Daring Pairings: A Master Sommelier Matches Distinctive Wines With Recipes From His Favorite Chefs

by Evan Goldstein
University of California Press, 364 pp., $34.95

Wine’s highest calling is to be paired with food, and few people alive know as much about the art as Evan Goldstein. As a master sommelier, he has a knowledge of wine that is unassailable. But you don’t receive four James Beard nominations without being pretty savvy about food as well. Here, Goldstein discusses 36 grape varietals, then hands the results over to an equal number of great chefs and asks them for a recipe to match. He discusses why the pairing works and then offers about a dozen solid recommendations. The recipes are approachable by moderately skilled home chefs, and the wine information is flawless. As an added bonus, Goldstein’s prose is easy and accessible, and Joyce Oudkerk Pool’s illustrations are simply gorgeous. This book is highly recommended.

This article appears in May 28 • 2010.

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Wes Marshall is the author of What's a Wine Lover To Do? (Artisan) and The Wine Roads of Texas (Maverick), as well as the Executive Producer of the PBS television series of the same name. Wes has written for The Austin Chronicle since 1999, covering wine, cocktails, food, and travel.