Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #10

From the wines of Mount Etna in Sicily, to wine writer ethics, how to boil an egg, food as a political issue, restaurant trends for 2015, a guide to Brussels or how one of the most renowned chefs claimed a rival sabotaged his new restaurant’s opening night, this is my weekly roundup. Many thanks to my readers who send articles or links from time to time. These are always welcome.

The wines of Mount Etna in Sicily have been exciting interest of wine lovers over the past few years like no other wine region in Italy. Jancis Robinson writes about the wines from this active volcano and picks 5 of her favourites. But while there were only 5 wineries producing Etna wines 15 years ago, most Sicilian notable wine companies have all invested in land on the mountain and some have even built wineries. But the locals claim only they know how to work in these really special vineyards

Max Allen writes on www.jancisrobinson.com about wine writer ethics. He speaks about conflicts of interest and commercial relationships between writers and wineries. It is an article worth reading. Lots of food for thought here.

Wine Searcher has a great article on how Burgundy and Champagne are leading by example. Both wine regions are booming amid the country’s deep malaise. Mike Steinberger who wrote a book about the decline of French cuisine five years ago notes that these two wine regions are innovating without necessarily casting aside their identity or traditions.

There is an interesting article about different types of Europe’s ‘strangest’ sausages.

There are various ways to boil an egg. While this may be one of the simplest things to cook, a look at recipe books may make you change your mind. All of them seem to have different ways. Heston Blumenthal does not real need an introduction. Here is his method.

Food is a political issue for chef Alice Waters. She is currently in Australia speaking about the value of slow food in a fast food world. She thinks the moment is right to finally make a change. In this article in The Guardian, she speaks about her key concerns, i.e. the impact of global warming on food production and sustainable agriculture. She is particularly critical of the dominance of multinational food companies.

What will be the main restaurant trends in 2015? Forbes takes a look in this very interesting article. From top chefs moving to casual dining, pre-paid reservations and eating insects which of these 10 trends highlighted in this article will become mainstream?

Here is a very interesting article by food critic Jay Rayner in The Guardian saying that in today’s world cooking is about control. In a world which gets faster and faster and where you tend to lose control, cooking is about power and about starting and finishing something.

If you are heading to Brussels, here are some tips on where to eat, drink and some of the must sees.

And finally you would think that this is a plot for a film. British chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay has said that a rival has sabotaged his new restaurant’s big opening night. In this article, Ramsay says 100 people booked and failed to turn up on the opening night.

Have a great weekend.