World Book Day is April 23rd, and you might like to toast your love of reading with a great book and bottle pairing.
Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean, who is the author of the upcoming memoir Wine Witch on Fire.
Welcome Natalie. What do you recommend first?
I have Mary Soderstrom’s book, Against the Seas, which is about what we can learn about coping with rising sea levels from ancient times. As glaciers melt within a few decades due to climate change, sea levels around the world may rise and coastal cities could be flooded.
Soderstrom examines some fascinating ancient stories to see how people dealt with these challenges in the past as well as what’s being done today from Indonesia to the St. Lawrence River. As concerning as this sounds, it’s actually a hopeful book.
I’d pair this wine with the Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma, California which is certified sustainable, meaning they try to reduce their impact on the environment by recycling various inputs such as water and energy.
Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma County, California, United States
This is a robust Cabernet Sauvignon with aromas of cassis and blackcurrant. It’s aromatic enough to pair with a grilled steak or gourmet hamburgers.
What do you have next?
I have Super Bloom, an exciting debut novel by Megan Tandy set in a luxury Vermont spa. The lead character, a massage therapist, is grieving the accidental death of her boyfriend.
That grief is now jeopardizing her job and her friendships. Writing a romance proves to be what she needs not only to heal, but also to find new love.
This book is both heart-warming and hilarious, a very uplifting spring read.
Reif Estate Winery Riesling
Niagara River, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada
I’d pair this wine with Reif Riesling from Niagara with its spring-fresh notes of lemon, lime and blooming field flowers. This wine would also pair well with grilled seafood and veggies.
What else do you suggest?
I suggest Well Seasoned: A Year’s Worth of Delicious Recipes by bestselling Toronto author Mary Berg, who is also the host of Mary’s Kitchen Crush.
This cookbook is bursting with more than 100 seasonal recipes to inspire the home cook, from a lively green risotto to grilled summer squash pizza.
I’d pair this cookbook with the Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif made by the Caymus family of California. The grape is Petit Sirah, though there’s nothing petite about this wine. It offers full-bodied, smooth richness that will muscle in nicely beside your spring barbecue fare and Mary’s heartier recipes.
Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif
Suisun Valley, California, United States
You have a new memoir coming out soon and is available for pre-order now. Tell us about it.
It’s Wine Witch on Fire and the book’s subtitle is Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drink Too Much. Believe it or not, it has lots of humour and a happy ending. There’s lots of laughter and tears in this book.
It’s about my own worst vintage both in terms of relationships and career, and I coped with these challenges. Indigo/Chapters just named it one of the “Most Anticipated Books of the Season.”
Which wine would pair well with it?
Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada
I’d pair this wine with Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir, which is also known as the heartbreak grape. This wine has aromas of ripe cherry and fresh earth, but also of hope and optimism from its deep roots in the Okanagan Valley of BC. It would pair well with my grilled chicken, my memoir or burning love letters as it has a lovely smoky element to it.
Posted with permission of CHCH.
