Read These, Sip Those – Three Books and Wines for Pairing

Since I learned how to read, I’ve always had a book at the ready. Whether for an upcoming book club gathering, long airport delays or a sunny day in the backyard, there’s an enticing book waiting for me to turn to its next page. My preference is historical fiction, but I’m drawn to nonfiction, biographies, autobiographies and always cookbooks (especially those from Julia Child). Lately I’ve even been re-reading the classics from Thomas Hardy, Mark Twain and Daphne DuMaurier, to name a few. However (and no judging please), I occasionally pick up a steamy chick-lit for an easy beach read – with or without Fabio on the cover.

As you can imagine, a glass of wine is often near those books, too. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve finished three wine-centric books and paired each with a bottle of wine. Not only are the books highly recommended, the wines are, too.

Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg

A brilliant read for Women’s History Month (or anytime), Rebecca Rosenberg wrote Champagne Widows (sent as a media copy) that was a true page-turner. The book shares the story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot who, despite wars, pandemics, her husband’s mental illness, sexism and Napoleon’s rules and regulations, founded the first champagne house owned by a woman, Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin. With resolve and grit, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot is quoted as saying, “The world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow. One must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life. Act with audacity.” Her fascinating story is inspirational. (And for more about Widow Clicquot, click here!)

Wine for Pairing: Champagne Veuve Cliquot Brut

It’s hard to sip this wine and not appreciate the brand’s founder. Champagne Veuve Cliquot Brut was a beautiful blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier that offered fresh, breezy and delicate aromas. On the palate, notes of dried apricots, marzipan, toast and hints of citrus were complex and elegant – not unlike Barbe-Nicole Clicquot herself.

Wine & War by Don & Petie Kladstrup

Published in 2002, Don and Petie Kladstrup interviewed hundreds of people with a goal “to find people with stories to tell, people who were willing to share some of their most personal and sometimes painful memories” for their book, Wine & War.

When France fell into the hands of Nazi Germany, so did much of their wines, a commodity that was and still is part of the country’s cultural heritage. Winemakers, both young and old, and those in the French Resistance did everything humanly possible to save as much wine as possible and this thrilling book is an account of their harrowing efforts. For example, on May 4, 1945, a French tank column entered Berchtesgaden without firing a shot – the Germans had run out of ammunition and scattered. The group was led by Bernard de Nonancourt, a young man from Champagne, who, along with his fellow soldiers, discovered a stash of champagne hidden at Eagle’s nest. “There was every great wine I had ever heard of, every legendary vintage,” Bernard recounted in the book. “Everything that had been made by the Rothschilds was there, the Lafites, the Moutons. The Bordeaux were just extraordinary.” One of the champagnes that Bernard de Nonancourt spotted was from Lanson, the house that his uncle owned. “I helped make that champagne,” Bernard remembered.

History aficionados and wine lovers alike will find Wine & War a compelling and personal way to honor the patriots of France.

Wine for Pairing: Lanson Brut Rosé Champagne

In 1928, Victor Lanson took the reins of the company and wanted to “promote sales of non-vintage dry champagne” that those in Great Britain, the house’s largest market, appreciated and sought. In 1937, he created just that and named it Black Label, Lanson’s main cuvée even to this day. Victor was also one of the first to develop rosé champagne.

This lovely non-vintage Lanson Brut Rosé Champagne (sent as a sample) is predominantly Pinot Noir with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier in the blend. Enticing aromas of orange peel, cherries, raw almonds, minerality and hint of smoke led to a snappy and complex wine with structure and a lingering finish.

South of Somewhere by Robert Camuto

Having recently met Robert Camuto, freelance writer, author, columnist and contributing editor to Wine Spectator magazine, his latest book, South of Somewhere (sent as a media copy), was as fascinating as his own story. He and his family live in Italy – the book begins and ends in his mother’s ancestral town of Vico Equense, Italy located south of Naples on the Sorrento Peninsula.

Camuto allows readers to follow his journey through slices of Italy fifty years after his childhood experiences there. He notes the many changes such as favorite restaurants that have disappeared or have changed ownership and the plethora of hotels and seaside restaurants that now meet the demands of tourists. Yet, he understands which elements have not changed: “the essentials of beauty, food, family bonds and simplicity.” It was a joy to follow Robert Camuto’s travels with anecdotes and stories from notable winemakers and their families, read how pleasurable authentic Italian food and wines can be and bask in the history of this iconic country, one fascinating chapter at a time.

Wine for Pairing: 2019 Marisa Cuomo Furore Bianco Fiorduva, Costa d’Amalfi

Towards the end of the book, Robert Camuto, had lunch with Andrea, Marisa Cuomo’s husband, while Marisa and their son continued to work in the winery. 2019 Marisa Cuomo Furore Bianco Fiorduva, Costa d’Amalfi their flagship wine, was poured. A striking white wine and a 2021 Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri award winner, is a blend of indigenous grapes: Fenile, Ginestra and Ripoli cultivated on stone-walled terraces along the cliffs located a few miles from their home.

Sent as a sample, I, too, had the opportunity to sip this beautiful wine during my virtual trip to the south of Italy with Robert Camuto. On the nose, notes of tropical fruit, apricots and dried straw led to intense flavors of more dried apricots, candied fruit and hint of golden raisins. Aged in oak for around 9 months with 12 more months in the bottle, the wine, paired with stories from South of Somewhere, revealed exactly where I’d love to be.