Customer Reviews

The All American Cheese and Wine Book

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once I made the dreadful mistake of, "This wine's good; this cheese is good, and they'll be good together," and learned that you could ruin a good cheese and a good wine in the time it takes to gag the cheese down your throat. This book is clear and methodical in presenting an actual methodology - not rules - for pairing cheeses and wines. Werlin presents a wonderful framework to start thinking about how to pair cheeses with wines, and then gives you her blessing to go forth and experiment. I think she could make a mint selling poster-sized charts of her suggested combinations to every liquor store and high-end cheese shop in the country. The profiles of cheese makers and wineries will make you want to go on tour of the U.S - and happily, she tells you how to find them (and their goods). However, the book has wonderful photos and descriptions to allow nice armchair traveling too.

This is an odd but appealing collection of a wine overview, 50 cheesemakers and winemakers, and 55 recipes.

Although I like wine, I've never gotten much further than "I know when I like it." Among its other virtues, The All American Cheese and Wine Book has an excellent section with advice about cheese and wine pairings. Not just "emmenthaler with riesling" match-ups (though that's there, for us give-me-the-answer simpletons), but educational guidance about how to *think* about the subject: "...red wine will often seem bitter when sipped with many cheeses, because the tannins in red wine are exacerbated by salt and umami. Many cheeses have a good amount of discernable salt, which brings the tannin to the fore." It certainly helped me a lot.

But if you *still* don't want to think about it, each of the recipes has a wine recommendation.

I've only tried one recipe so far, which was excellent: a carmelized onion, bacon, and gruyere fondue. The instructions are relatively simple and easy to follow; no complaints there. In general, the recipes are expansions on the familiar without being too much of a stretch for relatives who don't like "weird stuff," such as cheddar-parmesan crackers, or cherry tomatoes with herbed goat cheese and shrimp. Unfortunately for me, a seemingly high percentage of the recipes use goat cheese -- and we don't LIKE goat cheese in my household. (There would be much screaming if I even tried to serve it.) There's also a tropism towards appetizers and a "cheese plate" rather than full-blown entrees; not that those are bad, but you should know what to expect.

The cheesemaking and winemaker profiles are interesting, in a read-once sort of way. While I like browsing through the book with the profiles interspersed with the recipes, when I'm actually looking for a recipe they get in the way. But I'll forgive this easily, because the photos (for both profiles and food) are simply gorgeous.

You'll enjoy browsing through this book. You'll probably find a few recipes to make again and again. (There's already a bookmark stuck into that fondue recipe.) But I'm not sure this will land in your dog-eared pile.

The book was in very good condition. Nicely illustrated and gives good insight as to what wines to serve with the abundant amount of cheeses on the market. A good buy and have already loaned to a few friends for their enjoyment.

I often go to this book when I'm out of ideas for quick appetizers to serve. Not only are the recipes tasty but the wine pairings are excellent, easy to find and reasonably priced. It also provides interesting background into the local handmade cheeses. A great selection.

This book is full of wonderful and interesting information about cheeses and wines that can go with them. Recipes are fun, if a little complicated. Lots of good info on where the cheeses come from.

I love this book. Laura Werlin created not only a beautful book, but one that contains clear, useful information that is well organized. Not easy to do when tackling wine and cheese in the same book. As a wine shop owner, I found this book a perfect choice for anyone who wants to learn more about cheeses and how to pair them with wines. Her choices for wines and cheeses to feature are second to none!

It is a beutiful book with which a cheese lover will be delighted. The photographs are wonderful. The only reason I gave it four stars, not five is that I think it is a bit pricey.

This is a great resource book for American wine and cheeses. It also has some really good receipes.