You Should Read The Wine List! Here's Why.
By Jules Rivera
I’m baaack! I didn’t go too far, but did you miss me in the meantime?
This week we’re talking about wine (again) only with a twist. We’ve got a lot of love for The Wine List by Grant Reynolds, so we thought we’d do a deep dive a la a blog post! This is a book for wine fans of all kinds. The wine pro (or snob, but in a good way), the wine drinker who knows what they like and would like to stay there, and the newbies! It’s a history book meets wine introduction and education. Wine doesn’t have to be scary! This book makes wine education accessible, fun, and delicious!
Like my last wine post, I’ll be pairing wines with books, only this time I’m going to pair them with the wines we tasted over at East One Coffee! The folks over there were kind enough to let us taste some of the wines they offer that Grant covers a bit in The Wine List. Check East One Coffee out, they’re a cool spot not too far from our Smith St. location!
Now, not only have we got this post, but we’ve got something else coming soon! Keep your eyes out for that!
For now, cheers!
The Wine List by Grant Reynolds
The Wine List is a how-to guide on the art of admiring and loving wine. As someone who worked in hospitality, I was really able to develop a love for wine outside of the taste. Wine is about history! It’s about people! It’s about who was drinking it, when, and where that led to changes in the craft, process, and the industry as a whole. This book takes all of that and makes it a digestible (ha) read. You’ll have fun reading this. You can trust Grant, the guy certainly knows what he’s talking about!
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
These short stories are horrifying and oh so good. Mariana really knows how to take something scary and gross and make it sing. With gorgeous prose and powerful imagery, this book is filled to the brim with haunting ghosts, demon babies, obsessed teenagers, and ghouls. No two stories are alike! It’s always serving you something new. This book will make you look at femininity, morality, and social issues in a whole new light.
I’d pair this with the Pinot Noir that East One Coffee carries. It’s herbal, fruity (think strawberries and blackberries), and light but still has that body! It’s a great sipper while reading, it’ll add some more depth and flavor! When talking about Pinot Noir, Grant says “Pinot’s ancestral home is in Burgundy”, which is exactly where this wine is from! Delicious.
Carnality by Lina Wolff
Where do I even start with this book? A woman moves to Spain and runs into a man at the bar who is so desperate to stay with her (he’s being chased), that he promises to tell her the harrowing tale of how he got in this position in the first place. He tells the story of an underground TV show run by a nun who only has one thumb. That is literally all I can say without spoiling it. This book is incredible and should definitely be read more than once.
I’d pair this one with the Cabernet Franc that East One carries. It’s juicy (like this book), but still hearty. For me, it has notes of tobacco- herbal but with a punch! This is great to drink while reading Carnality because it’s luxurious and every sip keeps you guessing. Multitasking!! Grant talks a bit about the history of Cabernet Franc in The Wine List, and how it came to be so popular!
Liarmouth by John Waters
I’ve talked about Liarmouth before. I won’t shut up about it. This book has everything: plastic surgery for dogs, trampolines, a sentient penis, a fly that Liarmouth herself swallows, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Liarmouth is a con-woman. She steals luggage, money, you name it, and she doesn’t care who she steals from. This book is a romp that follows her and her many hijinks. John Waters never fails! He doesn’t miss!
I also won’t shut up about Syrah, so that’s what I’m pairing this with. The Syrah that East One carries has a slight spice, is jammy like a jar of preserves, and is just so spunky. Spunk is exactly what this book has, so why not add some more with a great wine? In The Wine List, Grant says that Syrah is a wine that can produce big wines, and this wine is no exception!
