered ceilings, fans, heaters and “fire features,” all prominent on the Paliouras deck. Frontgate and RH (formerly known as Restoration Hardware) offer umbrellas the size of Buicks. RH Tucci umbrellas are feats of architectural wonder sporting five-figure price tags; fetching RH Heatsail cantilever lamps sell for about $5,500. Paliouras’s goal was to hold winter gatherings outside, and he hosted a dozen guests New Year’s Eve. “There’s this paradigm

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shift of thinking of the outdoors as a place to be all year round,” says Serena & Lily’s Greely. Her company’s indoor and outdoor furnishings are almost indistinguishable. Its mailings are considered more magazine than catalogue. The February edition omitted prices altogether, as though the collections were pieces in an art gallery. Emphatic outdoor living is part of our evolving self-care regimen. “At the end of day, green plants and blue skies feed everyone’s soul. People need places to just sort of relax,” Greely says. “It’s also connected to wellness. Everyone wants to spend more time relaxing outdoors after spending so much time on our devices.” Which does not explain outdoor televisions. The backyard became an American staple after World War II with the boom in single-family homes and leisure time. The first Weber grill fired up in 1952.

The ubiquitous Grosfillex chair, thought to be the first mass-market plastic outdoor seating, popped a squat seven years later. “We want to show off our social status by what we can do in our backyards,” says Cindy Brown, who helped organize the Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Patios, Pools, & the Invention of the American Backyard” and is education and collections manager for Smithsonian Gardens. “We want to domesticate nature. We can’t but we can do one piece of it.” Also, Brown notes, “our mental health goes bonkers if we’re not in tune with nature.” But since the mid-20th century we’ve developed better, comfier materials, and banished those uncushioned wire chairs that turn posteriors into Waffle House specials. And not only at vertiginous prices: Ikea and large home-improvement emporiums CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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sell more affordable designs and are not immune to the phenomenon of outdoor rugs. European dining alfresco and the legacy of wealthy Americans’ great houses are also influences on this trend, says University of Pennsylvania architecture professor emeritus Witold Rybczynski. “All these alternative spaces, the sunroom, the parlor, create variety,” he says. “There are wonderful pleasures in being able to eat in different places. It brings a richness into your life.” With little space on these new decks to squeeze in another tasseled throw pillow, what could possibly be left to do? Greely sees a growth in outdoor showers, no longer confined to the beach and lake. Bullard thinks spaces will become even more sophisticated and personalized. “So many things out there are matchymatchy,” he says. “Design will be more creative, eclectically mixed and matched.” With the pandemic subsiding,

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Paliouras looks forward to entertaining more guests. But he practices at seven offices across New Jersey, performing root canals six days a week. He often leaves before dawn. His wife, Irene, and their two daughters look forward to a time when Saturday is a day off and enjoyed outside. Paliouras takes it in stride. He has his dream deck, his outdoor Xanadu. “You know,” he says, “it takes a lot of root canals to pay for ‘The Resort.’“■

Keeping your home in order without spending a ton on storage by Nicole Anzia

Special to The Washington Post

Can woven bins, plastic boxes and lacquer trays help you get organized? Yes. Are they necessary? No. Although buying a fun, colorful or sleek storage container can provide motivation towards keeping items neat, it’s possible to stay organized - and be environmentally friendly without spending an entire paycheck on merchandise to hold your merchandise. Here’s how. Don’t begin with bins Never start an organizing project by buying bins. I understand that it can be easier - and more fun - to shop for storage containers than to make the sometimes tough and emotional decisions to part with items, but culling, decluttering and reevaluating your belongings is an essential first step. Start by taking inventory and getting rid of the items you no longer need or want. Sort through your jewelry, clothes and shoes. You may realize that you no longer like or wear some of them. After paring down one category, you may not need extra storage supplies. Or you may need something other than what you initially thought. Once you’ve narrowed down what you have to organize, measure your shelves, drawers or cabinets, and make a list before you head out to the store or start filling your online shopping cart. A list will keep you on track and ensure you get what you need without overbuying. Shop your home Your home probably has a bunch of containers you can repurpose for organizing. Shoe boxes are great drawer dividers and can be covered in wrapping paper to give them personality. Plastic food containers - either from stores or carryout - can be

used to stash craft and office supplies, Legos or Barbie accessories. Bookshelves can be used in closets for purses and shoes, and glass jars (from pasta sauce, for example) are great for buttons, spare change or even paper clips. Save a few small gift boxes to divide your earrings and bracelets, or use teacups from your china set for rings. Silver trays that aren’t for entertaining can become trays to keep your makeup organized. Repurposing heirlooms gives them new life and lets you enjoy their beauty. A place for everything Just keeping similar items together reduces the need for bins to designate certain categories. If all of your pasta is grouped in your pantry, you don’t need a bin to keep it all together. Either way, you can see what you have and will know when it’s time to buy more. The same goes for items such as gift-wrapping supplies. If you have a specific place to keep them, they’ll be easy to find when you need them, and you’ll notice when you’re running low. And you don’t need a fancy organizer for storage: An upright laundry bin is perfect for rolls of paper, and a couple of gift bags work well for storing ribbon and tissue paper. Having a specialty storage solution is helpful if it motivates you and works well in your space, but it’s more important to know what you have and where to find it,

