Hello, friends…Here’s this week’s Sunday Seven in wine, food, lifestyle, design and travel!
World’s First Wine-Graffiti Festival in Chile
In Valparaíso, Chile, winemakers and street artists got together to launch the world’s first wine-graffiti festival, and to help change a neighborhood along the way. 17 wine-themed murals went up over two days along Avenida Baquedano, the main street of Cerro Mariposa, to create the city’s first wine-and-art walking tour. 15 different wineries participated in the Graffestival event. The article also links up highlights from their wine portfolios, if you want to try any Chilean recommendations. (I love some Chilean wine!)
Organic Wines Win in Blind Study
A new study suggests that organic wine actually tastes better than non-organic wine. The research, which comes from UCLA, looked at tens of thousands of reviews published between 1998 and 2009 in Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast. Wines from almost 4,000 wineries were included, with only 1% of them certified organic. When comparing wines of similar vintages and varietals, those produced from certified organic grapes scored a significant 4.1 points higher. I was surprised to hear the results of this study, to be honest, but good for organic!
The BIG Trend in Hotel Art
There’s a new wave in hotel art and it’s big! A handful of properties are betting that, when marketing luxury, the best way to set yourself apart is to offer mega contemporary art experiences. Think a three-stories-high weeping cartoon character set seaside in Bermuda, or a Damien Hirst bronze headless giant, taller than most Ferris wheels, that debuts in a Vegas hotel swimming pool his week. There are also practical reasons — big art is very Instagrammable, and harder to damage!
100 Restaurants Worth Splurging on This Year
Since it’s tax refund time, splurging on a good meal may be in your near future. If you’re looking for somewhere to go, Yelp has parsed out 100 places around the country worth the splurge. Yelp looked at the reviews received by $$$ and $$$$ businesses in restaurant and food. For the rankings, Yelp considered both the rating and the volume of the reviews, as well as accounted for the overall volume of reviews in each business’s area. Suggestions all across the country are linked.
Bordeaux 2018: Left Bank and Right Bank
Two words best describe the 2018 Bordeaux wines presented at this year’s En Primeur: Heartbreak and happiness. Throughout Bordeaux, the crop was 30% below average due to drought AND mildew — to find these two issues in one year is exceptional. The silver lining is that the final wines are, well, really good! Some recommendations for top wines from the Left and Right banks vintages are listed at the link.
Airbnb Wants You to Have the Sleepover of Your Life—at the Louvre
Two lucky art lovers can win a night at the world’s most-visited museum all to themselves. On April 30, Airbnb is teaming up with the Louvre to let one winner and a guest spend the night at the world-famous museum. After the Louvre closes to the public that evening, they will get to sleep under the museum’s glass pyramid inside a mini pyramid that was designed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the architectural icon. So very cool.
Vintage TWA Airplane to be Transformed Into a Cocktail Lounge in New York
Travelers no longer have to leave the ground to enjoy an in-flight cocktail, thanks to a vintage-airplane-turned-cocktail-lounge at the JFK;s new TWA Hotel. The plane, which was flown by TWA in the 1950s before being used by South American drug traffickers for marijuana drops in the 1970s, will be part of the TWA Flight Center’s redevelopment and will be adjacent to the 512-room TWA Hotel, which I wrote about a couple of months back.
I hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing rest of your weekend!
xx—BB
Liked learning about the Bordeaux vintages. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!