Latest news with #SuperTuscans
Elle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Jessica Biel on Her New Wine, 'The Better Sister,' and Being a Boy Mom
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Jessica Biel is standing at a place called Pocket Peak in Sonoma County, California, surrounded by golden hour light, verdant canopied vines and tilled dirt trails. The crystal embellishments on her black tweed Chanel bomber are glinting; the stained-glass sun is filling her hazel eyes. The multi-hyphenate star might be launching a brand new streaming series, The Better Sister, but right now she's in town to celebrate the launch of a new wine called Prophet + Poet, on which she has partnered with her brother and sister-in-law, Justin and Rose Biel, the renowned winemaker Jesse Katz, and Ariel and Chris Jackson (you've likely heard of Kendall-Jackson wines, a product of their family's). There are five Prophet + Poet types on offer: two Chardonnays, a Cabernet Sauvignon and two proprietary blended reds, with such romantic, brooding monikers as 'Mourning Cloak' (named for a nocturnal butterfly that plays dead) and the almost musically coined 'Broken Road' (named for a particular west-facing vineyard on Pocket Peak). 'It just felt like intuitive timing,' says Biel of her foray into the viticulture space. 'We were making these wines for each other, so it just… it really happened authentically.' To note, this is not just another celebrity alcohol brand: Prophet + Poet's story goes back to 2019, when Biel gifted her brother and his then soon-to-be-wife a bottle of bespoke red. Katz was the engineer behind that bottle. He had also created a wine for Biel and her husband, Justin Timberlake, when they married in 2012 (Katz and the Biels grew up together in Colorado). The group has stayed close, and over time they decided to officialize their amiable collaboration. Prophet + Poet's first run–all vintages from 2021–will tally only 900 cases total, with pricetags to match (these bottles' stickers start in the hundreds of dollars). 'This whole process has made me really understand why wine moves people so much,' Biel adds as we step into the vines to snap some photos. 'It becomes such a big part of so many people's stories.' She mentions loving Super Tuscans, which she first discovered with Timberlake during their travels to Italy. Biel has had a busy few days: she had been making press rounds for The Better Sister in New York City just 36 hours earlier. She then jetted home to Bozeman, Montana, to pack and regroup before flying into California. Coinciding with Biel's wine launch, Timberlake would soon perform at BottleRock, the increasingly popular Napa-based music festival located about thirty minutes from where we're standing. (While the musician was originally supposed to meet us at Pocket Peak, he stayed at the hotel with the couple's two kids, Silas and Phineas.) The Better Sister is an adaptation of a bestselling book by the same title, which was written by Alafair Burke and released in 2019. It's a stylish thriller about a troubled family, tracking, in particular, the dynamic between two very different siblings: the seemingly put-together and polished Chloe, played by Biel, and the messier Nicky, played by Elizabeth Banks. There's murder (Chloe's husband, Adam, is found dead), there's deception, there's suspense and there's beautiful real estate–from the trailer, the series' aesthetic appears to deliver a glossy, Big Little Lies-esque sheen. (Another point: Biel and Banks are executive producers on The Better Sister too, via their respective companies Iron Ocean and Brownstone Productions.) 'Secrets upon secrets upon lies upon truths,' says Biel about the storyline. 'That's what I was drawn to with this project. There's this thing between a perfect persona with an Instagram-able life, and then something completely different going on behind the scenes and inside the home. And then Chloe starts to show some really dark attributes. You see some really strange decisions. I thought, 'How do we keep her likable? How does an audience follow that? Is it even possible?'' Biel also credits the show's great writing, led by co-showrunners Olivia Milch and Regina Corrado, with her decision to get on board. 'Normally I'm in much earlier,' she says of her production work. 'This came at a little bit of a later stage. All the scripts had already been written. Of course, we talked about a few things and made some changes, and adjusted some things in post. But it was really, really solid from the moment I saw it.' Biel says she enjoyed working with Banks. 'She is amazing. She's such a boss, she does everything–she directs and produces and acts and writes, and I thought I did a lot. She does everything, and she's exactly who she is. Plus, she finds humor in everything.' The duo bonded beyond the screen, too: they're both the mothers of two sons. 'Being a boy mom is a thing,' she says, laughing. 'You can look at another mom who has boys and you just know what she's been through. You know she got hit in the head with a toy, then told she had a bad idea, then told that lunch was awful, they told 'I love you,' then given a hug.' The sun is starting to fall behind a faraway ridge, casting a deep and dark purple wash over the valley. Our group has started tasting Prophet + Poet's chardonnays inside. Biel looks out to the jagged horizon: Even though The Better Sister takes things to an extreme, she concludes there is identifiability–and maybe even threads of a cautionary tale–between her character and reality. 'I think we can all relate to this idea of presenting a certain version of ourselves,' she says. 'It's topical. And, really… it's human.' Watch The Better Sister on Prime Video
Telegraph
25-02-2025
- Telegraph
Tuscany's secret rugged region where a three-course meal costs £15