and that’s a function of always putting items in their designated spots. Buy less One way to feel more organized and in control without buying a single container is to simply purge excess stuff and commit to buying less. We often feel the need to buy more containers and other organizing products, because we’ve maxed out our spaces and think we need to find “new” or additional ways to store pieces. I understand that many of us like to shop and stock up, but what if we all just bought less stuff? If you had two pairs of sunglasses instead of 10, you wouldn’t need a special contain-

er to keep them in. If you had six bottles of sunscreen and not 24, you wouldn’t need a basket for your stockpile. And if you had fewer clothes, you might not need bins to store sweaters, fleeces and boots under your bed during the warm-weather months. There are homes where storage space is truly deficient, and it’s essential to maximize the space using every organizing tool there is. But if you have plenty of space, it’s worth considering whether to lighten your load, so you can spend more on those communal gatherings we all hope to get back to soon. Nicole Anzia is the owner of Neatnik. ■

Summer 2021 ▪ Sip & Savor

Posh French winemakers

pounce on big American vineyard selloff by Elin McCoy

On a weekend afternoon, Etienne Bizot, the head of Bollinger Champagne, was sipping wine on the terrace at Oregon’s Ponzi Vineyards. He was on vacation, playing tourist in the Willamette Valley, the heart of the state’s pinot noir territory. As he compared three different Ponzi pinots alongside a plate of cheese, he gazed out at the vines. They looked splendid. That was two years ago. This month he bought Ponzi, the first acquisition outside France for his family holding company, Société Jacques Bollinger. Bizot is chairman and CEO. And the Ponzi family, one of Oregon’s founding pioneers 50 years ago, became the latest Americans to sell off a historic wine estate. This high-profile deal is part of

Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

a new wave of European vintners seeking toeholds in the U.S. just as some of America’s oldest wineries are ready to cash in. “It’s about as warm a market as I remember,” says Rob McMillan, executive vice president and founder of Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division. “I’ve been watching 9 to 12 European wine companies look for assets.” He expects more sales than usual over the next year. A recent SVB survey found that almost 50% of Napa and Sonoma wineries consider selling a possibility in 2021. For some regions, including the Sierra Foothills, a zinfandel haven east of Sacramento that was once the epicenter of the gold rush, it’s 80%. Yes, the latest European influx brings even more international flavor to American wine regions.

Will it influence the style of the wines? Probably. After François Pinault, owner of first-growth Château Latour, purchased Napa’s Araujo Estate in 2013, the wines have become more precise and elegant. But not everything will change. Bizot, for example, has no plans to create an American bubbly that might be worthy of James Bond (Bollinger is 007’s favorite quaff). At least not yet. He’s looking to boost the reputation of Ponzi’s pinots and chardonnays and to leverage awareness and sales of Bollinger in the U.S. “In general, French producers have been the leading investors in the U.S. wine industry, followed by other countries,” explains Mario Zepponi of mergers-and-acquisitions firm Zepponi & Co., who says foreign

vintners are motivated by access to U.S. consumers and the world’s largest wine market. Not to mention that prices for vineyard land in Oregon and California are way below those in Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. What motivates sellers, SVB’s McMillan says, are “all-time-high market valuations.” Like Anna Maria and Luisa Ponzi, other wine families are rethinking strategies for the future, factoring in the increasing challenges, costs, and risks of running an independent winery today. The growing number of wineries makes market competition keener, and it’s now harder for small family estates to sell through wholesale channels. The number of these is shrinking because of consolidation, and the pandemic and devastating fires haven’t helped. And younger generations don’t always want to follow their parents’ dreams. In 2020 the family owners of Napa estate Flora Springs, founded in the 1970s, sold their 280-acre vineyard and winery (but not the brand name) to Bordeaux’s Château Smith Haut Lafitte, which picked up its first American property. They’re calling it Cathiard Family Estate. A couple of months later came news that Napa cabernet trailblazer Diamond Creek Vineyards, founded by the late Al and Boots Brounstein in 1968, had been acquired by Frédéric Rouzaud, president of Maison Louis Roederer. Also the owner of Bordeaux Château Pichon-Lalande, he’d snapped up Sonoma star winery Merry Edwards in 2019. And in January 2021 the Dyson family, behind Sonoma cult pinot noir winery Williams SeCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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lyem, sold a stake to the French Faiveley family, a producer of stellar Burgundies. All these American families were in the same frame of mind as the Ponzi sisters, who’d run their family company for 30 years. “We’re tired, and an opportunity came to us,” says Anna Maria. Her sister, Luisa, who’s staying on as winemaker

from our forest!” co-owner Florence Cathiard wrote in an email. “After three months of filing official papers and fighting with the U.S. Embassy, we managed to get National Interest Exception visas so we could oversee the work in progress.” French buyers clearly have patience. Faiveley spent a decade hunting a pinot noir prop-

This high-profile deal is part of a new wave of European vintners seeking toeholds in the U.S. just as some of America’s oldest wineries are ready to cash in. and to oversee the vineyards for Bollinger, points out they retained 100 acres of vines and land. They’ll sell grapes to Ponzi, but the plan holds open a possibility for their children to start a wine venture under another name. Oregon has several Burgundian-owned estates, from Domaine Drouhin to Louis Jadot’s Résonance, among others. Although Bollinger is known for its Champagne, the family company also owns land in Burgundy. So Oregon’s cool climate and main grapes-pinot noir and chardonnay-are comfort factors for Bizot. Bordeaux châteaux, on the other hand, are drawn to California’s Napa because both regions’ wines rely on cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. Seven Napa wineries now have Bordelais owners. “Still, the pandemic has hampered international M&A activity in the wine industry,” says Zepponi, who handled the Bollinger and Roederer deals. Doing due diligence is tough when you can’t travel. The pandemic brought complications. The Cathiards had bought Flora Springs in January 2020 but couldn’t get to their new property for 14 months. “I could easily write a book about all the disasters we overcame, including the fires which had the good spirit of stopping at 12 km

