The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine

although food and drinks have unlimited composition, but this book do give a great guide line and infomation that helping to get most from the meal. When you get the basic, you can have you own version. highly recommended book

The dust on my furniture is thickening, the phone is ringing, my dog wants a walk...Sorry, I am selecting which beverage to serve tomorrow nite with peel-and-eat shrimp...oh, what fun!! Watch out because once you open this book, it will be awhile before you rejoin the world: It's pure facination and empowerment (!) for an avid foodie who has never been quite certain of what wine to serve without groveling at the local wine shop! And it's not just about wine; there are fabulous suggestions for beer, citrus drinks, tea....

There are already excellent reviews (in my opinion) so I don't want to reinvent the wheel by raving on the photos, the organization, the pure depth of information, the perfection of this book. But if you have stopped on this page, you probably also own a dog-eared, raggedy, finger-smudged copy of "Culinary Artistry" (somewhat like mine is?) and suffice to say that while this is a much more beautiful book and may not necessarily be sitting next to your stove (although there are wonderful recipes...)you will probably refer to it as often.

Suggestion: Read the more in-depth reviews, click to order....and purchase those little anti-static dust cloths. I haven't figured out what to do about the dog yet...

I originally purchased this book in Kindle format, which was not a good format for this type of book. The book is very easy to use and informational for creating wonderful wine and food pairings. You can find the best wine pairings for a particular food OR, if you have a favorite wine and want to prepare the food to support the wine, it gives you great food suggestions. UNFORTUNATELY, less than a month after I purchased this book, the binding broke and separated from the pages of the book. the store replaced, but the second one is the same. I don't bend my covers back so I'm not sure why the binding failed. Publisher needs to bind the book correctly. Would be better as spiral bound.

I am a restaurant professional and cook book author, always looking for the perfect pairing. The only way to know is to try the food and the wine together. However, this book at least gives you a starting point to help you along that quest.

First off, it's very wide ranging and is incredibly easy to use. All of the recommendations in this book have come from top notch chefs and sommeliers, so you know they can be trusted. You'll often find a wealth of options to choose from, due to the democratic group effort behind this. You'll also get more than just wine, which is incredibly refreshing. Some refuse to admit it, but there are dishes that simply work better with other drinks. They go above simply listing "beer" and will put "lager", "wheat beer", etc., which is nice.

The book uses a system of bold print, capital letters, and asterisks to point out which drinks work particularly well. It's also nice to see a section afterwards that does the reverse and is listed by drink and then has food suggestions. Sometimes you want to build the meal around a special bottle of wine instead of vice versa. After that comes specific recommendations from some of the well known contributors to the book. It's an almost flawless book. Except....

....the book is very poorly edited and, in at least two cases, factually inaccurate. Jean-Luc Le Du is either misquoted, misinformed, or simply misspoke. The quote: "Where to find great Cabernet Sauvignon: This would be a toss-up between hillside vineyards in California and Pomerol in France." I had to do a double take...Pomerol? For Cab Sauv? Huh? Not only that, I noticed this statement in two different parts of the book. I'm assuming M. Le Du meant to say Pauillac, as Pomerol is, of course, known for Merlot, which makes up most or all (80-100%, usually) of the wine blend there. Even if there is Cab Sauv in the blend, it's a minimal amount of the wine. I can understand misspeaking and saying Pomerol when you mean Pauillac. It happens. But how this obvious factual error ended up in the final print of the book is beyond me. Anyone that buys a Pomerol expecting a shining example of Cab Sauv will be disappointed (although they may end up with some of the world's best Merlot.)

I noticed another factual error concerning the retail price of a certain wine. They mention Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon as a great value wine at $10 a bottle. It actually retails for around $30-$35 a bottle, not $10.

While I have yet to find any other major errors in the text (not that I'm actively searching for them), I have noticed a couple grammatical blunders; missing punctuation, spelling errors and such. It's disappointing to see easily correctable errors like this mar an otherwise fantastic book. That being said, don't let these gripes deter you from buying this excellent reference source for food and drink pairings. Clean up the grammar and factual errors and this becomes a 5 star book.

