I have to admit: I wasn’t always a wine lover. But ~adulting~ and Winc Wine Club changed that. As I got older, I quickly found myself opting for red wine (cabernet sauvignon, specifically) over cocktails, as well as stocking up on wine bottles for my apartment. And, while I have a “no drinking during the week” rule, I absolutely bent that during quarantine (like most people). But part of it stemmed from becoming more and more of a wine snob, too. Back in the day, if wine tasted good, then it tasted good—and that was that. I had never before noted aromas and flavor hints, but my newfound curiosity during quar led me to explore the more intricate details. 

With my new hobby, I was buying more wine than usual, and the added expense began to pile up. I had heard of wine subscriptions and wine clubs before but never found the need to sign up—not until I met Winc Wine Club, at least. And before I dive in, let me just say that I now understand the hype surrounding wine subscription services. I get it. 

The site features a quiz that can help narrow down options once you plug in your answers—red or white, your fave foods—but also allows you to browse wines by region, body, and preferences like organic and low-sugar. For your first box, you can choose four wines for $30. Then, for each month after that, you can select wines from Winc’s recs or your own picks with a $60 credit. There are no limits as to how many bottles you can purchase (although you pay the difference once you’re over the credit) and Winc boxes are designed for buying four, six, or 12 bottles at a time. Plus, shipping is free on any purchase of four or more bottles—just saying.

I’m a big fan of wines on the drier, not-so-sweet side. (If a wine is too sweet, there’s a high chance that I wake up with a headache the next day—even after just one glass.) So ultimately, I went with some of my favorite varietals along with other newbies recommended by Winc. As soon as I received my box of wine, I immediately zeroed in on the 2020 Sister Snake cabernet sauvignon for my first taste test. I was intrigued by the serpent artwork and the fact that it was from South Africa. I’ve only really tried wine from California, Chile, France, and Argentina, so I was excited to sip on something new. 

On my first glass, all I could think was, Wow. This cabernet packs a punch, and the level of dryness was just to my liking. As for the actual taste, it’s peppery with hints of dark and red fruits and goes down very smoothly. The details note that the wine has tasting notes of blackcurrant, cherry, clove, and black pepper, which explains the kick. In fact, it almost resembles licorice, which I love to munch on whenever I crave candy. The fruit overpowers everything else, but there are faint notes of earthiness and woodsy flavors within, too.

Heads up, though: I’m not a lightweight, but if you are, it’s worth noting that this wine has a relatively high alcohol content of 14.7% (!) so please drink responsibly. Winc recommends pairing Sister Snake with burgers, beef, barbecue, and chocolate cake, although it’s excellent on its own. I had mine with some truffle-flavored popcorn and the combo was *chef’s kiss*. 

And if you’re concerned about sulfur levels in your wine, this one is on the lower side. Sulfur dioxide (a.k.a. sulfites) protects wine from spoiling through oxidation, thanks to its antibacterial properties—so it’s often in there for a reason. But research shows that sulfites may be linked to headaches, which might be worth keeping in mind if that sounds familiar. (Although sulfites are considered perfectly safe for consumption). And, no surprise, you can search for low-sulfur wines on Winc if that’s your thing.

I love customization, and this tailored experience gets nothing short of an A+ in my book. If Sister Snake is any indication, my upcoming bottles will be just as crisp, delicious, and smooth. 

What’s the kitchen tool you use the most and why? 

My Le Creuset 6.34-quart Dutch oven. It’s perfect for my one-pot recipes and versatile. I also love my garlic press. If a recipe calls for four cloves of garlic, I usually add the whole bulb. The press ensures you get all the flavor out of the garlic for your dishes, and it helps save on so much prep time. I also fell in love with my [limited-edition and now sold-out] portable Kingsford x Ben Baller grill. 

Any grilling lessons you can share with us?

Bryan’s more of the griller, but during the summer months we’ll do staples like grilled chicken. We also love throwing pizza on the grill. It’s a perfect pairing for pinot noir, and we always enjoy a glass while we’re hanging around the grill and cooking. One tip I learned: Always do a 24-hour marinade and let any grilled meats sit for 10 to 15 minutes before you cut into them. It allows time for the meat to absorb any juices so you don’t lose that when cutting.

