[.ca] The Wine Lover's Cookbook: Great Meals for the Perfect ... (ISBN 0811820718)

From Amazon.com:
Which came first: the chicken or the Eglise-Clinet? Well, if you're a disciple of author Sid Goldstein--and you will be--you've had that Bordeaux decanted long before you even thought of shopping for those Cacciatore ingredients. And "wine-first" cooking is precisely what Goldstein--vice president and director of marketing communications at Mendocino, California's Fetzer Vineyards--so ably demonstrates in The Wine Lover's Cookbook, soon to become indispensable to anyone who has ever chosen the wine first and the groceries second. In 100 easy-to-follow-yet-impressive-as-heck recipes, Goldstein shows you how to exquisitely match the tastes and textures of wine varietals to food. In fact, if you want to find specific recipes, you have to look in the back index; the chapters themselves are divided into grape types! Serving a Chardonnay? Chapter 7's Spinach Fettuccine with Sea Bass and Lemongrass-Coconut Cream Sauce is seamless. Pinot Noir? Coffee-and-Spice-Rubbed Lamb with Coffee-Vanilla Sauce shouldn't work; and yet lamb marinated for hours in mint, pepper, red wine, freshly ground coffee beans, and rosemary, then grilled and sauced with a combination of honey, brewed coffee, shallots and vanilla bean--any one of which elements should have bullied a Russian River Pinot--provides a tightly woven hammock on which the wine can luxuriate. Chapters discuss the grape variety and list "Base Ingredients"--the main medium of the dish (Game Hen and Rabbit are a couple for Sangiovese)--as well as "Bridge Ingredients"--those connectors of food and wine (Plums, Fennel, and Green Peppercorns among those for Syrah). This "wine-first" regimen is not without pitfalls: it's fine to decide that tonight is Riesling or Pinot night, but if you can't find radicchio or pomegranate, you might as well skip a few pages. Yet if you've ever been made to feel immoral by cookbooks that give you the recipe first, then deign to suggest a "perfect" wine pairing beyond your means, let Father Sid absolve you of all your Zins (or Merlots or Viogniers). After all, the Bible talks of wine 650 times; food barely rates a mention. Perhaps if they'd had The Wine Lover's Cookbook in the Garden of Eden, Adam wouldn't have wasted all that time trying to pair ribs and an apple with a Sauvignon Blanc. --Tony Mason

Yes, Perfect! Every time.:
I love trying new recipes, i always shop for my wine before my food, and with my vast collection of cookbooks and subscription to Bon Appetit, this is my most favorite cookbook ever. I'd highly recommend it. The recipes may be on the intermediate to advance level of cooking, but they are easy to follow, and ingredients are easy to find. I've prepared probably 80% of the recipes and found them all to be delicious!

My favorite cookbook ever!:
This cookbook is absolutely fabulous. I've owned the book a year; I bought it last Christmas for my sister who raved about it so much I bought it for myself. Everything I've cooked from this cookbook has been really good! I've learned alot in this book, not only about the wines themselves but why certain wines pair well with certain foods, tastes to look for when pairing wines and foods, and wines to use as a substitute if you don't have a recommended bottle on hand. The recipes are relatively simple, some more complex than others. But each is very distinctive in flavors and instructions are clear and easy to follow. Also included are recipes for salads, appetizers and desserts which makes it a well rounded book! I highly recommend it. I wish they had another book out! I'd buy it in a second.

A fabulous cookbook for great meals:
I love this cookbook. The wine and food pairings are awesome, the recipes always are wonderful, the pictures are beautiful. I have yet to be disappointed by a recipe from this book. Yes, they take a little time and maybe more ingredients than some people prefer to use, but they are most definitely worth it.

Pefect... absolutely perfect:
What a remarkable discovery! It's one thing to find a book on wine, another to find a book on food, and something unheard of to find one book on both that so perfectly expresses the joys of marriage between food and beverage. This was a truly ingenious tome that belongs in every kitchen. For those of you who are visually inclined, you might be a tad disappointed. Only some of the recipes include pictures. Still, considering the subject matter and the great plethora of facts, tidbits, and ideas, you are not missing out. Each type of wine (most if not all) is given a treatment, from a brief background, to what to expect in regards to flavors and aromas. From there, you are guided to the perfect food matches that complement and heighten those aspects of the wine (and vice versa). Wine and food have long been enjoyed together. Sometimes, we miss out by not having the right wine with the right course. This is your guide, your Magellan for sailing the culinary world. I am so glad that I own this wonderful book. It made a great gift to me from a dear friend, I'm sure your friends would love a copy of it as well! A must-own!

Find out what the hype is all about.:
If you are like me and have struggled with the idea that wine and food can make great partners(not just good but great), then you must buy this book. Not only are the recipes top-notch but the wine pairings and explanations are outstanding. I own many cookbooks but this one gets used the most by far. I now can convincingly say that wine and food can make majestic partners, so much so that one without the other most of the time seems one dimensional and lacking. Enjoying home cooked meals like these with a glass of the appropriate wine is truly a gift.