This book is incredibly in-depth. It brings you into the world of wine tasting and appreciation with the help of three separate voices. One author describes flavors in terms of familiar foods, another in terms familiar to a sommelier, and the other in more abstract, synesthetic terms. A huge chunk of the book is dedicated to listing out different foods and what wines go with them, and another massive section works through different wines and what foods go well with them. It's a fantastic guide for any level of wine appreciation, and it's written in such a way that anyone could pick it up and understand what's going on.

We have this book at the boutique, wine and craft beer store that I work at. It is my go-to book for customers looking for pairings. When I started working at the wine store (4 years ago) I only knew about cheap, sweet wines and had barely explored craft beer. Needless to say, I was not an expert then, nor am I now. But I have developed a real love for exploring all different types of wines and other beverages.

Pairing is a whole other ball of wax.....whenever I have a special meal planned, or have a customer that is looking for that "right" fit, I grab THIS book. Here are some of the features that I appreciate about the book:

- It is divided into two reference sections. One section, you can search for what pairs with the food you've chosen. The other, you can look for foods to pair with what you've chosen to drink.
- It has an extensive "cheese" section.
- It gives suggestions for different preparations of the same food....like Chicken; barbecue, roasted, w/tomato sauce, cold, fried, etc.
- You can look up a particular spice, like juniper berries, caraway seed, dill, rosemary...then cross reference that with what your main dish is made of and spiced with.
- It suggests more than just wine. There are tea, coffee, beer, spirits, sake, juice, water, and probably more that I haven't discovered yet.
- Pairings are listed in a 3 tier system...good, better, best...those are easy to disseminate from one another, by the boldness & size of font.

I was not intimidated by this book, rather, it has encouraged me to think about balancing flavors and textures in ways I never would have considered. It does encourage experiencing beverages from an appropriate glass, but I wouldn't let that stop you. I don't think that the palette of a newbie would necessarily perceive the difference of using the "right" glass at first anyway. The world of food and drink is an enormous and ever-changing adventure. Jump in and have some fun. Use this book as a loose map of that world.

Disappointed to say the least. Ordered the book together with 'The Flavor Bible' on Jan 29th. They never arrived. After contacting the store they were kind enough to send me replacements at their expense, which I very much appreciate. They finally arrived before the weekend.
I think they should have stayed with wine this becomes clear after one starts leafing through the book. Their treatment of anything not wine, which in all frankness I'm not interested in at all as I never, and I mean never drink it, is deplorable.
One would think a "DEFINITIVE GUIDE" would treat all beverages equal.
Beer and tea get each about one page in the beginning of the book. Hooray!! And then to say that at the moment American beers rival the best of the Belgian and other old world beers in taste and complexity.
Most spirits end up in the back at the pairing pages where whiskey is just one column. Vodka a paragraph and Gin barely a few lines. This surprises me as there is, in my very humble and I'll admit very amateurish view, a much bigger difference between different whiskeys, bourbons, Gins, the endless variety of beers and the ever so ephemeral aromas and tastes of tea.
I have not mentioned waters (I drink tap water considered the best choice almost anywhere in the world) or coffee, like wine never touch the stuff but both of those do not get a fair shake either.
If they can mention soft drinks how comes they do not even touch on milk or any milk derived drinks like yoghurt or kefir. Don't these count as drinks.
Well it DEFINITELY is something but not a good guide to matching anything other then the most obscure grape wines with some foods.
Oh yes I forgot to say there is an awful lot of food that did not make into this book. I guess it has to do with what is the 'norm' and available in the US.
Not worth the money!

After being off my blog, books, WINE BARS, food, WINE, church, friends, parties, SCOTCH, work, exercise, marital duties (well there was that one nap) MARTINIS and food for at least a week due to H1N1 I now have to contemplate: What will be my first drink and what will I pair it with?

Owing respect to the pig that pulled me into this dirty trough…he shall get his due. So will I roast him? Barbecue him? Or lay him down, wrinkled and bare, next to a side of scrambled chicks? And, more importantly, what will I drown him with?