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erty; Bollinger looked for four years. “We’re a family and take our time,” says Bizot. They also know what they’re looking for. Not driven purely by financial metrics, observes Zepponi, Europeans are “much more aggressive in their bidding practices.” The Cathiards were seduced by Flora Springs’ similarities to Smith Haut Lafitte. The Napa property is in one big piece,

mostly in the top appellation of Rutherford. It also has a strong history, water resources, and plenty of biodiversity. For U.S. buyers, says McMillan, there’s a lot of interest to find new acquisitions, too. “Part of the spur to buy is Fed-induced,” he says. “Lower interest rates encourage wealthy individuals and companies flush with cash to invest. You can’t get a return on cash.” Right now, competition for the best properties is keen. Duckhorn Portfolio and Vintage Wine Estates, both of which recently announced they were going public, are on the prowl to buy, as are private equity funds. Nashville-based billionaire Gaylon Lawrence, who bought historic Heitz Cellar in Napa in 2018, grabbed Burgess Cellars in September 2020 and scooped up iconic Napa chardonnay maker Stony Hill Vineyard at the end of December. Many historic estates, such as Ponzi, see prestige in selling to an important French producer, and they want to sell to another

family with a long-term, generational view. “With Bollinger we saw an alignment of values, of respect for vineyards and quality,” says Luisa Ponzi. “The sale is a validation of our parents’ goal to put Oregon on the world wine map.” Expect more sales by the end of this year. Among Bordeaux châteaux that have said they’d love a Napa estate are Cos d’Estournel, Montrose, and Lafite Rothschild. All this isn’t necessarily a blow to your dreams of becoming a Napa vintner. Neither the French nor big U.S. buyers are hunting small properties like the legacy family estate with 7 acres of vines on Howell Mountain, a survivor of last year’s devastating fires, now on the market for $8.5 million. And they probably won’t be bidding on Juslyn Vineyards, a producer of high-scoring cabernets with a 6-acre vineyard and a grand villa on Spring Mountain. Currently listed at $42 million, it’s being auctioned off from May 20 to 25. Time to pull out the pocketbook. ■

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Prepare to host a post-pandemic gathering with these experts’ tips by Ashley Abramson

Special to The Washington Post

Abby Groshek, an apparel designer in Milwaukee, recently hosted a small graduation party for a friend - her first in-person get-together at her home in almost 18 months. Pre-pandemic, Groshek frequently had friends and family over for dinner, but this spring’s event presented a new challenge. “After such a long time, I had to start seeing my house through someone else’s eyes,” she says. Plus, the pandemic adds an extra layer of planning: To feel comfortable in your home, people also need to feel safe. Groshek had been at home with her husband and son throughout the pandemic, so the house was in livable shape, but wasn’t necessarily guest-ready. “We had relaxed our standards a bit during the pandemic, so the gathering was an opportunity to shift gears,” she says. “I walked from the bathroom to the kitchen and then to the dining room to figure out what each space needed.” Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed mask and social distancing recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals, you, like Groshek, might be having people over for the first time in more than a year. And, you, too, might find yourself experiencing stress alongside the excitement about seeing family and friends. Here are some suggestions from event planners to help you pull off your first post-pandemic gathering. Do a reset clean One of Groshek’s biggest challenges was making the switch from pandemic survival mode to hospitality mode. That included adjusting her cleaning standards. Michiel Perry, founder of the lifestyle brand Black Southern Belle, suggests carving out time to deep18 Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

clean before your party, not only to prepare your home for your guests, but also to change your mind-set back to that of a host. “We’ve been cleaning to our own comfort levels for the last year and a half, so you’ll have to recalibrate to your ‘having guests over’ comfort level,” Perry says. A week or two before your gathering, start to deep-clean the areas of your home you may have neglected - the stove, refrigerator, windows and baseboards, for example - to create a fresh canvas for party planning. If you’re stressed about cleaning your home from top to bottom, remember: Your guests will only notice rooms they’re in. Lindsey Shaktman, a lead planner with Mavinhouse Events, suggests concentrating on high-traffic areas, such as your living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom; within each room, focus on areas guests will see and use. (For example, cleaning your counters is far more important than organizing your pantry.) Don’t worry too much about spots your guests won’t see or gather in, such as your bedroom or office. Take inventory While preparing for a recent cookout, Perry realized she didn’t know where most of her party supplies were. “A lot of us have rearranged our homes multiple times for virtual school, work or just out of boredom,” she says. Perry recommends going through your storage spaces to find (and potentially relocate) party supplies, such as wine glasses, champagne flutes and serving dishes. Take stock of what you need, such as napkins or extra seating, and put it on your shopping list. Once your to-buy list is ready, Perry recommends shopping as early as you can, so you have time

to track down out-of-stock items. “Just as toilet paper and hand sanitizer were sold out last March, propane tanks and patio furniture might be hard to come by now,” she says. Be flexible It’s your job as a host to ensure that your guests feel comfortable and safe in your space. Just as you would accommodate guests’ food preferences or allergies, Perry suggests creating options for people who may feel worried about coronavirus transmission. In general, aim for a more conservative approach; for example, offer spaced-out seating, an outdoor gathering option and a food-and-drink setup that reduces unnecessary contact and germ spread. (In other words, maybe skip the charcuterie board.) And although your guests are probably grateful for the opportunity to spend time together, keep in mind that people’s lives have changed during the pandemic, and adjust your expectations accordingly. Guests may not feel comfortable hugging or shaking hands, and some people may be late or not stay long. Don’t take it personally. Everyone’s reentering “normal life” at their own pace.

