Pairing books with wine

October 24, 6:49 AMBook ExaminerMichelle Kerns

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In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol and it was the worst 20 minutes of my life. - George Best

Red wine:

Red wines of any type are the quintessential lit geek drink; the kind of thing you can imagine black-turtleneck clad, beret wearing, sensitive types drinking by the bushel while sitting in a grotty little cafe in Paris and getting maudlin over Ralph Waldo Emerson or Proust. Classics, high-brow travel writing, brainy literary-type tomes, history, historical novels, food writing, and anything with a reference to Provence in the title are perfect with your red wine of choice; however, to be totally authentic, it's best to try to drink the wine the characters are enjoying.

Recommendations:

- Rumpole of the Bailey - John Mortimer (best with British Claret, Rumpole's daily drink at Pomeroy's Wine Bar).

- A Year in Provence - Peter Mayle; novels of Jane Austen; any works by Anthony Bourdain-all of these are delightful with Cabernet Sauvignon or Burgundy

- Undaunted Courage - Stephen Ambrose; any brainy Oprah Book Club selections - great with a snooty Pinot Noir

- Doomsday Book - Connie Willis

- A Room With a View - E.M. Forster

 

White wine:

It's a pity, but white wine has become generally branded as a ladies drink. Therefore, Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Grigios and their close cousins are best served with pasta, seafood, chicken, and the following books.

Recommendations:

- Emma - Jane Austen

- Farm Fatale - Wendy Holden

- The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

- any frothy, pink-jacketed chick lit book

- anything by Victoria Holt, Danielle Steele, or Georgette Heyer

Don't stop with wine; enhance your reading experience with more delightful combinations:

Pairing books with beer

Pairing books with cocktails and hard liquor