What’s your go-to healthy snack and splurge snack?

Ranch-flavored kale chips; Perfect Bar, blueberry flavored, which has to be refrigerated; Greek yogurt; and seaweed.

Do you listen to music when you cook at home?

A hundred percent. There’s always music playing in our house thanks to Bryan. He’s the DJ 24/7. Top songs of the summer have been “Don’t Rush” by Young T & Bugsey, “Ye” by Burna Boy, “The Way I Feel Inside” by the The Zombies, “Motorbike” by Leon Bridges, “Demeanor” by Pop Smoke and Dua Lipa, and all things Dua Lipa, Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon III album, but especially “Tequila Shots.” 

What’s something you make that Bryan loves, and what’s something that Bryan makes that you love? 

Bryan loves my cooking, especially my Vietnamese French-inspired garlic noodles. Bryan makes perfect roasted sweet potatoes and avocado toast.

What beverages or wines do you always have on hand when guests come over?

We always like to have a mix for guests to choose from. Meiomi’s portfolio is perfect because they have a rosé, a chardonnay, a pinot noir, and a cabernet sauvignon—something for everyone. Outside of wine, I always have a mix of sparkling and fresh citrus, and the ingredients for making freshly squeezed margaritas if guests are looking for something mixed.

What’s something you learned to make or perfected during quarantine?

Pizza dough. And I’d like to venture into baking more next. 

Is there anything you’re looking forward to eating now that fall is almost here? 

Yes, absolutely! Squash, sweet potatoes, grilled carrots. There’s this really yummy garbanzo bean, coconut milk, and kale curry that’s one of my one-pot wonders. My favorite meal is miso-glazed salmon fillets and roasted vegetables from the farmer’s market. And of course, we love to treat ourselves to pies and cobblers. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram at @jessicaradloff14.

Glamour: So, now that we’ve established you’re obsessed with hot sauce, what’s your favorite?

Nilou Motamed: That’s like asking somebody about their baby…. A new favorite that I was actually turned on to by the Foxtrot team is Shaquanda’s Hot Pepper Sauce. The packaging is super cool, really edgy. The person who makes it is a drag queen based in Bushwick [in Brooklyn], and they’re of Barbados descent. I spent a lot of time in Barbados; I used to actually host a rum and food festival there. Also, Pickapeppa Sauce is a really great condiment. That’s one of the things that was in the fridge door that fell on me.

You’ve spoken a lot about keeping restaurants alive amid the pandemic. Do you have a favorite takeout spot?

We get takeout from F+F Pizza. It’s the pizza restaurant that’s connected to Frankie’s 457 [in Brooklyn]. Actually, their olive oil is in one of the boxes. It’s pretty fancy and pretty artisanal, but it’s an old-school New York pie, but plussed up in a big way.

What four items are always in your pantry?

I always have olive oil, I always have sea salt—like, flaky sea salt. I always have chocolate—chocolate is important—and then something hot. I like sauces that I can then use as a base for food. So for example, the NY Shuk Signature Harissa that is in the box. It’s got so much sexy depth of flavor that you can build a sauce from that very easily and quickly.

What podcast are you listening to right now?

We’re a little bit hooked on true crime these days. S-Town was really compelling. [Reading:] “John despises his Alabama talent and decides to do something about it. He asks a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly bragging that he got away with murder.”

Do you have a food-related travel hack?

When we travel, even if we go on a weekend away to an Airbnb, I have to bring my own vinegar. I’m not kidding around. And my own olive oil and my own salt. Jacobsen’s Sea Salt comes in a little carry tin, and I always have one in my purse. How depressing is it when [restaurants] give you those shakers of iodized salt? I don’t want that on my food, so I pull my own salt out of my bag and feel very indulged.

What’s an impulse buy you can’t help but reach for at the market?

I guess I already mentioned chocolate. If I see sexy-looking dark chocolate, I kind of can’t resist that.

What kitchen tool gets the most use in your kitchen?

If I’m going to pick one thing, I would say the Microplane zester. You can use it for everything, and I love it. You can use it for chocolate, you can use it for cheese, you can use it for zesting limes and lemons. We use it for garlic when I’m making a garlicky vinaigrette. It makes everything into a game, like, “Let’s Microplane that!” A lot of Italian chefs are not into using a zester for cheese; they feel like that’s like sacrilege. But when I’m at home I can do whatever I want. 

