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University of California Press

Perfect Pairings

A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food
by Evan Goldstein (Author), Joyce Goldstein (Contribution by)
Hardcover eBook
Price: $38.95 / £33.00
Publication Date: May 2006
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 328
ISBN: 9780520931664
Trim Size: 7.5 x 9.5
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About the Book

As thousands of wines from around the globe enter the marketplace and the American palate continues to adopt flavors from a range of cultures, the task of pairing wine and food becomes increasingly complicated. No longer is the choice simply red or white, or wines from California, France, or Italy. The typical shopper today has access to wines from those regions plus South Africa, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia. If that isn’t confusing enough, Asian, Creole, and Latin American dishes might find their way onto the same table. Perfect Pairings, by well-known Master Sommelier and respected restaurant industry veteran Evan Goldstein, provides straightforward, practical advice for how to pair wine with each meal. The quintessential resource for matching wine and food, Perfect Pairings acts as a guide to wine, wine terminology, and wine-growing regions as well as a cooking guide: this versatile coffee table book includes 58 companion recipes developed by celebrated chef Joyce Goldstein that showcase each type of wine.

Perfect Pairings combines in-depth explorations of twelve grape varietals, sparkling wines, and dessert wines with guidance about foods that enhance the wide range of styles for each varietal. Whether the Chardonnay is earthy and flinty, or rich, buttery, and oak-infused; whether the Pinot Noir fruity and tropical, or aged and mature, Goldstein explains how to match it with dishes that will make the wine sing. His clear, educational, and entertaining approach towards intimidating gastronomical questions provides information for all readers, professional and amateur chefs alike.


* 16 full-color photos

* Six seasonal and special occasion menus

* Tips for enhancing food and wine experiences, both at home and in restaurants

* Glossary of wine terminology

* Overview of the world’s primary wine-growing regions

* Recommendations of more than five hundred wines, ranging in price from everyday to splurge

About the Author

Evan Goldstein, a four time James Beard Award nominee for “Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year,” has worked in the kitchens of the Restaurant Le Saintongeais and the Hotel Lancaster in Paris, Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, and Chez Panisse Café in Berkeley, California. In 1987 he became the eighth American and youngest ever at the time to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier examination. He is the author of Five Star Service: Your Guide to Hospitality Excellence and has over twenty years experience teaching both professionals and consumers about wine and food. Joyce Goldstein was the chef and owner of the acclaimed Square One Restaurant in San Francisco. She is the author of numerous cookbooks, including The Mediterranean Kitchen, Back to Square One, Kitchen Conversations, and Italian Slow and Savory.

Table of Contents

List of Recipes
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Creating Pairings That Work
Overview of the Wine Journeys

1. A Sparkling Wine Journey
Sparkling Wines

2. The White Journeys
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewürztraminer
Viognier

3. The Red Journeys
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Syrah
Zinfandel

4. A Dessert Wine Journey
Dessert Wines
Pairing at Home: Tips and Menus
Pairing When Dining Out
The Hall of Fame
Principal Wine-Growing Regions

