“Three years in the paddock, six weeks’ dry-ageing, 10 minutes for a skilled butcher to cut the primal muscle into steaks, seven minutes on a hot grill, three minutes to rest: there is a lot of time that goes into producing the perfect steak. It is for this reason you will find it is often the most expensive cut in the butcher’s cabinet.” – Meat: The Ultimate Companion, by Anthony Puharich and Libby Travers

There’s a saying in wine circles: “There are no great wines, only great bottles.” It’s a neat way of referencing the number of variables influencing the final product at every step of the journey, from vineyard to winery to cellar to table.