Wine Pairing Party: 16 Wine Profiles. 80 Perfect Food Pairings

“You don’t have to know a lot about wine to understand when a pairing is successful,” argues Rubin, head of alcohol and cheese at Bi-Rite Markets in San Francisco, in this unfortunately tepid debut. She begins by arming readers with common wine terminology (acidity, for instance, is “the brightness that is associated with malic acid or acid found in fruit juice”) before offering detailed profiles of popular wines, each featuring a snappy rundown of scientific and cultural context and suggested food pairings. For instance, Rubin explains that the fermentation process for sweet Riesling—which pairs best with “heavily spiced” foods, such as salami and Thai larb—ends early so that the yeast doesn’t eat all of the sugar. Some of the profiles, however, feel as if they haven’t been given much thought: readers may be surprised that Rubin lists “blood” as a “flavor to look for” in Provençal rosés, and the pairings are often repetitive (goat cheese shows up more than a dozen times). The book concludes with straightforward tips on building a cheese plate (fresh fruit works well with fresh cheese, while nuts work best with a semi-firm cheese). For such a juicy subject, this is surprisingly dry. (Mar.)