Keep it personal People might be gathering for a bigger reason, such as a graduation or birthday party, but they’re also coming over because they’re excited to see you, especially after such a long time apart. Don’t be afraid to infuse your space with some personality: Play music you like, serve cocktails your friends know you would order and display photos of memories you made during the pandemic. “You want people to walk in and know immediately they’re at your house, at an event you’re hosting,” Shaktman says. As much as your guests will appreciate personal touches, try to keep the big picture in mind. Yes, a warm, welcoming and personalized environment contributes to hospitality, but no amount of cleanliness and decor is worthwhile if it compromises your ability to be present with your loved ones. After weeks of preparing, Groshek found that her guests were far more concerned about connecting and celebrating than the state of her home. “In the end, it was just really nice to be around people again,” she says. “We don’t have people over to show off our new countertops, but to spend time together.” ■

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Extension services

are the best free cooking resource. Here’s how to use them. by Becky Krystal

A few months ago, I wrote about why libraries are such a great, free resource for home cooks. Consider this the companion piece, because there’s another invaluable service I want to make sure you know about: extension. Julie Garden-Robinson, vice president for awards and recognition at the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, says people in her line of work call themselves

more interested in gardening, preserving and cooking at home in the past 14 months. Much of that outreach has come in the form of social media posts and other online programs, including classes. Plenty saw last year’s fiasco at Bon Appétit, in which host Brad Leone demonstrated in a now-deleted video how to water-bath canned seafood (which you should never do), as a sort of call to arms - and a perfect example of why depend-

Extension programs have risen to meet the needs of people more interested in gardening, preserving and cooking at home in the past 14 months. “the best-kept secret. We don’t want to be a secret. We want people to access our resources.” Formally established by an act of Congress in 1914, extension programs are based at land-grant colleges and universities and tasked with providing nonformal, research-based education to agricultural producers, business owners and the general public on a wide variety of topics, from parenting and gardening to cooking and food safety. “There’s really something for everyone,” says Shauna Henley, a family and consumer sciences senior agent with the University of Maryland Extension, Baltimore County. That has continued to evolve especially since last year. “We had to really flex and change during the pandemic,” says Garden-Robinson, an extension food and nutrition specialist at North Dakota State University. Extension programs have risen to meet the needs of people

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able, science-based education is so necessary. Here’s a rundown of what extension can do for you. Serve as a reliable information source Anyone who has ever done an online search knows how much bad advice there is out there.

When it comes to food, it may not just be bad, says Sue Mosbacher, a master food preserver program coordinator for the University of California Cooperative Extension, it could be unsafe. Part of what extension does is take research happening on campuses or in the broader scientific community and translates it into something accessible to the general public, says Mosbacher’s colleague, Erin DiCaprio, a specialist in community food safety. “We are held to a high level of evidence,” Garden-Robinson says, whether that’s from universities or government sources. If you’re doing an online search, Mosbacher recommends adding a “.edu” domain to your search terms to try to capture results from extension programs. Including the term “extension” is another good move. You can also find the extension program associated with the land-grant schools in your state and start exploring their offerings. Programs do their best to cater to the specific needs of their particular communities, which is why

you might find lots of informa- is hosted b tion related to fish and game FoodCoVN in Alaska or, as Mosbacher can experts fro attest to, preserving in the pro- State Unive duce haven of California. University Extension can also provide you University direct access to experts or people formed in who know experts. Agents can lated quest do one-on-one consultations supply cha when people have a question, cluded eve Henley says. It’s not uncommon washers an for agents and coordinators to the infamo have a PhD and even if the per- difference b son you talk to doesn’t know the pathogens. answer, they will reach out to faculty experts on their campus Help you or agents from other programs to and healt try to find it. “We get some in“We cove teresting questions,” Mosbacher system from says, recalling one inquiry about well as all s dehydrating fish bladders. er says. Wa plant in yo Provide affordable tainer gard education gardener. W Most extension resources are bananas an free or low-cost. Those that do how to can require a fee are often just to all that pro cover the cost of materials, such what you p as for a canning class, Moshas you co bacher says. One of my favorite sion emplo extension offerings is the borare avid co ing-sounding but infinitely prac- and swap r tical fact sheet. Over the course says. of reporting various stories, I Extension have come across well-written, volved in f tape-to-your-fridge kind of leaflets on high-altitude baking from the Colorado State University Extension and the shelf life of nuts from the University of California Cooperative Extension, among others. Henley says part of her task is to try to find topic areas that haven’t been covered so that she can produce fact sheets, which may be catered to her local audience. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Just ask. Another avenue: podcasts Food Safety Talk, for example,

