Great Tastes Made Simple: Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate Book

The author of Great Wine Made Simple now adds great eating to her repertoire, showing how to enhance the flavor of even the most casual meals with winning wine selections.

Most wine experts’ advice on wine and food pairings consists of rigid rules that apply largely to haute cuisine and luxury wines. But, in her trademark accessible style, Andrea Immer now takes the mystery out of choosing wine for food–and vice versa. Great Tastes Made Simple unlocks the secrets of basic food tastes–sweet, earthy, savory, buttery, tart, and spicy–and their particular wine affinities.

Giving even ordinary meals extraordinary flavor, Immer shows readers how to bring the flavor alchemy of wine to everyday fare from burgers (with Zinfandel) to macaroni and cheese (with Rioja Crianza). She calls Pinot Grigio her “tuna helper” and likes barbecued brisket with Valpolicella. There’s also plenty of more sophisticated eating, including smoked salmon and Riesling; asparagus hollandaise and Champagne; wild mushroom risotto and California Pinot Noir, to name a few upscale matches. In fact, there isn’t a food or category of food–including a panoply of cheeses, ethnic foods, and desserts–for which Immer doesn’t provide a match and the reasons why they work so well. Chart of mouthwatering pairings and an easy-to-use index make finding wonderful wine and food combinations a snap.

Zeroing in on “wine-loving food”–those flavors, textures, and cooking techniques that truly dazzle when paired with wine–Immer demonstrates how to get the maximum enjoyment out of every food and wine encounter. A selection of twenty recipes–Low Country Shrimp and Grits (think Chardonnay), Beet Risotto (Pinot Noir), Short Rib Ragù (brawny reds), and Warm Chocolate Torte (Madeira)–provides delicious examples of wine-loving dishes and cooking techniques that will become part of every wine-loving cook’s repertoire.

Invaluable in restaurant settings and at home, this innovative guide can make every meal a cause for celebration.

Publishers Weekly

Demystifying wine for the American audience is a worthy goal, and here Master Sommelier Immer (she's one of just 10 women to hold the title) makes an accomplished stab at a difficult task. In chapters such as "Smoke, Sizzle, Savor," and "Can She Make a Cherry Pie," Immer (Great Wine Made Simple) details the right wines to choose for tomatoes, barbecue, herbal dishes and even Thai takeout. In language that is appealing and approachable, Immer emphasizes how a good understanding of wine does not require a trip to Europe and buckets of cash, but rather a simple willingness to try new things. She also offers easy recipes and the wines to match them, suggesting, for example, a Dry Creek Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel from California with a "Red and Blue" Short Rib Ragu. Finally, Immer provides handy charts (e.g., "Matching Mushrooms, Truffles, and Wine" and "Matching Peak-Sweet Seafood and Wine") and tasting ideas, such as a comparison of Pinot Blanc and Chianti, so that the novice oenophile can teach herself to love wine more-or at least fear it less. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.