Glossary
Recommended Reading
Index

Reviews

“Makes you want to go all-out for your next dinner party.”
— Wall Street Journal
“Practical advice from a master to help you decide what wines to serve with food is helpfully dished up in a new book—for your own summer reading or perhaps for taking along as a house gift.”
— Associated Press
“A true modern marriage between wine and food.”
— Beverage Media Group
“This is a book you really ought to have in your library.”
— KCBS Radio
One of the most comprehensive, accessible and authoritative guides on wine and food matching I've read. Evan Goldstein a Master Sommelier and wine educator, knows his subject, yet makes it imminently interesting and enjoyable. There are also lots of delicious recipes. His book made me both thirsty and hungry!
— Epicurious
“”The book is a very interesting approach to a complicated and often ignored topic. He presents no hard and fast rules but instead offers a wealth of suggestions and insights that will allow each wine lover to make more informed choices. Highly recommended.”
— California Grapevine
“A magnificent, well-organized presentation of his ideas about wine-food matching. . . .An indispensable–and utterly agreeable–reference.”
— Sante, The Magazine For Restaurant Professionals
“A useful primer for those who like wine but don’t have extensive knowledge of the subject.”
— Publishers Weekly
“As a wine and food journalist, I see many culinary books, but there are just a few that compel me to say, "I must have this for my library." There are even fewer that specialize in wine and food pairing. But "Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food," by Evan Goldstein with recipes by Joyce Goldstein, meets my standards on both counts. Evan Goldstein, a master sommelier and career wine educator, and his mother, renowned chef and cookbook author Joyce Goldstein, joyously and gracefully explain and demystify the "magic" of pairing wine and food. They make it so easy, it seems that everyone can do it; after reading their book, I'm convinced everyone can.”
— Fargo-Moorhead Hub
“As the title suggests it’s written by a practicing sommelier, Evan Goldstein . . . has recipes to match each of the principal grape varieties from his mother, chef Joyce Goldstein. . . . There’s also a useful ‘Pairing Pointers’ checklist under each variety, listing dishes with which it’s not likely to work well. A useful and inspiring read.”
— Decanter
“Evan is one of the legends of the wine industry. . . A lot of recipes and wine recommendations make it as practical a book as you will find.”
— Kansas City Star
“For many food lovers, cooking dinner is easy; what’s hard is choosing the right wine to serve with the meal. in Perfect pairings, sommelier Evan Goldstein solves this dilemma with practical, detailed advice on pairing wines with food.”
— Bon Appetit
“Goldstein’s flexible approach manages to be both educational ad entertaining, which makes the world of food and wine matching a lot easier to navigate.”
— Vines
“Maybe the most practical and informative book on matching wines and foods I’ve ever encountered is Perfect Pairings by master sommelier Evan Goldstein, whose mother is a well-known San Francisco restaurateur and supplied some terrific recipes for the book. If you’ve ever stumbled over what to serve with what-and we all have-you need this book. It can get a little esoteric, but so what? Maybe you’ll learn something. I did-a lot.”
— Houston Chronicle
“One of the most useful books on the subject. . . . Rather than simply listing which wines are good matches for which foods, it teaches the reader to create his own pairing based on wine’s level of acidity, sweetness, saltiness, tannin or oak. Equally handy, the book also lists pairings that usually don’t work, like Zinfandel with spicy foods. Way to go, Evan.”
— Wines & Vines
“The book takes you into the mind of a sommelier--a thoughtful, unpretentious sommelier who truly enjoys considering what goes with what--and provides a model for approaching food and wine on your own.” A Best Book of 2006
— Wine & Spirits Magazine
“This mother-and-son tag team could not be better suited to take on a theme that has been addressed in many books over the years, but infrequently with such authority and conviction. Evan Goldstein is a leading sommelier and wine educator who once worked with his mother at her acclaimed Square one restaurant in San Francisco.”
— Philadelphia Inquirer
“You can come away with a deeper understanding of the concepts of matching wine and food so you can figure out for yourself what makes the best match.”
— Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"The best wine and food pairing book ever written. Required reading for all who love to cook and entertain but are fearful of choosing the final ingredient of the recipe, the perfect wine."—Kevin Zraly, author of Windows on the World Complete Wine Course

"Inspired yet down-to-earth, this book will make your life easier, your food more enjoyable, and the conversation around the table more spirited."—Jacques Pépin

"I was crushed when the seminal California restaurant Square One closed its doors in 1996. The animated culinary dialogue between Evan and Joyce Goldstein—he with the corkscrew, she with the whisk—was always surprising, generous, and delicious beyond belief. Perfect Pairings revives that spirited magic so that any of us can learn to do it at home. I'm feeling better already!"—Danny Meyer, coauthor of The Union Square Cafe Cookbook

"It doesn't get much better than this. One of the most important wine educators of our time and one of America's most influential chefs conspire on the glorious subject of wine and food pairing. Perfect Pairings is valuable for the professional and layperson alike, with expansive information presented in straightforward terms. This book will be mandatory reading for all of my staff!"—Charlie Trotter, restaurateur and author

"Groundbreaking and very user-friendly. I really, really, like it."—Sara Schneider, Senior Wine Editor, Sunset Magazine