I refer to the best book of all time, thank you Jeff Jacobson (wine chair of the annual SCV Wine Classic) for telling me about it years ago, WHAT to DRINK with WHAT you EAT THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO PAIRING FOOD WITH WINE, BEER, SPIRITS, COFFEE, TEA – EVEN WATER – BASED ON EXPERT ADVICE FROM AMERICA’S BEST SOMMELIERS by ANDREW DORNENBURG and KAREN PAGE, JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS OF Becoming a Chef AND Culinary Artistry (This mix of CAPITAL LETTERS and italics is how the cover looks – and I don’t think it’s the perfect pairing!)

The book is divided in two sections: First is alphabetical by food; second is alphabetical by drink. Actually there are 8 chapters in all but it still is encapsulated in the two ideas. So, like my pal Jeff, I use it as a handy reference book when my husband (of course) is cooking or someone asks me for advice on a pairing I’m not familiar with.

Under the guise of unsuspecting “Pork” alone I found: Beaujolais, Beer (noted was Oktoberfest beer! Yes!) Champagne, Chardonnay, cocktails made with Brandy, orange-flavored drinks, Gewurztraminer, Ginger Ale, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sake, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Viognier and Zinfandel.

Now if I preferred my Pork grilled or roasted: Beer, Merlot, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, Riesling or Zinfandel. Cream or Mustard sauces: Chardonnay. Spice rubbed: Gewurztraminer. Pork rinds: Beer, Sherry or Sparkling wine.

So, that leaves me to pick the exact wine. Since I like Zins I would have to have my pork grilled up with…any of these make my list:

Michael Perlis’s Turley (I’ve been sick! The guilt alone will make him hand one over!)
Cosentino Cigar Zin is a favorite as I’ve had the additional benefit of enjoying it with Mitch Cosentino.
Bogle, Bonny Doon and Rosenblum are inexpensive and consistently drinkable as are:
Hitching Post
Grgich
Kenwood

This is a great book. Everyone who loves food and wine should have this book in their library.

It was an extremely ambitious project, and in my opinion, succeeds remarkably in what it sets out to do. It is a really helpful index.

Why only four stars? Because it's not perfect, even though I love it and will buy it as a gift for others.

I think it needs an index. Yes, it would be a difficult index to create, as so many terms will show up on so many pages. But I want them to try.

Some of the celebrity chef material seems a little bit of a waste of space. It does nothing for me, and is something of a distraction.

There is a fair amount of contradictory advice. Perhaps this is because tastes vary, but I found it a little confusing to navigate.

I'd like clearer directions on how to make such pairing decisions myself. Yes, the ones in there are pretty good. But I would still like more.

Finally, though I've tried many suggestions and found them all to be reasonably appropriate, I have not experienced any that were really magical, in the way that some pairings I've had at some restaurants were magical. This leads me to believe that there remain secrets not being revealed to me here. There's something missing.

Really, though, these are minor concerns, and I might be asking for the impossible. What the authors have given us is pretty close to impossible as it stands, and it really is a remarkable achievement.

So, buy this book. You won't regret it. Good job to everyone involved. I look forward to the revised and perfected next edition. :)

This book is excellent for all of your food pairing needs. Additionally, it includes pairing for more eccentric wines and is the perfect way to decide what to cook based on what you want to drink or vice versa. It is the perfect gift for anyone who loves to cook, loves to eat, and/or loves to drink.

It is a must for those who wish to take their enjoyment of wine and food to the next level, by creating the perfect food and wine pairing.

Additionally, it is a great joy to try various combinations as suggested and find your own personal favorite as well as see how the food can highlight the wine or the wine enhance the flavors of the food.

This book can help match even the most difficult of food and goes beyond the basics. This book goes way beyond reds with red meat and white with fish, and will in fact suggest pairings that are a surprise and a delight.

This book is a HIGH recommendation.

Want to know what to drink with Indian cuisine, fajitas, or White Castle hamburgers? Looking for a delicious match for cabernet, sparkling fruit juice, or root beet? From almonds to zucchini, and ale to zinfandel, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page's What to Drink with What You Eat has it covered. Whether you enjoy an evening cocktail or remain a teetotaler, you'll find plenty to savor in this guide to drinking.