It is funny to take all the input after 20-plus years of being in the food space and then you end up gravitating toward simple, delicious stuff—a great olive oil, the perfect sea salt. Having my Microplane zester, a good glass of orange wine, and I’m basically happy.

I keep hearing about orange wine!

Orange wine is wine that is left on the skin, so it looks all different colors. The flavor profile, I always say, is somewhere between kombucha and—it’s not gonna sound good—Band-Aids.

What?!

I know it doesn’t make any sense, but it’s natural wine, so it’s, like, a little bit yeasty; it’s a little fermenty, a little funky, a little barnyard. But what’s interesting about it is it feels so alive, and every bottle is different, so it’s a joy of discovery. Maybe natural wine and orange wine is a great metaphor for this whole collaboration. Foxtrot is all about discovery, and I’m all about curating that discovery and fundamentally giving people joy.

Emily Tannenbaum is an entertainment editor, critic, and screenwriter living in L.A. Follow her on Twitter. 

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·      1 head of butter lettuce, rinsed and chopped

·      1 cup grapefruit, peeled and sliced

·      1 cup of pomegranate seeds, rinsed

·      2 avocados, peeled and sliced

·      1 cup of pistachios, shelled 

·      Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the poppy seed vinaigrette dressing

·      3 tbsp. fresh lime juice

·      3 tbsp. fresh orange juice

·      2 tbsp. fresh grapefruit juice

·      1 tsp. Dijon mustard

·      ¼ avocado, peeled and smashed

·      1/3 cup of avocado oil

·      1 tsp. honey

·      1.5 tsp. poppy seeds

·      Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

 Instructions

 1.     Rinse and chop the butter lettuce and put in a large serving bowl.

2.     Peel and slice the grapefruit and avocados, add to the bowl.

3.     Rinse pomegranate seeds and add to the bowl.

4.     Add shelled pistachios to the bowl.

5.     In a separate bowl or blender, whisk the lime, orange, and grapefruit juices with the mustard, avocado, and honey.  Slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing is creamy.  Stir in the poppy seeds and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

6.     Add the dressing on top of the salad and toss.

7.     Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

8.     Serve cold and fresh.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

I was someone who willfully guzzled 6% ABV bodega “wine product” in college, so the best natural wines weren’t always at the top of mind. It didn’t take long for me to graduate to Trader Joe’s “Two-Buck Chuck,” and then onto more ~elevated~ varietals that would make the glorified grape juice at your local corner store pack up and go home.

During lockdown, New York deemed wine shops essential businesses (and honestly, where is the lie?), so I was a regular at my neighborhood spot last spring. I’m a Pisces who lets bottles speak to me and chooses accordingly (call it water sign booze telepathy), but my boyfriend is big on recommendations, and we fell in love with this cloudy, slightly sour orange wine a staffer recommended to us one Sunday in Brooklyn. It was love at first sip of the Rodica Malvasia, which was my foray into the wonderful world of funky, sometimes fizzy (a.k.a. pét-nat or naturally sparkling), always interesting natural wine.

Just like the Rodica’s herbaceous blend of jasmine, elderflower, and peach, which appears murky in the bottle, the definition of “natural wine” isn’t 100% clear. Natural wine is a concept that industry professionals are constantly debating, so I went to a handful of experts to find out what it is, what benefits it offers (relative to other wines), and what to keep in mind when shopping for it. Ahead, the lowdown on natural wine, the trendy drink (which dates back to the 15th century), plus the best options to shop online.

What is natural wine?

First things first: What even is it? Whitney Pope, CMS certified sommelier and natural wine educator, breaks it down: “I’ve personally settled on the belief that natural wine is made from organically or biodynamically grown grapes and fermented using native yeast, and without additives or excessive sulfur.” Since there’s no government-regulated definition, there isn’t a clear-cut answer, but experts agree there needs to be minimal intervention, and as Jordan Salcito, founder of Ramona, points out, no “bizarre things you probably never imagined could be added to wine: de-foaming agents, oak ‘essence’ to make wine smell of oak, MegaPurple, etc.”