Most British tourists think they know Tuscany. And yet, most of them haven't been to – or even heard of – the Lunigiana. Few tourists of any stripe have, in fact, which is one of the joys of this small but magical region. It's a different Tuscany – different heritage, customs, dialects and gastronomy – tucked into the region's northernmost corner, bisected by the River Magra and caught between the Apuan Alps to the south (where Carrara marble originates from), the Apennines to the east and the Ligurian Riviera to the west. Now a quiet backwater, the Lunigiana was once a hotly disputed territory, and castles still dot the region as a testament to its embattled past. In the 13th century, the noble Malaspina family held sway here: their castles at Fosdinovo and Monti are both well worth a visit. As is Piagnaro Castle in Pontremoli (which also has an exceptionally beautiful Baroque cathedral), where a fascinating collection of sandstone stele statues (human figures carved in abstract form in prehistoric times), are displayed in a special museum. Given its name, I was expecting a lunar landscape. Not a bit of it: the word Lunigiana is reputedly derived from the particular way the moon is framed by the white-peaked mountains. Far from arid, it's a place of valleys, rivers, streams, and steep hills clothed in chestnut forests. Follow one of the region's twisting roads and you'll arrive at one of its sleepy villages, although many of them have been depopulated in recent years. In spring, the roadsides and hillsides are dense with wildflowers, including orchids and poppies; in early summer, the dancing, yellow-green glow of fireflies are a night-time spectacle, while day-time heat is often fanned by a cooling mountain breeze. Food festivals around this time include the onion festival in Treschietto, where the local white-fleshed, red-skinned onions are served in various culinary guises. In autumn, meanwhile, season of the all-important chestnut harvest, mushrooms and truffles are also unearthed in the woods and the colours turn from various shades of green to aubergine and amber. My most recent visit to Lunigiana was last autumn. For culture and a dose of Renaissance Tuscany, we made day trips (an hour away) to Pisa, Lucca and the five villages of the Cinque Terre (Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore) on the coast. For the most part, though, we stayed put and – to be perfectly frank – ate. In the Lunigiana, tradition, simple living and – crucially for most visitors – wonderful local cuisine are its best attributes. Testaroli (a thin, spongy type of pasta usually served with pesto sauce); torta d'erbe (green vegetables in a pastry crust); panigacci (small flatbreads); chestnut flour; chestnut honey; olive oil and local wine (lighter than the Super Tuscans and very drinkable): these are some of the highlights of the region. Accommodation in such a hilly and relatively little visited area is somewhat limited: a handful of good hotels, some characterful agriturismi and a selection of rental villas. This time, a group of us (girls only), stayed at Villa Palma, a handsome 1920s villa, in tiny Gabbiana, with fine original tiled floors and stunning, uninterrupted views across the hills to the Apuan Alps from its pool. The villa is owned by Christopher Brooke and his wife, the Radio 4 broadcaster Sarah Montague, who stumbled across the Lunigiana by chance not long ago: 'It felt like Devon 40 years ago and it ticked all our boxes,' they say. 'Tuscany but far less expensive and less obvious and yet easily accessible, just an hour from Pisa airport. Wonderful, varied walking and great food too.' Here, nature and gastronomy are perfectly entwined. One day, for example, we went wild swimming in a rock pool near Comano, followed by a memorable lunch at Casa Turchetti, an impeccable, characterful agriturismo. Another day, we climbed to the hilltop castle at Bagnone, then rewarded ourselves with an amazing meal at the delightful, family-run Locanda da Lina. The restaurant is located in a picturesque square in the village below the castle, and we tucked into three perfect courses, including fresh truffle pasta, for just £15 per person. On another day, we walked along the forest path that connects the two ancient, almost silent stone villages, Camporaghena and Torsana, passing by a lovely waterfall and an old mill on the way. During the Second World War there was heavy fighting throughout Lunigiana and in Camporaghena's piazza, a moving tribute pays homage to Don Lino Baldini, who was executed by the Nazis in 1944 for ringing the church bells to warn the villagers of an impending Nazi reprisal. We also walked on the Via Francigena, the pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome. Our reward that day was a simple but excellent set lunch in a restaurant packed with local workers (always a good sign): Venelia in the village of Monti. Though no distance in the Lunigiana is great, the hilly winding roads mean that it takes longer to get about than on the larger white roads that criss-cross the rest of the province. But therein lies an insistence that you take things slowly – and really, isn't that what a visit to glorious, languid, fragrant Tuscany is all about? Essentials Easyjet flies from various UK airports to Pisa from £22 one-way. Villa Palma in Gabbiana sleeps up to 10 people in five bedrooms with four bathrooms and costs from £3,500 per week. Agriturismo Casa Turchetti, in Comano, is run by a young couple, Federico and Silvia and is set in a beautiful former oratory. There are four double rooms, two apartments and a pool and Federico's excellent cooking is served on the terrace or in an atmospheric old dining room. Doubles £185 per night. Castello di Pontebosio, near Licciana Nardi, is located on the banks of the River Tavarone. The hotel and spa is set in an immaculately restored 17th-century fortified manor. Doubles from £180.
