Baked Ricotta with Toast
SAUVIGNON BLANC
Pasta with Greens, Chickpeas, Toasted Breadcrumbs, and Pecorino
Calamari with Garlic and Peas
Seafood Salad
Baked Goat Cheese in a Walnut Crust with Greens and Apple
RIESLING
Roast Pork Loin with Creamy Onion Sauce and Sautéed Apples
Chinese Chicken Salad
Tandoori-Style Shrimp
Baked Rockfish with Spicy Peanut Sauce
PINOT GRIS
Butternut Squash Risotto with Gorgonzola Cheese
Scallop Ceviche with Grapefruit and Avocado
Moroccan-Inspired Fish with Olives and Lemon
Bouillabaisse-Style Seafood Stew
GEWÜRZTRAMINER
Cheese Fondue
Savory Meat Strudel
Salmon with Spiced Onions and Currants
Duck with Orange Sauce
VIOGNIER
Ginger and Orange Fried Chicken
Halibut with Orange and Mint Salsa Verde
Brazilian Fish and Shellfish Stew
Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Raisins, Almonds, and Honey
red wines
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Steak au Poivre
Spanish Lamb Ragout with Roasted Sweet Peppers
Lamb Steaks with Greek-Inspired Tomato Sauce
Coffee- and Pepper-Rubbed Rib Roast
MERLOT
Roast Cornish Hens Stuffed with Pork and Prunes
Tuna with Rosemary and Citrus Tapenade
Catalan Bean and Sausage Stew with Mint
Mediterranean Vegetable Ragout on a Bed of Polenta
PINOT NOIR
Pork Loin Glazed with Pomegranate and Orange
Stuffed Roasted Squab
Salmon with Soy, Ginger, and Sake
Lamb Shish Kebabs
SANGIOVESE
Italian Meatball and Vegetable Soup
Roast Leg of Lamb with Olives and Orange
Osso Buco with Mushrooms and Tomatoes
Rustic Paella
SYRAH
Moroccan Lamb Barbecue
Duck with Sausage and Lentils
Pork Chili Verde
Korean Short Ribs
ZINFANDEL
Seared Tuna with Rosemary, Garlic, and Hot Pepper
Pasta with Artichokes, Pancetta, Mushrooms, and Peas
Brazilian Feijoada
Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches
dessert wines
Hazelnut Torte with Coffee Buttercream
Citrus Marmalade Tart
Lemony Ricotta Soufflé Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Caramel-Coated Cream Puffs
Coconut Panna Cotta with Mango Sauce
Tartufo Budino
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Most wine and food pairings are a confluence of diverse influences, and so is this book. During its creation, countless people have been inspirational and motivational, while others have been patient and tolerant. And many, truly those to whom I am most thankful, have been all those things.
I thank my wife, Barbara, for her unequivocal love and support, for her discriminating palate, and for reminding me with frequency that it's only fermented grape juice; my daughter, Elena, whose ability to discern today's apple juice from yesterday's at age three still dwarfs any of my gustatory accomplishments; and my son, Adam, whose love of food and request to attend cooking classes at age seven was heartwarming to his dad and a source of family pride.
I thank my mother, Joyce, without whose passion for food, wine, and all things of a sensual nature I'd likely still be trying to make it as a struggling rock-and-roll drummer, and whose recipes grace this book and make it far better than it would be without them; my sisters, Karen and Rachel, whose palates are better than mine; and my father, Marc, who, in spite of recognizing and appreciating gourmet cuisine, would be far happier with a grilled-cheese sandwich, made with real American cheese!
I express my profuse thanks to the team at the University of California Press: my editor, Blake Edgar, whose support and belief in this project made it happen; Nola Burger and Nicole Hay-ward for their design prowess; Dore Brown, Erika Büky, and Chalon Emmons for their perspective and assistance with the text; and Jenny Wapner and Matthew Winfield for keeping the engine humming.
I also thank my agents, Eric and Maureen Lasher, and my indispensable right hand during this project, Christie Dufault, who organized the tastings, kept copious notes on the hundreds of wines we tasted, provided balanced opinions, and kept the devil out of the details!
Appreciative gratitude goes out to all the producers, importers, and winemakers who shared their wines, souls, and personal artistry.
And finally there are my peers and friends, who collectively have influenced me more than they will ever know. Among them are Nunzio Alioto, Stephen Brauer, Sam Bronfman II, Val Brown, Fred Dame, Gilles Deschamps, Barbara Ensrud, Doug Frost, Joël Girodot, Diana Goldstein, Peter Granoff, Daniel Hallé, Mike Holden, Chet Hutchinson, Brian Julyan, Masa Kobayashi, Danny Kopelson, Nick Lander, Barbara Lang, Erika Lenkert, Bob Long, Chris Lynch, Karen MacNeil, Danny Meyer, Bill Newlands, Steve Olson, Ronn Owens, Kathleen and Michel Rege, Andrea Immer Robinson, Jancis Robinson, David Rosengarten, Leslie Sbrocco, Ab Simon, Harvey Steiman, Madeline Triffon, Paul Wagner, Alice Waters, Josh Wesson, Wilfred Wong, Mary Ann Worobiec-Bovio, Kevin Zraly, and the late, great Gerard Jaboulet.
INTRODUCTION
Numerous books on wine, and wine and food pairing, have been written over the years. And many stories have been told about the moonlike surface of Châteauneuf du Pape and that magical bottle of Rioja Gran Reserva that paired so seamlessly with an unbelievable meal at Restaurant XYZ. But while there is a lot of excellent writing about wine, food, and the synergy between them, much of it has actually missed most of “us.”
“Us” I define as Joe and Mary America-at-Table: people who really enjoy wine, and wine with food, but don't have the inclination or the time to learn the language of wine specialists. They (or we) are people who simply want to celebrate the simple pleasures of tasty food, drink delicious wine, enjoy the company of family and friends sharing a meal, and have a way to think and talk about what “worked” in an enjoyable combination of wine and food.
Over the years I have found that most individuals do want some guidance and useful information and are curious about wine but don't want to have to take a class or pore over a reference book