The first rule? "Think regionally." Of course: a nice Riesling with some buttery German cheeses. Who would have thought it could be that simple? In case these pairings don't come to you effortlessly, you can peruse the suggestions for France, Italy, Spain, and Germany.

Looking to become more adventurous in your drink selections? The authors include a handy guide called, "If You Like This, You Might Also Like That." If you like champagne, for example, you might like lambic beer or sparkling sake--quite a relief for those of us who stare at the bar trying to think of something new to try and walk away with some awful concoction we can hardly stomach.

The two pairing glossaries--one by drink and one by food--are particularly helpful because of the wealth of items listed and the rating system explaining which pairings are divine and which are simply adequate. By the way, water goes best with Caesar salad, light seafood, and dessert.

For the truly gourmet, the pairing menus toward the end can help you impress even the most discriminating dinner guests. And be sure to take a peak at the desert island lists--what they can't go without!--offered by everyone from Rocco Dispirito to the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery.

Lest you think the authors have left out any crucial elements, the tasting chart at the end of the book is just the key to put all these great suggestions to use on your path to heavenly dining--and drinking. Before you know it, you'll be dreaming of Rick Bayless's pairing of squash blossom soup and a Portuguese wine you're still learning how to pronounce it.

Armchair Interviews says: Yummy-and a "to your health."

When I was in cooking school, Culinary Artistry, also by Dornenburg and Page, was a must-have for the students, particularly on Market Basket days when we had to whip up a three course meal without benefit of recipes. It is such a great resource, so thoroughly researched and comprehensive, that I became a huge fan of the authors and have since eagerly awaited any offering from them.

What to Drink With What You Eat is just as comprehensive a book, and set up in much the same way. It can help the wine-clueless entertain with confidence, and it can help the not-so-clueless dig up some exciting wine pairings they wouldn't have considered. Whether you want the perfect wine to go with this Saturday's dinner, or you just want to avoid disaster, you can find it here.

I found the various sommeliers' opinions on particular wines and pairings to be interesting- how they approach the enjoyment of wine from different angles. Those differing approaches can help the wine timid realize that even the experts draw from personal reactions to wines and pairings rather than a blueprint. It's one of the things that makes this book great for both novices and experienced wine drinkers.

Fascinating, thorough, very enjoyable book. Highly recommend.

I have over twenty wine books, and this has quickly become one of my favorites. It is hands-down the most comprehensive resource on food-wine pairing I've seen yet, and it's also well-organized and fun to read. Initially I was skeptical: Do I really need a book to tell me to drink Chardonnay with Salmon? But the level detail far exceeded my expectation. For instance, there are extensive discussions on how the temperature of your steak dictates different wine pairings. In addition to the encyclopedic lists of pairings, there are four chapters expounding on principals of pairing, proper service and storage of beverages, how to taste wine, and "an exploration of sensory and emotional enjoyment." Perhaps my favorite piece are the lengthy testimonials from chefs and sommeliers about their favorite pairings, biggest disasters, personal philosophies, and career experiences. Want to know how Master Sommelier Rajat Parr got so good at wine tasting? It's on page 18! This book is an invaluable resource. You should consult it every time you eat or drink something.

This is truly spectacular aid to matching food with drink. We all are creatures of the tried and liked comfort zone of doing this. Found something, stay with it. Don't change a winning game.

Tough to venture out when don't know the lay of the land. But here in this rich, well done, nearly 350 page compendium are the helps to move us into new food/drink heavenly combos. In the similar style as their classics: Becoming Chef and Culinary Artistry, authors talk with famous chefs and drink experts and then combine all this into workable format for such expansion to happen among us. There are many sections to this, but one that takes off on same tangent as Culinary Artistry is alphabetically by various subjects listing of what goes well with what, e.g. Crayfish = especial winners as New World Chardonnarys, chablis, and white burgundy, with some other suggestions as well. Or one can go the other route of what goes with Chardonnay and we find crayfish, but super special combos recommended include: Crab and cream sauces, chicken in cream sauce, lobster and veal. There are minute details here, which is superb value of this. Reminds me of my first exposure to wine/food pairings. I would go to this wine store where this expert would make recommendations. He would ask what's the food to match: I would say lasagna. He would ask, what are the herbs and how much garlic, tomato sauce, etc. Never forget when he recommeded a French rose for a steak with complex butter. Hated rose till made that combo. THIS BOOK GIVES THAT KIND OF ADVICE AND DETAIL.

