Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines with Recipes from His Favorite Chefs [Hardcover]

This book is awesome and covers lesser known grape varieties fabulously. I'm designing my own home wine tasting around the wines and recipes in this book! Each wine has a phonetic pronunciation, history of the grape, flavors, cheeses, and then pairing pointers, anti-pairings, as well as a wonderful recipe. My example is Torrontes, it's a less known grape from Argentina. Talks about alternative names and other countries that grow this grape well. Flavor lexicon of apricot, mango, honeysuckle, jasmine, among others. Similar to Viognier and Gewurztraminer. He then talks about the differences between aged vs. not aged, low-altitude vs. high-altitude vineyards, single variety vs. blended and then skin contact or no contact. It was tons of information that helped me better understand this variety. And this was just for one grape variety! There are over 35 varieties covered in this book. The Seafood Chowder that was paired with the Torrontes was excellent.
My wine tasting is going to cover an appetizer w/wine, entree/wine and then dessert w/wine. In addition I will have out the cheeses recommended. It doesn't get any simpler than this. I like this book and The Wine Club: A Month-by-Month Guide to Learning About Wine with Friends.

Got this for my granddaughter who is studying wine and all that... she also works at a place that does "wine pairings" and has tastings for wines. She adores the book.

By Jennifer McInnis
San Antonio Express-News
[...]
No longer do you need to worry about what you serve with a prosecco. Or whether you eat fish or beef with gamay wine.

Goldstein, master sommelier and author of "Perfect Pairings," recently published his second book, "Daring Pairings" ($24.95 University of California Press), which highlights 36 lesser-known grapes accompanied by recipes from his favorite chefs. The book is a comprehensive guide to the adventurous wine explorer.

"I think in all honesty there has never been a better time in the history of the civilization to be a wine consumer," Goldstein says.

Taking a risk with a wine that's not as well known can mean better value, since many of these wines are available at reasonable prices.

To create a pairing, the book first breaks down the keys to understanding wine -- acidity, sweetness, tannin, oak and alcohol. It also goes into the keys of matching food -- ingredients, cooking methods and sauces and condiments.

For each grape, Goldstein provides details such as alternative names, common blends, where it's grown, wines similar in style or taste, and what it does and doesn't pair well with. For example, albariño isn't good with many veggies or spicy or sweet dishes, but it's great with most cooked seafood. It also cleanses the palate when paired with deep-fried and richly textured dishes. He includes cheese pairings for each varietal and recommends producers at three price points.

The book includes a recipe for every course. For example, a malbec complements a Braised Shank of Beef entrée, and an Almond Cake with a warm Red Berry-Vanilla Compote goes with muscat.

Goldstein takes most of the guesswork out of the process. He says there are several mistakes people make when pairing wine and food:

*Following the more time-honored rules -- white wine with fish, red wine with meat, pink wine with poultry. "I think people at times are both disappointed and frustrated when they are following what they believe to be great, solid direction and it crashes and burns," he says.

*Believing food and wine myths. "If you've got really big, powerful strong cheeses, you need big powerful wines strong enough to go with it. That probably couldn't be further from the truth," he says.

*Limiting yourself, which is less a mistake than "a lost opportunity." Goldstein says you shouldn't be afraid of going off the beaten track and broadening your spectrum of grapes.

There are two approaches when pairing a multicourse meal, depending on if you're at home or dining at a restaurant.

In restaurants, Goldstein says diners and sommeliers are becoming more confident and daring, often pairing wines by the glass.

"If (diners) can have variety in their food, why can't they have variety in their wine?

"Also, it does provide better pairings because you've selected a wine specific for your dish. Last, it allows them to customize wine selections to their meal," he says.

For pairings at home, it's up to you to decide how much wine you want to buy, depending on the number of guests. Goldstein suggests getting input from your wine merchant.

"I do believe when people are entertaining ... there's a lot more play going on," he says.

One of his biggest tips is "to shop consistently at the same place and even with the same people" so your retailer will come to understand your palate and can successfully suggest wines.

"This emerging inquisitiveness and natural curiosity and confidence that Americans are having, both in food and wine, is being played out at both tables in restaurants and at home."

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