| What is that? Okay. I’ll tell you. The Wild World Festival. Last year Byron Bates (GoatBoy) told me his idea to create a weekend celebration with Jester King Brewery and Farm, at their place just outside Austin, Texas. The idea was to sing the praises of wild-yeasted fermentables. So mead, beer, cider, wine, kombucha, autumn olives and whatever else he could round up! Among the out-of-country luminaries? Cantillon and Jean Foillard (I cannot remember the last time he was in town). The domestic lineup is fabulous with plenty of new discoveries. I’m busy designing the panels as I write this. Mouse! Is natural wine dead?! In search of true American cider. And about five or six others including clearing up all of your misconceptions about sour beer. Also helping keep us all honest and on deadline is Lee Campbell. You can see the lineup and book your tickets at the website. Hey. I won an award! Yes, it’s true. Remember the Noma article? It won for best Food & Wine article in this year’s Born Digital Awards. And I’m completely thrilled about it. I loved writing that piece. And I loved Christy Frank’s editing. Every writer needs and editor, just saying. Ms. Christy Frank. By the way, she just won her Advanced pin from the Court of Master Sommeliers. So congratulate her as well. And speaking about awards, look out on Earth Day (April 22nd) for an announcement of the three people who were plucked out for The Feiring Line Writing Mentorship. The winner of the top writing award will then be posted on April 26th. I feel like I’ve a million more things to tell you. One of them is that I have me a kosher natural wine for my seder tonight (it’s something I just didn’t have time to get into in my New York Times opinion piece that went up today). It’s Camuna! I can’t wait to tell you about it. Hope your holidays this weekend, whatever they are, even if it’s a holiday of nature, are fabulous.
It might be time for you to subscribe to the newsletter. No? Almost 6 years of a tremendous wine data base, technical articles, profiles and restaurant reviews. Try it out, if you don’t like it, I’ll refund you. Promise. Alice | 
