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Raiders of the Lost Vine

Italy's Valle d'Aosta region is known among wine lovers mainly for small-production wines. But in recent years it has begun producing unusual new wines from grape varietals that have been saved from extinction.

Here, researchers for a government-funded agricultural vocational school in nearby Aosta, practice the agricultural equivalent of archaeology, looking for long-abandoned vines that can be brought back into cultivation and, eventually, turned into wine.

• Photos: Agriculture and Archaeology

Gelato Goes Gourmet

Around the world, small companies are now marketing Italian gelato as a delicacy for connoisseurs willing to pay a premium for natural ingredients and in-store pampering.

SHOPPING AROUND
Drink Makers Create a Stir

Drink makers are targeting upscale drinkers with premium mixing options. They are no substitute for cocktails made from scratch, but the tonics and cocktail sodas are the best options overall.

At Big Wine Maker, Times Are Good

Constellation posted a 50% jump in profit, helped by price increases and higher sales of "branded wines."

HOW'S YOUR DRINK?
No Kidding, It's Good

The Sloe Gin Fizz is that strange drink that few have actually tasted but whose name almost everyone has heard. It is also an excellent summertime cooler.

TASTINGS By DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER
The Chardonnay Conundrum

It's crazy to buy a leaden American Chardonnay when, for the same price, you can get so many white wines from around the world that are far more pleasing. But here are four reliable American Chardonnays under $20.

• Video: The Best of American Chardonnay

• Wine Notes

CHEFS AT HOME
Reinterpreting Roman Fare

Heinz Beck, chef of Michelin three-star restaurant La Pergola, takes a twist on traditional Italian eats. He prepares crispy red mullet with spring herbs and poached egg on amaranth with black truffles.

A Perfect Cup of Tea

Preparing green tea is a delicate process that most people get wrong. Rona Tison, senior vice president of Japanese-tea company Ito En, Inc., talks about how to brew the perfect pot.

• Video

EATING OUT
High on the Hog

With approval for U.S. restaurants to serve bellota ham around the corner, Raymond Sokolov went to Canada to try the world's best and costliest cold cut. Was it worth the trip?

WINE NOTES By DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER
Giving Riesling a Go

At a Manhattan restaurant recently, we saw a wine by the glass that we just had to try: 2006 Seven Hills Riesling from Washington's Columbia Valley.

Cooking Like the Stars?

Chef André Soltner and two cookware junkies tested celebrity-chef branded pots and pans, a growing niche of the roughly $2 billion U.S. cookware market. What they found: a star endorsement doesn't always mean stellar cookware.

• Video: Picking Pots and Pans

A Stinky, Pricey Delicacy

The world's smelliest fruit may now also be the most expensive. Adored by Southeast Asians and Chinese, the durian sends most foreigners fleeing, thanks to its unmistakable odor. The only thing about the durian more striking than the smell is the price: $200 for a prized specimen.

HOW'S YOUR DRINK?
Cranberry Cocktail Confusion

What's in a name? Some drink recipes go by several. Perhaps none have gone by more monikers than that happy summertime mix of cranberry juice, vodka and lime.

Power Tables

One of the higher-end restaurants in Denver, Mizuna is situated on the outskirts of downtown and is the see-and-be-seen spot for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, the only time it's open. Owner Frank Bonanno cooks up French-influenced cuisine in the kitchen while his wife, Jacqueline, plays hostess to local executives, politicians and visiting luminaries.

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