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is hosted by two scientists from FoodCoVNET, a consortium of experts from North Carolina State University, Rutgers, the University of Florida and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln formed in response to covid-related questions about the food supply chain. Topics have included everything from dishwashers and freezing food to the infamous Sqirl jam and the difference between bacteria and pathogens. Help you be a better, safer and healthier home cook “We cover all areas of the food system from start to finish,” as well as all skill levels, Mosbacher says. Want to know what to plant in your backyard or container garden? Consult a master gardener. When those plants go bananas and you need to know how to can, freeze or dehydrate all that produce - and then use what you preserve - extension has you covered. Many extension employees and volunteers are avid cooks who like to test and swap recipes, Mosbacher says. Extension is also heavily involved in food safety - before,

during and after cooking. Henley, for example, conducted scientific research about the dangers of washing poultry and helped launch a “Don’t Wash Your Chicken!” campaign to educate consumers. (“I always joke that I went to school for biology and not marketing,” Henley says about her various outreach efforts.) Consumers can find information on food issues related to preparing for and dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters that may result in power outages. Some extension programs will conduct safety testing on food products from small business or

legally required training for food handlers and managers. You can find resources related to nutrition and health, too. Garden-Robinson says extension efforts touch on heart health, diabetes prevention, cancer risk reduction and more. They span from children to seniors. Give you your next volunteer opportunity While many extension employees are university-based, “really, the volunteers are the boots on the ground doing the work, interacting with the public. They go through rigorous training,”

DiCaprio says. Volunteers on the local level (typically by county) are often the ones offering classes to the public or even, at least pre-pandemic, holding office hours and answering questions via email and phone. Those in Mosbacher’s program, for example, must undergo 18 weeks of class and hands-on training. If you’re someone who likes to make a difference in your community, consider reaching out to extension. “It makes you feel good when you can help other people and use your knowledge to help people improve their lives,” Garden-Robinson says. ■

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Chillable reds and low-alcohol pours:

younger wines to ap tion’s palat aren’t inter or elaborat trolled cell wines, thou media skill kind of cul to be made you may h ordering on or through Natural Ac about recen such as He Angeles an or wine bar New York C restaurant devotes its natural win West Coa wines I’ve include Ma Scribe Vine Calif., and the Natura the East Co Winery in Survey and and Chann Long Island ers of this m A new lin tion natura ture has ju the D.C. ar the name ( for butterfl pronounce “the future with nothi away” and in the bott uncomplic ing and expensive champagne Produced b in Middleb method of inducing a second fermentation in the bottle. Now able only in through Sie we have piquette, made from includes pi re-fermenting the spent grape skins after the real wine is made. norton (my Sometimes these concoctions are along with cloudy and funky, as if to appeal viognier. T to the sour beer and kombucha 7 percent a demographic. They may be made Another without added sulfites. They may Jam, doesn even be marketed as “better for category bu you” wines. Anything to scratch casual, low Jam was ac a niche. than a deca Much of this innovation is driven by smaller wineries and being reviv

Winemakers try to bottle success with younger consumers by Dave McIntyre

Special To The Washington Post

Wine is evolving. Not in the glass, and not in a decanter. Definitely not a decanter. That would be too old-school. Wine is evolving to appeal to younger drinkers who so far have proven an elusive market. There has been much wringing of hands among the baby boomers who lead the wine industry about their aging generation, which fueled wine’s dramatic growth over the past three decades. As older boomers drink down their cellars instead of adding to their collections,

Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

wineries have been trying to appeal to millennials and Gen Z to keep the party going. It hasn’t been easy. In recent years, we’ve seen the growth of the natural wine movement, emphasizing eco-friendly viticulture and “minimalist” winemaking. There’s a bit of anti-modernism and anti-technology ideology to this winemaking approach, but at heart it’s a counter-reaction to boomer wine and the idea of fermented grape juice as a luxury lifestyle statement. These

are not your parents’ cabernets, aged in expensive oak barrels in a state-of-the-art architectural masterpiece of a winery. They are skin-fermented whites and “chillable reds,” lower alcohol and lighter in color and body than we have grown accustomed to. There is also pétillant-naturel, a rebirth of an old-style sparkling wine that simply completes fermentation in the bottle to capture some carbon dioxide and create a mild fizz. It’s a contrast to the much more time-consum-

younger winemakers creating wines to appeal to their generation’s palate. These winemakers aren’t interested in point scores or elaborate temperature-controlled cellars filled with trophy wines, though with savvy social media skills they may attain a kind of cult status. As they tend to be made in small quantities, you may have to seek them out, ordering online from producers or through a wine club such as Natural Action, which I wrote about recently. Boutique stores such as Helen’s Wines in Los Angeles and Domestique in D.C., or wine bars such as Racines in New York City. In Miami, the restaurant Pastificio Propaganda devotes its wine list to Italian natural wines. West Coast producers whose wines I’ve enjoyed recently include Martha Stoumen and Scribe Vineyards in Sonoma, Calif., and the wineries behind the Natural Action group. On the East Coast, Old Westminster Winery in Maryland, Lightwell Survey and R.A.H. in Virginia, and Channing Daughters on Long Island are among the leaders of this movement. A new line of low-intervention natural wines called Fluture has just hit the market in the D.C. area. The label defines the name (the Romanian word for butterfly, which I’m told is pronounced floo-TOUR-aay) as “the future of wine” and “wine with nothing added or taken away” and describes the liquid in the bottle as “a super juicy, uncomplicated quaff.” That it is. Produced by Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Va., and available only in retail distribution through Siema Wines, the line includes piquettes of viognier, norton (my favorite) and rosé, along with a skin-fermented viognier. The piquettes are about 7 percent alcohol. Another label, called House Jam, doesn’t fit the natural wine category but does strike the casual, low-alcohol vibe. House Jam was actually created more than a decade ago and is now being revived - after several years

