The All American Cheese and Wine Book (Hardcover)

by Laura Werlin (Author), Andy Ryan (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
There's a certain built-in fear factor to be found at any decent wine shop or cheese counter. With The All American Cheese and Wine Book Laura Werlin makes it all go away. This is the author who, with The New American Cheese, so ably demonstrated the fact that terrific cheeses of international quality are being made in the US. In this second volume she shows the reader how it is possible, with a little foreknowledge, to confront that retail fear and start making exciting choices of wines that will open up cheeses, and cheeses that will reveal the true nature of wine. You will find yourself moving gracefully from "Oh my God!" to "What a friend we have in cheeses!"

This is a very straightforward book, with chapters that include "All About Cheese," and "All About Wine." Here you will find the seven basic cheeses and how they are made, as well as information on winemaking and tasting. In "Bringing Cheese and Wine Together" Werlin gives us her ten basic guidelines as well as lists and charts that reveal clues for perfect matchings of wine and cheese. And then the heart of the book, the pairings of 50 cheese makers and wine makers throughout the US, which displays a real feel for the passion that underlies these two major product categories. These profiles are delightfully matched with recipes Werlin files under Hors d'Oeuvres, Pizzas, Cheese Plates, Cheese Bar, Picnics, and Desserts. This is a beautifully designed book with outstanding photography underscoring all that Laura Werlin has to share. --Schuyler Ingle

Product Description
They're a perfect pair. They're meant for each other. They're wine and cheese, cheese and wine. We may know the classic combinations--cheddar and port, blue cheese and Sauternes, goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc--and appreciate their ethereal marriage of flavors and textures. But as Laura Werlin reveals in this book, there's a whole world of perfect pairings to discover.

In her follow-up to the IACP Award-winning The New American Cheese, Werlin guides us to matching the extraordinary artisan cheeses being made across America with our own incomparable wines. Her story begins with an overview of the seven basic styles of cheese, from fresh, tangy chevre to buttery, soft-ripened camembert to nutty, aged gouda. She explains how each is made, what flavor qualities each has, and what types of wines will generally bring out the best in each category of cheese. She offers the same kind of overview for American wines, paying particular attention to those produced by the smaller boutique wineries. Guidelines for combining American cheese and wine, clues for making the perfect pairs, and charts showing the ideal combinations at a glance make this book an indispensable resource.

The book also includes profiles of 50 American cheesemakers and winemakers and 55 delectable recipes for dishes that use cheese or feature cheese by itself. Werlin has organized the recipes with entertaining in mind, and offers creative ideas for hors d'oeuvres, pizzas, cheese plates, picnics, and desserts. The book also includes an extensive listing of cheesemakers and winemakers around the country with mail-order information.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; First Printing edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584791241
• ISBN-13: 978-1584791249
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #193,487 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic guide for the uninitiated!, April 16, 2003

By A Customer

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.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good recipes, gorgeous photos, helpful wine advice, December 19, 2003

By	Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful wine and cheese pairings, July 21, 2007

By	Lisa Foster "mom" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.