Anne-Sophie Pic named World's Best Female Chef by The Independent
“Anne-Sophie Pic, who helms the century-old restaurant Maison Pic in Valence, France, beat out Elena Arzak of Spain and Nadia Santini of Italy to snag the coveted title, a category introduced for the first time this year from the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards.”
Mignardise: Passionfruit gelee and Petite Four: Sesame marshmallow coated with poppeyseeds in a balloon. (by ulterior epicure)
The Assassin in the Vineyard | Vanity Fair
“Who would poison the vines of La Romanée-Conti, the tiny, centuries-old vineyard that produces what most agree is Burgundy’s finest, rarest, and most expensive wine? When Aubert de Villaine received an anonymous note, in January 2010, threatening the destruction of his priceless heritage unless he paid a one-million-euro ransom, he thought it was a sick joke. But, as Maximillian Potter reveals, the attack on Romanée-Conti was only too real: an unprecedented and decidedly un-French crime.”
Wines of the Times - Sparkling Wines From the Rest of France - NYTimes.com
As with any type of wine you have to seek out dedicated producers. Even though we very much liked the three Vouvrays in our tasting, for example, a fair amount of sparkling Vouvray is made as sort of a dumping ground for grapes less than ripe or otherwise imperfect. It may be a big bubbly world, but you have to choose carefully out there.