off the market - in bottles and cans. House Jam, to continue the casual shtick, comes in three flavors: Sweet Chillin’ White, Cool Pink and Smooth Sweet Red. Made in Italy at 7 percent alcohol with slight carbonation, they’re described as “partially fermented grape must,” as apparently Italian regulations don’t allow such a product to be called wine. We are assured, however, that House Jam Wines are made with grapes that were intended for wine. Wink wink. House Jam appeals unabashedly to the American sweet tooth. They are adult soft drinks. My wife calls them “soda wines.” They’d be useful at parties, especially in punch and cocktails. Are these “the future of wine?” Probably not. But there’s room for them in today’s lifestyle. These are wines to buy on your way home from work, stick in the fridge while you’re cooking, and enjoy with dinner. And you won’t be too sleepy - as you might be from a 15-percent powerhouse trophy wine - to stream a movie or chat up the world on Clubhouse.

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Dave McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. ■

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Summer 2021 ▪ Sip & Savor

How to garnish cocktails

drinks at b bars where real though presentatio Washingto bia Room’s 2017 featu Great Silen a Chartreu on a tray th French gar miere in Br martini wa choice of o laid out in At Archipe half banan octopus, dr sive Kraken And where the Aviary once had t opaque bal open with slingshot s These are more mem what I mis during the missed mo at home: h range from guests feel providing t of genuine light. And love the pe That’s the b after mont I missed se drinks and bowls of pu adore, whe chosen fam less and less frequent, and more So in sho and more basic. When I drank the grocery at all, I barely bothered to jigger year, I foun my pours to get the proportions little green right. Sometimes I just splashed suring. Wh some rye into a glass. I was turn- were both ing into a Raymond Chandler I idled in li character, only in a novel where drive-throu no other characters, no hard-luckbehind my blondes or double-crossing cops, that my in ever showed up at the door. Theyout and hu were all at home, stockpiling vulnerable toilet paper. key and ca And garnish my drinks? Why that evenin bother? Who aside from me was of us sippin going to see, smell or taste them?lavishly ga When would we again expelighthearte amused at rience the pleasure of sharing

now that you’re clinking glasses with friends again by M. Carrie Allan

Special to The Washington Post

I’ve had the monkey in my car for a few years now. It’s a small monkey, quiet, well-behaved as monkeys go. Most people who’ve sat in my passenger seat - back when we still rode in cars with people from other households - haven’t even commented on it. The monkey is made of neon green plastic. It hangs by its curled tail from the plug of the cord that charges my phone. It arrived in an ensemble cast of characters - tiny plastic mermaids, an orchid, a little crepe paper umbrella, drifting wheels of citrus and plush sprigs of mint

Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

- garnishing a communal punch bowl at Latitude 29, Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s tiki bar in New Orleans. In 2019, with long straws in hand, friends and I sat around the table, giggling and slurping up the delicious shared rum concoction until we hit ceramic. The paper umbrella was damp with drink. The mermaids lay beached at the bottom of the bowl. The contents of the bowl didn’t last long. But I pocketed the monkey, brought it home and hung it in my car. It is an object my grandmother would certainly have called “tacky, tacky,” and she would have been

right. But over the past year especially, I came to regard the little monkey with affection. Friends and loved ones got reduced to pixelated faces on Zoom. The pandemic’s solitude we’d hoped might wrap up in a few weeks, then a few months, stretched into the indefinite future. You’d think it couldn’t possibly keep going, but it did, and then still kept going, day after formulaic day, always on, like a “Law & Order” marathon. I’m a social drinker, so once socializing was gone, the cocktails I made at home became

drinks at bars, much less cocktail bars where the makers had put real thought, even art, into the presentation of the drinks? In Washington, D.C., the Columbia Room’s springtime menu in 2017 featured a drink called Into Great Silence, which positioned a Chartreuse-laden concoction on a tray that looked like a royal French garden. At Maison Premiere in Brooklyn, the house martini was prepared tableside, a choice of olives and lemon peel laid out in delicate bowls of ice. At Archipelago, also in D.C., a half banana was peeled into an octopus, draped like a possessive Kraken over your cocktail. And where to even start with the Aviary in Chicago? A drink I once had there came sealed in an opaque ball of ice. You cracked it open with the help of a modified slingshot strapped to the glass. These are just some of the more memorable examples of what I missed most from bars during the pandemic, but also missed most providing to others at home: hospitality, which can range from simply making your guests feel warm and welcome to providing them with moments of genuine amazement and delight. And when you genuinely love the people you’re serving? That’s the best. At home month after month with unfussy booze, I missed serving gussied-up drinks and baroquely adorned bowls of punch to people I adore, whether actual family or chosen family. and more So in short, anxious drives to I drank the grocery store over the past d to jigger year, I found the presence of the oportions little green monkey oddly reassplashed suring. When my husband and I was turn- were both sick with covid-19 and handler I idled in line at the pharmacy vel where drive-through, short of breath o hard-luckbehind my mask and fearing sing cops, that my infection would seep door. Theyout and hurt someone far more kpiling vulnerable, I looked at the monkey and cast my brain back to ks? Why that evening in New Orleans. All m me was of us sipping from that shared, aste them?lavishly garnished bowl. How expelighthearted we’d been; how amused at all the little details sharing

