Did You See That?

There is so much happening on wine and food blogs, a lot of interesting material and some excellent writing and photography too. I want to step back and share some of the posts from the last month or so that made a big impression on me for one reason or another. This list by no means represents "the best" posts, or anything like that. Just some material that affected me in some way, and that I want to share with you just in case you didn't come across it yourself. Here they are, in no particular order:

Most of you read Vinography, Alder Yarrow's widely enjoyed blog. So you probably saw this piece on a Loire Valley family and a particular Sancerre. But just in case you didn't, or even if you did - take another look. Why did it impress me so? I learned something reading this piece, something about Sancerre, a Loire appellation that I pay no attention to but should, something about the Cotat family and about Les Monts Damnes vineyard. And the writing, in my opinion, is superb. There is some history, some details-for-wine-geeks information, and some descriptive tasting notes. Alder's personality and his opinions are threaded throughout the piece but they are not imposed upon the reader. After reading the piece, I understood that I must try this wine. This post is a model for me of what I want my wine profiles/reviews to be like.

I started reading Kitchen Chick when she hosted a Wine Blogging Wednesday back in November. She has quite the Chinese cooking and ingredients series going, really worth following if you enjoy that style of food. This post describes a pickled green beans and ground pork dish that looks delicious, and describes how she came to know this dish and to replicate it at home. What really impresses me, though, is how well the recipe is explained, how easy she makes it to give it a try. Made me think about including recipes when I write about food we cook. Easier said than done if you don't use recipes, and I usually don't.

And speaking of food, Fork and Bottle's review of Ad Hoc, Thomas Keller's new restaurant is a great example of what a restaurant review should be. It describes in detail every aspect of the dining experience - both the good and the bad. There are good photographs (how do they do that anyway - does the staff allow it, or do they shoot on the sly?) of the food so you get a better sense of what the restaurant is about. What really impresses me about this review is Jack and Joanne's committment to reporting their experience, which in this case, was not so good. They are not hesistant to pan the place even though Keller is some kind of restaurant-god. Too many reviewers work too hard to find some reason to recommend a restaurant. And most restaurants just aren't that good! Maybe it's because the job of restaurant reviewer demands generosity in that way, so bloggers are better suited to tell the truth. I don't pay any attention to restaurant critics who don't include negative reviews in their portfolio. With Jack and Joanne you can trust that they will call it as they see it.

And last but certainly not least, Jancis Robinson's site is a little frustrating to me because so many articles require membership ($120 annual) in order to access. I imagine that this is a fair price for the information she delivers (I am not a member and cannot verify this myself). Every now and then something noteworthy pops up in the "Free for All" portion of the site. This piece on recent vintages in Burgundy is simply excellent - great writing, so informative, and just plain thoughtful. This piece stimulates my own thinking, doesn't just tell me how to think. If this is any indication of what you get for your 120 clams, I may just have to join.

That's it for this month's installment of "Did You See That?" Please comment - I need to broaden my wine and food blog reading. Your suggestions are much appreciated.