The writing is superb, e.g. this overall desription of its objective which it easily meets: "Sampling new beverages is typically a low-risk proposition--with a high potential payoff."

The richness of the paperstock, photos and printing are perfect stylistic choices to this wonderful, useful resource. Not only for wine and food pairings, but also waters, beers, teas, etc. Their are tips on how to taste, how to start with something you like and move on to others one probably will enjoy discovering, etc.

Renown chefs and sommeliers provide their pairing favorites along with some recipes. Haven't found it yet, but what I have found so valuable is my dossier that I keep on food/drink pairings, when possible removing label off drinks to put in this diary. Would have been nice to find sample of this. Maybe I'll discover it already included, or maybe for second printing?

You can't go wrong on securing this for yourself or as gift.

Just like The Flavor Bible, this, too would be an excellent iPhone Ap. So much fun to take to the grocery store or peruse while making that shopping list on the Metroride home!

I really like how the book is organized. In the beginning, the authors provide some nice rules on how to pair drinks with food. Following this, the book matches beverages to foods, then a section on matching foods to beverages. I really like the final section where famous sommeliers and restaurant owners suggest their own favorite pairings. This book is such a joy to read!

Are you curious about what wine to order with your cheesecake? Intimidated by five-hundred page wine list at a top restaurant? Downright scared when the sommelier comes charging toward your table?

Relax. Authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have created a resource that helps even the `average Joe or Jane' understand the principles of wine and food pairing. They take the conventional, canned, old-school advice of "red wine with meat, white wine with fish" to an entirely new level, based on insights learned from their previous books on cuisine, as well as interviews with America's top, cutting-edge sommeliers.

In many ways, the format of What to Drink with What You Eat resembles a substantial wine/food pairing encyclopedia specifically designed to be quickly skimmed before heading off to a restaurant or purchasing wine for a dinner party. For example, let's say you are entertaining clients at a steakhouse, and want to sound intelligent about wine. You know red wine typically goes with red meat, but which red? Old world or new? And what are the virtues of each? By spending just five minutes with this book (and perhaps jotting down some notes) you will be able to help your guests order a Shiraz, Barbaresco, Barolo, or good old Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon based on the elements of the sauce and cut of meat they choose.

In a similar fashion, let's say you want to dazzle your friends and show off your new kitchen with a fabulous dinner party. Spend a few moments with this book and you will be able to pair every element of your menu with an exciting, unusual wine. No need to consult a professional wine expert, as you have this knowledge at your fingertips.

Sommeliers interviewed for this book are mostly young and more free-thinking than sommeliers of years past. They are enthusiastic about wine, regardless of it's an exciting, new world find of exceptional value, or a fine-aged Bordeaux worth hundreds of dollars. As a group, they see their mission as helping you find a good wine to accessorize your meal within your price range. And the individual quotes from sommeliers are what makes this book so fresh and appealing.

For example, Steve Beckta of Beckta Dining & Wine in Ottawa believes that as a sommelier, it is almost more important to match a wine to a person than to match the wine to the food. Curious thought! "The most important part of being a sommelier is not your ability to taste, but your ability to empathize with the person who is in front of you," he explains in the book.

How very true. In one instance, Beckta recalls three `big businessmen' sitting at a table. One wants lamb, one wants halibut, and the other guy wants scallops. They tell him they want the "perfect" wine that matches all three, dissimilar dishes. By carefully listening to the subtext of what they are telling him, Beckta realizes they are after a wine that fits into their comfort zone, not necessarily the best match. To him, that means a "big red" from Australia and as it turns out, the businessmen love it.

Sommelier Alpana Singh, formerly of Everest in Chicago (now with the Lettuce Entertainment Group) agrees that comfort is important. She likes to serve California wines on big holidays like New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day, because people who dine out only a few `special nights' a year want something they can recognize and appreciate.

