Since July 25 is National Wine and Cheese Day, I thought I’d make some reading and pairing suggestions. Who likes perusing their favorite genre or author with a nice red? Try reading on the patio with a chilled white? Here’s a list of some great pairings to get you started. If you have suggestions, we’d love to hear about some of your favorites, too.
To go with the wine theme, may I suggest a fun, fictional story set in California wine country with a hint of romance. Try Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave with brie and sauvignon blanc. Since brie is so creamy, I suggest a crusty baguette from Publix.
If you like history, drama, intensity and culture, read The House of Mondavi by Julia Flynn Siler with a nice Rosso di Montalcino and some asiago cheese. The Mondavis have Italian roots and you can’t go wrong with Sangiovese grapes.
Whether you’re laying on the beach or traveling vicariously from your armchair to some exotic places in your travel guide, try Mary Alice Monroe’s Low Country Summer Series or Fodor’s guide to Thailand with rosé and Gruyère.
Pair a spy novel with a dark red wine. If you like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, try The Sentinel paired with pinot noir and some pepper jack cheese.
A classic novel, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller with smooth merlot and some gouda cheese.
Spice up your romance mystery with Janet Evanovich and the Stephanie Plum Series. A sizzling mystery deserves a Spanish tempranillo and manchego cheese.
A good adventure story deserves a zinfandel with aged cheddar. Try pairing it with William Johnstone’sBy the Neck.
A chilled glass of chardonnay would be delightful with bleu cheese and a cozy mystery like Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen mystery series.
We recently had an Author Talk with Kristin Harmel. She wrote The Winemaker’s Wife. If you like historical fiction, pair it with a Bordeaux and Camembert.