![]() ![]() Why it’s great: Some people want to drink currant-heavy, tannin-rich reds and watch the world burn. And that only gets worse when it comes to wine subscriptions.Ĭadence: Three times a year (winter, spring, and fall) "Some of the best wines in the world have trash labels, and there’s complete junk out there with great branding," says Reynolds. When you don't have a shop owner, a somm, or an obsessed friend to guide you, how do you Internet shop for wine? Descriptions blend together labels are useless. “I want to experience what’s going on in the terroir and the landscape of their vineyards,” she says. “If I am familiar with the producer, then I already have a sense of their typical style the way their wines usually show in character,” says Haley Fortier, owner of two wine bars in Boston. When they must buy before tasting, a wine pro leans on what they know: the wine style, the region, the winemaker. "Quality is hard to evaluate, because it can exist at any price point," admitted Grant Reynolds, Wine Director of Parcelle (which has its own wine subscription) and author of a literal book on how to drink wine. But unlike toothbrushes, the world of wine is vast, there is a lot of bad wine out there, and signing on for wine subscriptions can feel like a bit of a trust fall. Now that everything from alcohol delivery to your toothbrush has pivoted to subscriptions, you know the drill: you pay the fee, the monthly/quarterly/biannual shipment arrives. They’ve dusted off the piano they use for events and rolled it out onto a deck up the hill should the mood strike.Covid tried to take away our right to pay $16 a glass for a biodynamic pet-nat at a our favorite brunch spot, but the best wine subscriptions have stepped into the breach, ensuring the pours continue at home. It’s an exploration of motherhood, connecting with nature, and family bonds. Lia has just released Family Album, her fourth record. The vegetables that show up across the dishes come from the on-site farm, overseen by Stephen Carter whose gorgeous chicories, tender greens, fresh strawberries, and more are the foundation for the garden snacks served to guests when lockdown isn’t in effect. On the menu today: trout poetically wrapped in pickled grape leaves, sesame flatbread, salad from the garden, eggs from their chickens, and lamb ribs roasted in the wood-burning oven. The growing families are here to eat a feast prepared by Kelly, a former cook at Chez Panisse. ![]() He and his wife, singer-songwriter Lia Ices, welcomed a new baby in the pandemic, 4-month-old Alice, while Adam and his wife, Kezia, have 4-week-old Innes in tow as well as Oliver. “We’ve spent the past year making wine and having babies,” says Andrew, the oldest of the siblings. The latest lockdown prevented them from ever using it, so they removed the tent, and voilà, a perfect alfresco dining room for the family to gather on this late spring day and toast their blessings. Today the family is making the most of their quarantine pod with a family lunch on a deck originally designed to accommodate Covid-safe outdoor dining. ![]() Not to be deterred, the Mariani family have taken advantage of the dormant days of the shifting lockdown to build new outdoor spaces and make new wines that embody the lawn parties put on hold: an effervescent pink pét-nat available in magnum, a white Pinot Noir, and a zippy and fresh rosé that has the nose of a Provençal classic. It was the perfect spot to while away the day in wine country. It also helps that the wine is exceedingly quaffable: that crisp Sylvaner, earthy Pinot Noir, and other single-vineyard bottlings draw folks to freewheeling tastings, inevitably capped off by a hang session on the lawn to watch the sun dip below the vines. With its winding palm-lined drive, tumbling gardens designed by red-hot Los Angeles landscape design firm Terremoto, and a 1920s hacienda restored just so, Scribe is the sort of place begging to be socialized by young visitors. Over the years the children’s fathers, Andrew and Adam, the vintners, along with aunt Kelly, the chef, have transformed a neglected turkey farm into a thriving winery that’s now a must-stop for southern Sonoma daytrippers looking for a vinous respite from city. Those vegetables plucked from the same soil that produces crisp Sylvaner and earthy Pinot Noir will play supporting roles in a languorous lunch in the vineyard-that is, if the kids don’t eat them first. Una, age 4, and her cousin Oliver, age 2, pick radishes and strawberries from the culinary garden at Scribe, the Sonoma winery that has made a name for itself as the standard bearer of next-wave wine country vibes. Blue sky peeks through the morning fog in Carneros and the kids are getting their hands dirty in the very best way. ![]()
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