Customer Reviews

The Wine Lover's Cookbook: Great Recipes for the Perfect Glass of Wine

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What a remarkable discovery! It's one thing to find a book on wine, another to find a book on food, and something unheard of to find one book on both that so perfectly expresses the joys of marriage between food and beverage. This was a truly ingenious tome that belongs in every kitchen.

For those of you who are visually inclined, you might be a tad disappointed. Only some of the recipes include pictures. Still, considering the subject matter and the great plethora of facts, tidbits, and ideas, you are not missing out. Each type of wine (most if not all) is given a treatment, from a brief background, to what to expect in regards to flavors and aromas. From there, you are guided to the perfect food matches that complement and heighten those aspects of the wine (and vice versa).

Wine and food have long been enjoyed together. Sometimes, we miss out by not having the right wine with the right course. This is your guide, your Magellan for sailing the culinary world. I am so glad that I own this wonderful book. It made a great gift to me from a dear friend, I'm sure your friends would love a copy of it as well! A must-own!

I've never seen a better book for learning to pair food and wine. After providing a thorough introduction to wine and food combinations, Sid Goldstein discusses the characteristics of each varietal in detail. Dedicating a chapter to each of some 14 wine types, he lists the different aromas and flavors typical of that wine, suggests foods and ingredients that will best complement it, indicates the regions that produce the best examples, and discusses the different styles found. I particularly appreciate that he concentrates on wine varietals, rather than vineyards or years, as many other wine books do. He then continues with a number of mouth-watering dishes ranging from appetizers to desserts suited for the wine. I have made many of these dishes and served them alongside the wines he suggests, and each has earned rave reviews. This book is sure to please anyone who loves good wine as much as they do great food.

I cook and my significant other collects wine. I found the recipes in this book to be tasty, relatively easy, and a good way to find out how to construct meals around specific wines. Or how to find the right wine for a meal. I particularly liked the explanations of what ingredients can create bridges with wine flavors. The author even gives spicy Indian and chili recipes which can work with the right wines. I hope the author is working on a second volume right now, and will offer some suggestions recipes for other wine varieties, particularly for red wines!

I recently bought this book and have been cooking wonderful dinners ever since. The recipies are are truley unique with a wonderful variety of flavors. Although you need to hunt for some of the special ingredients at times, the recipies are easy to follow and prepare. Sid Goldstiens "From The Earth to the Table" is also a must for a good variety of recipies.

I bought this cookbook for a friend and now I'm back to get my own copy. It is clear, concise, well-organized and beautifully photographed. Sid Goldstein gives food matches and food no-nos for each varietal and follows with some mouth watering recipes to match each wine. If you love wine and food in delectable combinations; don't miss this one! Bill Rogers Colorado

The combining of wine and food is a growing passion. It is not easy, with so many tastes and flavors going on in both areas. Here married together by author who knows much about both.

In this well organized and beautifully prepared volume, the marriage of wine with recipes is here photographed for this wedding memory book. The grape types are matched with wines, with one alternative usually given for each, as well as starting dialogue, then typical aromas and flavors, base ingreds, bridge ingredients, sources regions, styles and successful matching tips listed before the recipes.

And what a recipe listing! This is creative, broad representation of the pairing principles Goldstein has learned and wants to share. Tried several since purchase and they are spectacularly matched with the vino: Poached Swordfish with Champagne-Grape Sauce (Champagne); Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce )Sauvignon Blanc); Crab, Jicama and Mango Salad with Lemon-Curry Dressing (Chardonnay); Coffee and Spice-Rubbed Lamb with Coffee-Vanilla Sauce (Pinot Noir); Filet Mignon "Diana" (Syrah).

The photography of many of the dishes is exemplary. Also nice is a "Seasonal Menu" with 13 such, many fun in title e.g. Red Wine with Fish; White Wine with Meat" or "Bastille Day in Provence".

The choices are wide and varied so that this one won't lose its appeal or interest too quickly, and the wine styles are covered well. Excellent resource for growing food to wine contingent. Also check out Andrea Immer's work, esp. "Everyday Dining with Wine."

This cookbook is absolutely fabulous. I've owned the book a year; I bought it last Christmas for my sister who raved about it so much I bought it for myself. Everything I've cooked from this cookbook has been really good! I've learned alot in this book, not only about the wines themselves but why certain wines pair well with certain foods, tastes to look for when pairing wines and foods, and wines to use as a substitute if you don't have a recommended bottle on hand.

The recipes are relatively simple, some more complex than others. But each is very distinctive in flavors and instructions are clear and easy to follow. Also included are recipes for salads, appetizers and desserts which makes it a well rounded book! I highly recommend it. I wish they had another book out! I'd buy it in a second.

This book has changed the way I cook! I own over 80 cookbooks but this one is one of my most used. I am a grape illiterate. I don't care much for drinking wine but I love to cook with wine and I love to entertain for friends who like wine. This book saves me tons of research. Not only does it feature great recipes to go with each type of wine but it also gives you foods to match with the wine in case you want to cook from another cookbook. So now I know that if I want to serve or cook seafood with wine a dry Pinot Gris would probably go great. It also tells you a bridge item (side dish) that helps to bridge the wine with the food. My only complaint is that the book isnt larger. The author should definitely come up with a part 2 to go over all the types of wines he did not cover in this book. Excellent basic reference book.
Despite what the author below says about the recipes being too complex...the information this book provides in such a concise, organized manner is too valuable to pass up. The ingredients in the recipes are easy to find but most of the recipes do have a lot of ingredients. I just try to serve them on a day when I have nothing better to do. The recipes are not difficult but they do involve a lot of steps. The salmon/crab cakes with remoulade sauce recipe is worth the price of the book alone!
If this is the only cookbook you will own..then no... I would not buy it...but if you are looking for a great resource on how to cook and pair wine (which is what the title implies) then this is an excellent book to add to your cookbook collection and the information it provides will stay with you long after you finish it! Recipes or not...I would buy it for the reference material.

Wine pairings are right on, and recipes are easy to follow and create wonderful dishes. Recipes are different enough to be special, (and better than any other book), but not too exotic that most people won't like them. The wine sections are equally wonderful, the flavor and fragrance breakdowns show you how to taste and pair wines like a pro.

If you only have one cookbook for special occasions, buy this one! (For day to day and basic cooking, The Best Recipe is the one to get.)

I love trying new recipes, i always shop for my wine before my food, and with my vast collection of cookbooks and subscription to Bon Appetit, this is my most favorite cookbook ever. I'd highly recommend it.

The recipes may be on the intermediate to advance level of cooking, but they are easy to follow, and ingredients are easy to find. I've prepared probably 80% of the recipes and found them all to be delicious!