KAREN MACNEIL’S THE WINE BIBLE
(now in its 3rd edition)!
Karen MacNeil is a great writer. If you want to learn about wine, it is the one book you must have. One of the best-selling wine books of all time, THE WINE BIBLE is a lively tour from an expert teacher, grounding you deeply in all the fundamentals—vineyards and grapes, climate and soil—while layering on passionate asides, tips, anecdotes, definitions, illustrations, maps, labels, more than 400 full-color photographs, and an extensive grape glossary including 400-plus varieties. And it is actually fun to read!
WINE FOLLY: THE MASTER GUIDE
by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack
This book has the best review of different wine varietals I have seen. And the well-defined format, with graphs and drawings, providing information on everything from place of origin to food pairing suggestions, such as these charts on Pinot Noir, make it a breeze to use! This will become your go-to reference textbook
THE WINE-LOVER’S COOKBOOK
by Sid Goldstein
is loaded with great recipes paired to the perfect wine. Most helpful is his division of pairings into Main Courses and bridge ingredients as fundamental to wine and food pairing.
NOW A WORD ABOUT CHEESE . . .
If you want a truly cosmopolitan finish to your meal, a cheese plate is in order. Cheeses appear as parings with wine in almost every flavor profile. Soft, creamy cheeses work with many of the wines in the Green and Yellow flavor profiles, while hard cheese, like Gruyere or Cheddar work well with the Red flavor profile. But it is with the unctuous, even decadent wines of the Blue flavor profile that cheese shines!
We have mentioned Port, Madeira, Tokay, and Sauterne, which are all great pairings for cheese, but as the finale to a meal, I like to go back to two favorites: Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The more aromatic, fruity versions of these wines (numbers 3 or 4) make heavenly accompaniments to cheese, especially cheese made from sheep’s milk, like Manchego and Ewephoria.
Gewurztraminer wines are perfumed with aromas ranging from jasmine blossom to lychee and orange peel, all with a relatively full body and soft acidity, ranging from dry to sweet. Most readily associated with the Alsace region of northeastern France, the grape is nonetheless found in wine regions worldwide, including Germany, and the famed region of Alto Adige in Northern Italy.
Schlumberger makes some of the world’s greatest Gewürztraminers. This Grand Cru, paired with a cheese, makes a special holiday treat – memorable!
