Synopsis

Essential wine pairings for everything from popcorn to veggie burgers to General Tso’s Chicken, based on the wildly popular Grub Street column

Sancerre and Cheetos go together like milk and cookies. The science behind this unholy alliance is as elemental as acid, fat, salt, and minerals. Wine pro Vanessa Price explains how to create your own pairings while proving you don’t necessarily need fancy foods to unlock the joys of wine. Building upon the outsize success of her weekly column in Grub Street, Price offers delightfully bold wine and food pairings alongside hilarious tales from her own unlikely journey as a Kentucky girl making it in the Big Apple and in the wine business. Using language everyone can understand, she reveals why each dynamic duo is a match made in heaven, serving up memorable takeaways that will help you navigate any wine list or local bottle shop. Charmingly illustrated and bubbling with personality, Big Macs & Burgundy will open your mind to the entirely fun and entirely accessible wine pairings out there waiting to be discovered—and make you do a few spit-takes along the way.

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Review

If you are anything like me, you know you enjoy wine but have no clue what wine should be paired with what dishes. Well worry no more, a book has arrived that answers all of your questions about wine and food pairings.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book when I opened it up. I was not prepared for the wealth of information within the pages that allow a novice like myself to discover what wines really should go with anything from Honey Nut Cheerios to BBQ to Lamb to Halloween candy. There has always been a big conversation in a church group that makes lunches for a shelter, what wine would go best with PB&J. We always thought perhaps a nice Rose or something like that, but I learned that in truth, you should enjoy a nice Lambrusco to go with that sandwich.

This book is such a delight to read and the index allows you to search by the type of wine or your favorite dish. There is even a 2-page Chart-Cuterie that lists various types of cheeses and even suggests the meat or bread and other snacks to serve with it along with the appropriate wine.

This book is sure to delight any foodie or wine lover and makes for interesting reading. Oh and that Halloween candy? There are three pages of wines depending on which is your favorite sweet. I am partial to Reese’s and the proper wine is an Amontillado Sherry.

Vanessa Price is a columnist for Grub Street and you can read about some of her pairings on their site.  You can also follow her on Instagram.