If you entertain or dine out frequently, What To Drink with What You Eat is a dynamic desktop resource and wine and food pairing primer that will stimulate you to learn more about wine by further reading or classes. If you like oaky Chardonnay, for example, this book will also motivate you to try unoaked Chardonnay wines and realize the difference, especially when paired with food. Yet what works best about this book is the way you can take advantage of the authors' extensive research and with just a few minutes of skimming, come across as a credible wine expert in front of clients, colleagues, family and friends.

After learning to cook, I looked forward to serving new dishes to guests -- but found I was hesitant about entertaining because I never knew what wines to serve. I was tired of being dependent on my local wine store for recommendations that often seemed to be more about what they wanted to sell than what went with what I was cooking. WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT provides such thorough recommendations that it's easy to come up with the perfect match. I'm looking forward to entertaining again, now that I can serve wine and other drinks with equal grace to the food I prepare. And my non-drinking guests benefit, too, given all of the innovative recommendations for non-alcoholic beverages.

Fine background and justification for why certain liquids do - or do not -pair well with certain foods. Good reading. Best part - the easy-to-use guides. What foods (from A to Z) go with what wines. Then, a listing of wines to food. So, you can find the pairing for the grilled salmon (ex. buttery California Chardonnay) or designate a mate for that great bottle of Rioja (ex. grilled lamb). Several recipes/comments from famous chefs, etc. - but the pairing guides are the best part. I bought this book for a birthday gift, but read it on a car trip. Kept it. Bought two more for birthday gifts!

"What to Drink.." makes entertaining entertaining again. With the rebirth of cocktails, I have a difficult time matching appetizers with scotch, bourbon, martinis, sweet drinks, mineral waters, "virgin" cocktails, etc- This book is the ultimate match maker and a great read to boot. It is the perfect gift for weddings, birthdays,and holidays. I suspect there will be a well worn copy behind every restaurant bar across the country.

I just really started to get into wine, after reading The Wine Confident (Simple wine tasting, wine grapes, wine service and storage, food and wine pairing, how to choose and buy wine cleverly) which made me want to know more on this specific matter: Wine and food pairing. So I ordered this book! Very Cool, because gives some examples (alongside with nice pictures). It is detailed and serious (maybe a bit too much), but I still would recommend it!

Wine lovers, from the casual sippers to professional Sommeliers, will find solid, clear advice here, in a well organized format. I worked for many years as a Sommelier and served as Education Director for the Sommelier Society of America, and I can say that no one had done as good a job of making it easy for you to choose a wine that will not only "match" with your meal, but will make your dining (and drinking) experience more enjoyable. This book is bound to become one of the indispensible food and wine books that I keep at hand: a classic in the making. I cannot recommend this book more highly.

After reading the 3star review, I decided to do the same - drive to my local bookstore and peruse the book in person. I agree that the main reason to buy is the chapter on pairings, but considering this is the bulk of the book, it is worth every penny, whether you are a wine, beer or tea lover. I am personally on a quest to try every bolded, capitalized pairing (those quintessential flavor experiences) in the book!

Very well layed-out book with excellent content. They do have almost everything; even corned beef and also cabbage, but not corned beef and cabbage. How cool it is to match food and wine together. I found a site that gives additional help; check out [...]

I have used culinary artistry for quite a few years and it is still an outstanding book. This new book is great as well, but they should have stuck with the original layout of culinary artistry which is less confusing to read. Overall another great addition by Dornenberg and Page! It is a very interesting read and will be a great references for menu writing.

Finally a definitively delicious, all in one place, concentration of pairings! After hours of searching the internet for "wine pairings with __________", I stumble on this book. Here it is, all in one place!

"What to Drink with What You Eat" is a comprehensive resource to guide anyone interested in pairing the right beverage with whatever you may be serving. It is a must have reference for the serious host or hostess.[...]

This guide was truly amazing. I can't say anything other than what has already been written by some of the reviewers, but what I can do is tell you that what they write is 100% true. This is a very informative guide and it is almost a necessity to every household. This would be a great gift for a newly wed couple.