Pairing Bestselling Books With Best-Cellaring Wines

We’re back with Natalie MacLean. You can watch our first segment on book and bottle pairings here.

This time we’re going outside the wine category of books with these pairings.

What do you have for us first?

We’re starting with one of my favorite authors, Candace Bushnell, who wrote this book, Is There Still Sex and the City? a fantastic follow-up to her blockbuster hit, TV series, several movies and now a theatrical production.

I’d pair this book with this Rosé sparkling wine from La Marca because it’s just fabulous, as the four women in the book would say. It would also pair beautifully with field greens and seafood.

La Marca Prosecco Rosé
Veneto, Prosecco Rosé D.O.C., Italy

What do you have next for us?

I have City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, a spellbinding novel of glamour, adventure and finding your own happiness as told through the eyes of a young woman who explores the nuances of true love.

I’d pair this book with this robust Italian wine, Castello Fonterutoli Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 2019, since it was in Italy that Liz indulged her passion for food in her other book Eat Pray Love. This wine would pair well with a hearty meat dish or full-bodied Italian.

Mazzei Castello Fonterutoli Gran Selezione Chianti Classico
Tuscany D.O.C.G., Italy

Let’s move on to your next book and bottle.

I have I Hear She’s a Real Bitch by Toronto chef Jen Agg. This is a behind-the-scenes memoir of the restaurant industry that’s brutally honest, funny and wise.

I’d pair this with this racy, nervy Riesling from Bella Terra in Niagara that would also go well with shellfish or quiche.

Pondview Estate Winery Bella Terra Wild Ferment Riesling 2019
Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada

Sounds great! What do you have next?

I have The Push by Ashley Audrain, another Torontonian, whose written an addictive, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family.

I’d pair her book with this from Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2020, a refreshing aperitif you’ll need to break the tension of this novel. It also pairs with a creamy mushroom risotto.

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand

Great! What’s next?

I have The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox, feel-good, holiday-themed romantic comedy about identical twins who switch lives in the days leading up to Christmas.

The story is based in California so I’d pair it with this towering Cabernet from Black Stallion in Napa Valley, which would also be wonderful with osso bucco.

Black Stallion Estate Barrell Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Napa Valley, California, United States

What’s your final pairing?

I have The Strangers by Katherena Vermette, a bestselling Red River Métis writer from Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg. She’s written a staggering intergenerational saga that explores how connected we are, even when we’re no longer together—even when we’re forced apart. The book was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller prize.

I’d pair this book with a complex, nuanced Shiraz from Australia that’s called The Barossan from Peter Lehmann, which would also happily find its place beside gourmet hamburgers.