Hello, friends…I hope you have all had a great week! Here’s this Sunday’s seven in wine, food, lifestyle, design and travel:
The Grapevine Mecca
This is so very cool: planted near Marseillan, France is about 67 acres containing the most comprehensive array of living grapevines on the planet. Known as the Center of Biological Resources of the Vine of Vassal-Montpellier (CRB-Vigne), it is home to about 8,200 different varieties from 52 countries. The vines are cataloged according to historical use, native region, physical characteristics, and genetic profile (including parentage, progeny, and relatives). Some of the plants are more than 150 years old. It is the most comprehensive body of viticultural knowledge in the world and for wine industry, the CRB-Vigne is nothing short of a mecca!
Dinner With a View
A meal, to me, does always taste better when consumed in a restaurant with killer scenery as it elevates the meal to an actual experience. At these nine restaurants across the US, you can watch ocean waves crash, marvel over mountaintops, or observe a city skyline while you take it all in. Sierra Mar, in Big Sur, pictured, is one we have visited and it remains an all-time favorite.
Frank Gehry Also Designs…Restaurants
This week, the Philadelphia Museum of Art welcomed guests into a restaurant and café called Stir, designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Frank Gehry. As part of his ongoing renovation of the museum, Gehry devised a fine-dining restaurant and revamped the existing café. Guests will immediately be taken with Stir’s aerial centerpiece—in characteristic fashion, Gehry affixed a striking undulating form of Douglas fir to the ceiling,
Fall’s Best Cocktails
This list of cocktails will warm up any cool fall night. Seasonal ingredients like cranberries and apples pair beautifully with ginger beer, white wine, and hard cider to create cheers-worthy drinks. I was also intrigued by the the original Manhattan—this reflects the recipe in America’s first cocktail book, 1862’s The Bon Vivant’s Companion. It calls for more vermouth than rye—the opposite of the modern Manhattan.
In-N-Out’s Heiress
In-N-Out Burger was founded in 1948, but new blood has recently taken over. The California-based fast-food chain is now under current owner Lynsi Snyder, the 35-year-old granddaughter of the couple who started it. According to Forbes’ most recent ranking, Lynsi has become one of the youngest billionaires in the country as a result with an estimated net worth of $1.21 billion. In this article, she shares her thoughts on In-N-Out’s expansion, drug addiction, and life in the public eye.
Women in Wine
All about Jordan Salcito—who had taken the Master Sommelier exam three times, and still hadn’t passed every part of it. She simultaneously found out that her beverage program was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award…and that she was pregnant. This perfect storm of life elements pushed Salcito to start defining things her own way, chiefly with the development of her own ideal wine-spritz drink, Ramona, now available in cans near you. Ramona was part of my recent canned wine taste test and it wasn’t for me, but hey, to each his (her) own.
Top 20 Hotel Brands
This list is great for those trip-planning for 2019, like me. This group of top 20 hotel brands is reader-voted by Travel + Leisure. The list covers big and small chains—I recognized some Some favorites like Thompson, Ritz, Aman, One & Only and Auberge. However the #1 chain, The Sixth Senses, a wellness-centric winner, remains unexplored on my list!
I hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing rest of your weekend!
xx—BB
Into this week’s Sunday Seven! I’ve never heard of CRB-Vigne before and that is so cool that all those grapes exist in one place. It’s kind of like a living museum!
I hadn’t heard of it either and now I’m kind of obsessed!! I want to go!
Great post 😁
Many thanks!