Walking into Early Mountain Vineyards never having been to Sweely Estate in the five years that it stood as such before narrowly escaping two foreclosure sales in 2010, I couldn’t help but think, “No wonder.” Jess and Sharon Sweely clearly spared no expense when they transformed the 305-acre Madison County farm into a state-of-the-art operation […]
Walking into Early Mountain Vineyards never having been to Sweely Estate in the five years that it stood as such before narrowly escaping two foreclosure sales in 2010, I couldn’t help but think, “No wonder.” Jess and Sharon Sweely clearly spared no expense when they transformed the 305-acre Madison County farm into a state-of-the-art operation […]
When a hot afternoon turns sleepy, iced coffee’s the perfect pick-me-up to get you through the rest of the day. Aficionados seem to be split over which method makes better iced coffee. Some say coffee needs to be cold-brewed to temper its bitterness. Others insist that hot coffee-turned-cold is the only way to maintain its […]
When a burger craving strikes, little can be accomplished until you’ve got your hands around a bun with meat juices dripping down your chin. Here’re 10 big-league, non-chain burgers that satisfy (and inspire) the meanest of cravings. Boylan Heights’ Room 121 tops an organic beef patty with American cheese, bibb lettuce, beefsteak tomato, bacon, diced […]
Buttermilk or brine? Floured or battered? Peanut oil or lard? Pan-fried or deep-fried? These are just a few of the secrets behind fried chicken so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside that it’ll make you weep. Each method has its devotees, and nary a one of our 11 contestants spilled the beans […]
Garrison Keillor once said, “Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.” To which we add—especially when it’s slathered in lots of butter. Corn tastes like nature’s candy, but it loses 50 percent of its sugar in the first 24 hours after it’s picked, so start gorging yourself now on these dishes […]
A good deal of winemaking is experimentation. Inoculating with different yeasts, opting for shorter or longer maceration periods, inciting or preventing malolactic fermentation, aging in new oak or neutral oak—these are just a handful of the decisions with which our Mr. and Mrs. Wine Wizards are faced. Something not commonly experimented with are the types […]
Those of you who lived through the ’70s probably have quite a bit you’d like to forget about the decade.
Charlottesville’s power lunch scene’s a far cry from D.C.’s, but there’s still plenty of wheeling and dealing being done over the midday meal. Here’s where our town’s most influential go to discuss, deliberate, decide—and eat.
What grows together, goes together Local food and wine go together like a horse and carriage, or on Saturday, June 30 at Keswick Vineyards, like a horse and buggy. At 11am and again at 1pm, Keswick winemaker Stephen Barnard and Horse & Buggy Produce founder Brett Wilson will lead an in-depth discussion on the merits of eating […]
Managing your portfolio is never as fun for the rest of us as it is for the wine collector.