gain

of the drinks and the bar. How fearless in each other’s company, with all that mingled breath and drinks we passed around for sharing. That’s the kind of place I want to be. And maybe we’re finally getting there. Places are starting to open. Masks are coming off. Shots are going into arms. Cocktails, I hope, are coming out of little plastic takeaway bottles and going into coupes. Olives are getting skewered. Mint is getting fluffed. Ice slingshots (how I’ve missed preposterous drinks!) are getting stretched out. If you’re starting to welcome friends back, remember: A drink without a garnish can absolutely be delicious, but a drink with one? It says you really bothered. You’re celebrating that they’re here with you. You made an effort. Whiskey sloshed into a glass is pandemic sweatpants. A garnish is the red lipstick you’ve forgotten how to apply. A garnish is Daniel Craig’s suit in “Casino Royale.” We finally had friends over recently, all fortunate to be fully vaccinated. I scaled-up a modern classic cocktail, the Carondelet, a gin-and-honey beauty from Maison Premiere. The recipe doesn’t call for any garnish, but I decked out the punch bowl anyway with lime hulls and lemon wheels and crystal clear ice and garden mint. We drank it down boisterously, toasting the fact that we could finally hug again. The little green monkey hung out near the punch bowl, his tail curled up in gratitude. Citrus peel There is no more essential garnish: Citrus oils add hugely to the aroma and flavor of a drink. Basic: Strip off a swath with a peeler or sharp knife, avoiding the white pith. Twist it

over the surface of the drink to express the oils. Next level: Clean up the slice by trimming the edges and cutting the ends diagonally. Or use crimping shears for a scalloped edge. Cherries Don’t go for those neon red things. Look for Luxardo or Fabbri Amarena brands, whose delicious cherries are so dark they look almost like black olives. Nothing better in a Manhattan (except maybe combining said cherry with an orange twist). Olives I’m a fan of Stonewall Kitchen’s olives stuffed with lemon peel and preserved in vermouth. But bright green Castelvetranos are another great option. And if you have a hard time picking between an olive and a twist of lemon for your martini, remember: Sometimes more is more. After expressing the twist over the drink, curl it up with an olive and skewer them both on a pick. Bitters If you add half an ounce of egg white (or a few drops of cocktail foamer like the one from Fee Brothers) just before shaking a cocktail, you’ll get a little head of froth on the surface of the drink, a great canvas for the color and aroma added by such bitters as Angostura and Peychaud’s. Basic: Add a few precisely placed drops. Next level: Drag a toothpick through those drops, con-

necting them for a swirl effect. Fruit fan This works best with firmer fruits such as apples and pears. Place the apple upright on a cutting board and slice off a thick chunk. Lay the chunk cutside down, and slice it into thin leaves. Skewer the leaves on a cocktail pin, then fan them out gently. Herbs Look for the freshest unwilted herbs. Wash them before use; just before inserting a sprig into a drink, rub it briefly or slap it between your palms to release its aroma. Cucumber This is one of the most underused cocktail tools - heck, strips of it even enhance water deliciously. In a gin and tonic or other spring highball, it adds a crisp, fresh note. Basic: Slice it into thin wheels and drop them into the glass, alternating with ice, before pouring the drink. Next level: Use a peeler to strip long ribbons, then drape them (or use a cocktail pick or tweezers to help position them) around the inside of the glass. Add ice, then the drink. Clear ice Basic: You can make it at home. The molds (such as True Cube and Glacio) are a little pricey and take up some freezer space, but they work, getting you ice that’s close to the crystal-clear version you’ll see in some cocktail bars. Next level: Add fruits or vegetables to the molds. This works especially well with soft berries; as the ice melts, the produce starts flavoring and coloring the drink. ■ Summer 2021 ▪ Sip & Savor

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Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021

A soda that merely quenches your thirst is no longer enough. Pop open a canned beverage this summer and you’ll have the opportunity to improve your digestion or sip your way to smooth, silky hair. Or maybe you’ll try to boost your mood and sharpen mental acuity with an adaptogen or nootropic enhanced beverage. Canned self-improvement comes in all kinds of flavors. According to Olipop, a line of sodas imbued with probiotics-or dietary fiber that helps gut health,”functional” sodas are “the fastest-growing segment across all beverages, having grown 360% last year,” a year in which traditional versions reported just 9% growth. It’s led, says Ross Colbert, the managing director and head of global beverage coverage for KPMG Corporate Finance, “to a blurring of the category lines between refreshment beverage and a health-and-wellness beverage.” Colbert says this is not surprising to those who’ve followed the industry for years. “Before the pandemic, in 2018 and 2019, we started to see this emerging trend toward functional food and beverage,” he says. The trend accelerated during the pandemic when “consumers could not get enough understanding and knowledge around: ‘How can I protect myself through what I eat and drink?’” Here are five ingredients that functional sodas are adopting for a more healthful vibe.

