Sofia Nilsson/@goodcleanfundtla Magdalena O Neal – May 12, 2021 | Updated May 21, 2021
Over the last few months, as my friends and I drank our way through more than a dozen bottles of natural wine, I began to think: Maybe I should write about this? Natural wine seemed simple, fresh, exciting, and popularâI could put together a beginnerâs guide, with sommelier-approved bottle recommendations! That was a month ago. Today, I know, natural wine may be fresh, exciting, and popularâbut simple? I need a drink.
What Is Natural Wine, Anyway?
âThe basic framework is that natural wine should involve minimal inputs: mainly fruit and hard work, with perhaps a small amount of sulfur added,â Andrew Lardy, one of the winemakers behind Wonderwerk House of Fermentation in Los Angeles, told me. âThe golden rule is no added yeast or bacteria are allowed. Natural wine is fermented with native floraââi.e., the wild yeas
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Care for a drink?
Even in a pandemic, when so much of life has slowed to a crawl, Angelenos are caffeinating on the go with cold brews and pour-overs. But we also know how to kick back with an afternoon boba tea break or settle into the night with a glass of wine or a carryout cocktail.
As part of the year’s 101 Restaurants, Dishes, People and Ideas project, critics Patricia Escárcega and Bill Addison chose 10 of their favorite places to drink in and around L.A. Note that the 101 went to press in mid-November, before the latest disastrous round of shutdowns: Check each business’ operating hours before planning to swing by or order takeout.