Customer Reviews

Wine with Food

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Joanna Simon has provided a wealth of information about teaming the right wine with the right food. This is not a cookbook; she is providing the foundations necessary to go forth and create with confidence. She discusses the rules, the effects of cooking styles, and wine varietals. Taking the regional aproach, she explores the classic foods and wine combinations of Europe,the Americas, Australia and New Zealand and then goes on to tackle the more challenging foods of Asia. The book concludes with a fabulous chart for matching an impressive list of wine varieties to food types and another for matching food to wine. I like to use this book in conjuntion with Sid Goldstein's Wine Lover's Cookbook for an excellent dual-approach: Simon is heavier on the wines and Goldstein heavier on the food. Together they provide novice and expert alike with a solid grounding and the desire to eat and drink well.

I have had this book for several months and read through it several times before deciding to alert USA readers they are likely to be disappointed with its contents. While the wine discussions are informative, the discussion of pairing them with foods is decidely European. You will seldom find these meals or even their ingredients in America. Those in the USA would be better served with: The Wine Lover's Cookbook: Great Recipes for the Perfect Glass of Wine
by Sid Goldstein

I've gone from completely ignorant to very successful in pairing wines with food simply by using this book. I've owned it for 3 years, and frequently bring it with me to my wine shop before a dinner party. It mystifies me that a couple of anonymous reviewers say the book isn't of use to Americans. If you ever eat barbecued spare ribs, Thanksgiving turkey, or Boston clam chowder, all of which are featured in the "classic combinations" section, or pizza, roast chicken, scrambled eggs, frankfurters, stir-fry, prawns, leg of lamb, roast beef, asparagus, cauliflower w/cheese sauce, chile con carne, or corn on the cob (and I could go on) which are all in the quick reference section, or anything steamed, fried, stewed, grilled, roasted, with a sauce, or cooked with wine, which are included in the section on how cooking methods relate to wine choices, or foods that are sour, salty, or sweet, or have tomatoes, olives, eggs, cheese, mustard or citrus fruit which are covered in the "Principles" section, you can find just about all you need to know about matching what you're cooking and eating to a harmonious wine.

I've found the two final, easy-to-use, quick reference sections that alphabetically list many foods with suggested wines, and many wines with suggested foods, worth the price of the book alone, and I've practically worn them out. Most importantly, Ms. Simon's taste is impeccable, with common dishes or hard-to-match ethnic foods from around the world that don't have a classic match. I even got a match for my Thai Massaman curry take-out! As the recommendations are keyed to the grape and style of the wines (say, unoaked Chardonnay), not to specific vintages or labels, they remain useful over the years for the gourmet or the wine retailer. The book also went over very well as a gift to a sister foodie. Thank you, Joanna Simon.

This book is extremely eurocentric and not very useful for an American cook. Simon essentially dismisses "new world" wines and pairs English cooking with European (ie French) wines. Some of the general rules are helpful but I do not want or need to know what wine to serve with kippers!

People who only drink California/American wine might not want this book because it is comprehensive. Covers all sorts of fantastic wines from everywhere and matches them well with food. Great photography and great information from one of the foremost wine writers of the world.

If you are only wanting to drink California Chardonnay, Merlot and white Zin, you will not want to buy this book. On the other hand, if you are open to new experiences and want to really learn new things about wine, grab a copy before it goes out of print or something.