GNC recently released its own entry into the collagen soft drink market with Luster & Lum’s trio of sparkling collagen waters. Available in lemon, cherry, and raspberry flavors, each 12 oz. can is packed with 10,000 mg of bovine collagen. $20 for 12 cans

The Ingredient: Collagen The Promise: Hydration, more elastic skin, stronger hair and nails SkinTe’s name gives it away-and it’s not just that sipping this sparkling tea, which comes in four flavors (Green Tea Grapefruit, White Tea Ginger, Hibiscus Vanilla, and Lemon Lime) will improve your skin. While some products tout “marine” collagen, which comes from fish skin, SkinTe uses bovine collagen from the skin and tendons of grass-fed cows. Each 12 oz. can has 3000 mg of the stuff. From $48 for 12 cans Nutrition and vitamin retailer

centrate is flavored with coriander, allspice citrus zest, and medicinal roots and bark. Just add it to sparkling water. $14 for 8 oz., enough for roughly 10 drinks Best known for kombucha, Rowdy Mermaid recently launched a line of “Adaptonics,” sparkling reishi-imbued drinks that are flavored with fruit, tea, and herbs. Chamomile lime and matcha yuzu will appeal to even the most timid taste buds, while strawberry holy basil and blackberry with ashwagandha, an adaptogenic herb, provide cognitive support and boost immunity and energy. $40 for 12 cans

The Ingredient: Reishi mushrooms The promise: Boost energy and immunity It was only a matter of time before the surging interest in funghi found its way into soda. Their benefits are so widely (and wildly) touted that Bonafide Potents called its newest concentrate Immortality Tonic. (“Results may vary. Immortality not guaranteed.”) Along with reishi tea and wildflower honey, the con-

The Ingredient: Probiotics The Promise: Gut health As part of its push into nonalcoholic drinks, Molson-Coors, recently released Huzzah, a line of probiotic-infused, flavored seltzers. In your digestive tract, probiotic bacteria feed on prebiotic dietary fiber in order to create nutrients that aid healthy digestion. Probiotics are alive in the same way that such fermented products as yogurt and kombucha are. In Huzzah, those probiotics come in fizzy Strawberry & Hibiscus, Juicy Pear, and Raspberry & Lemon flavors. They have a slight yogurt-y, lactic acid tartness. $19 for 6 cans Tepache, a drink made of lightly fermented pineapple, is one of the great endemic drinks of Mexico. Along with a “Tradicional”—with just a touch of cinnamon—black pepper extract, and turbinado sugar added to the pineapple, De La Calle offers ginger-apple, mango chile, tamarind citrus, and “Moderno” orange turmeric. The natural fermentation of the pineapple juice produces probiotic lactic acid, as in yogurt, making for a less tart drink than kombucha. $47 for 12 cans The Ingredient: Prebiotics The Promise: Gut health and fiber From Dallas farmers markets to Shark Tank to grocery stores nationwide, Poppi has shown that the market for healthful sodas is no niche. Its dozen flavors, from cola and root beer to raspberry rose and pineapple mango, have one key ingredient in common: apple cider vinegar, which proponents say can do everything from improving your complexion and digestion to aiding in detoxification and weight loss. The flavor is more evident on the nose than on the tongue-more of a fresh-and-vaguely-familiar way than a “What did they put in my soda?” way. It works particularly well in the context of their Raspberry Rose flavor, which could very easily come off as cloying, but here gets the sweet-tart balance right. And it has only 20 calories and 4 grams of added sugar. From $30 for 12 cans Olipop combines botanicals and

probiotics with plant fiber from such sources as marshmallow and cassava root, nopal cactus, and Jerusalem artichoke for a soda that doesn’t let its healthful effects get in the way of fun flavor. Its stevia-sweetened Vintage Cola doesn’t have the same intensity of flavor as a Coke, but it wears its lightness well, with just 2 grams of sugar in a can compared to Coca-Cola’s 39 grams. Orange Cream is the newest addition to a lineup that includes Cherry Vanilla, Vintage Cola, and Classic Root Beer. $36 for 12 cans The Ingredient: Nootropics and adaptogens The Promise: Better mood and attitude Kin Euphorics, which made a splash last year with its uplifting Spritz, just introduced Lightwave, which is designed to soothe and settle. Think of it as the anti-Red Bull. Along with reishi mushrooms (see above), it includes nootropics-supplements with cognitive, or sometimes psychoactive, properties such as passionflower. The ingredient promotes GABA, an inhibitory transmitter in the brain that promotes a sense of calmness, and L-Tryptophan, familiar to anyone who’s felt a post-Thanksgiving dinner doze coming on. Flavorings include vanilla, birch bark, cinnamon, and saffron. $27 for 4 8 oz. cans The flavors from Droplet, including Pretty Happy, Pretty Balanced, and Pretty Bright, are focused more on the drinks’ effects than their taste. That’s not to say that flavor is an afterthought. Yuzu and ginger make Pretty Bright zesty and invigorating, while the passion fruit and cacao in Pretty Happy is quickly becoming the brand’s signature flavor. The more important ingredients, however, are the alkalized water and the adaptogens: ashwagandha in Pretty Balanced and rhodiola, an energy-boosting plant common in Scandinavia, in Pretty Happy. $72 for 12 cans. ■ Summer 2021 ▪ Sip & Savor 27

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Sip & Savor ▪ Summer 2021