When I went down the winding rabbit hole of natural wine, I learned how many shocking ingredients I’ve probably consumed through the beverage in the past—from isinglass (a substance obtained from fish bladders) to egg whites and preservatives that require a literal hazmat suit for the initial distribution, according to Salcito. Aside from the long list of questionable ingredients, sulfite levels (which prevent wine from reacting with oxygen and inhibit the growth of unwanted bacteria) are another important aspect of natural wine, which experts agree should be limited. The preservative isn’t so black-and-white, though. Salcito says it “occurs naturally in wine and many other things like egg yolks and volcanoes, and has also been used in winemaking since the Roman Empire.” 

That said, less is more. Conventional winemakers can use upwards of 10 times the amount of sulfur found in natural wine, which leaves wine tasting predictable and lacking nuance. “Wines with no added or low [10ppm–100ppm] added sulfur are raw and alive,” says Pope. “I view wine similarly to how I view food: If a winemaker needs to add a small amount of additional sulfur at bottling to stabilize the wine for sale, that’s okay with me.”

Is natural wine the same as organic wine?

While natural wine is always organic, organic wine isn’t always natural. Be wary of “clean” wine brands leaning on their use of organic grapes to position themselves as natural-adjacent, warns Pope. “The term ‘clean wine’ is a marketing gimmick directed toward the wellness-obsessed consumer and makes dubious claims,” she says. While organic grapes are the bare minimum for natural wine, winemakers can still add synthetic ingredients later on in the process—so no, the terms are not synonymous.

What about biodynamic wine?

Natural wine answers to those aiming to be more mindful about what they drink, while biodynamic wine answers to those concerned with how the entire winemaking process—from the vine to the bottle—affects the ecosystem in which it operates. The planet- and animal-friendly practice, “a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition,” provides for glowed-up consumer consciousness, aiming to “leave the land in better condition for future generations,” as Pope puts it. “Cows might live on the land to make compost, which is used to fertilize the vines; rather than machinery, sheep prune the vineyard. Biodynamics goes a step beyond organic farming and takes a spiritual and ethical approach, utilizing the lunar calendar to dictate when to plant, prune, and harvest,” she says. It’s very much in line with the growing desire to comprehensively improve the social and environmental impact of what one buys and consumes.

What should you look for when shopping for natural wines?

If you’re new to the natty-wine life, it’s easy to feel lost in the Wild West category. Before you get to the shop, prepare questions and have a general idea of your palate, like preferred flavor profiles and dryness level, and let the shopkeepers lead you in the right direction. Bonus points if you can get on a first-name basis with a sommelier. “I recommend befriending a retailer or sommelier whom you trust or even send a note to a winemaker you admire directly,” suggests Salcito. “There is no guarantee they’ll write you back but it’s certainly possible.”

Or once you find a bottle you like, explore other offerings from the same importer. “If you’re flying solo, shop by the importer,” says Pope. “A wine importer will carry wines that meet their quality standard, style, and point of view. If you like one or two wines from an importer, you’re likely to enjoy others from their portfolio. Look for ‘imported by’ on the back label and start taking note of who is importing your favorite bottles.” Do your research online, have conversations, and pay attention to the information available on labels.

Again, the technicalities can be murky, and while organic and biodynamic certifications exist, they’re not cheap, so smaller natural winemakers often don’t shell out the cash to get certified. This brings us to the issue of accessibility in the wine industry, which is a crucial topic of its own—but while women and people of color might not be at the forefront of the industry, they’re certainly there.

Michael Brooks, co-owner of Bed-Vyne Wine and Spirits, a Black-owned shop in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, is all about uplifting his community to make better decisions when choosing wine. “Bed-Vyne’s collection is carefully curated to bring small-batch makers of premium products to the fore, while keeping the resources present in the neighborhood so that everyone can enjoy a vibrant local economy,” he says.

So what are the best natural wines?

When it comes to deciding on the best natural wine for you, opt for a small batch, follow your palate, and use Salcito’s mentality as a compass: “The wines I purchase, drink, and promote are the ones made with soul from winemakers who express themselves through wine, made with low to no sulfites, organically and biodynamically grown, and thought of as an agricultural product.” With all that in mind, you can kick off your natural wine journey with some of the expert-approved recommendations below.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.