It’s Willamette, dammit! Making the case for Oregon wines

If rain is Oregon’s best-known cliché, then Pinot Noir is the runner-up. With May celebrating Oregon Wine Month, and the Willamette Valley being one of my favorite wine regions in the world, what better time than now to delve into this sustainable wine mecca? Viticulturally, Oregon is a big state, with five AVAs (American Viticultural […]

Five Finds on Friday: Treat Huey

Today is the 50th edition of Five Finds on Friday, where chefs and local personalities pick five favorite food items in the area.  To mark the occasion, The Charlottesville 29 has the picks of a Charlottesville resident who is among the top 29 in the world in his field.  In fact, tennis player Treat Huey […]

Crust in the spotlight: Quiche master Lynette Meynig shares her secrets

To the untrained eye, the quiche is a seemingly simple dish that requires very little skill and few ingredients. It consists, after all, of only two elements: crust and filling. But think again. This French-inspired staple of American cuisine is subtle and sophisticated, varied and complex. If you ask Lynette Meynig, she’ll tell you that […]

Beyond the bitter: Brewers explore new flavors in ‘feature hops’

Humulus lupus, the species best known to us as hops, produces effects in beer that we traditionally associate with bitterness. Hops also produce aromas and flavors that are usually associated with earthiness, grassiness, floral characteristics, and a bit of weedy dankness. In the past couple of years, a progressive sect of hop growers has been […]

Heat of the moment: Keeping pets cool in hot weather

Charlottesville has no shortage of things to do outdoors in the summer, and we’re lucky to live somewhere that pets are often just as welcome as people. From dog-friendly parks and hiking trails to Downtown restaurants that happily serve bowls of water to their canine dinner guests, there are worse places to have four legs. […]

Five Finds on Friday: Jonathan Wheeler of Trump Winery

On Fridays, we feature five food finds selected by local chefs and personalities.  This week’s picks come from Jonathan Wheeler, Sparkling Winemaker at Trump Winery.  Next weekend, May 4 and 5, Trump Winery will be celebrating its 2012 Vintage Release with samples of the new 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, and Rosé.  Wheeler’s picks: 1) […]