Table of Contents

Preface Introduction TASTE: It's Not What You Think WINE AND FOOD: The Basics WHERE DO GREAT WINES COME FROM? QUALITY: What to Look For OAK: The MSG of Wine THE GRAPES WHITES Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc Riesling Und...Other Germanic Grapes REDS Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Sangiovese Nebbiolo Syrah Zinfandel Pinot Noir Barbera Gamay Cabernet Franc HOUSEKEEPING Storage: Do's and Don'ts The Bad Bottle Decanting: When and How Is Older Wine Better? Serving Temperature The Sulfite Thing Saving Opened Wine Cooking with Wine RETAIL: Buyer Beware WINE IN RESTAURANTS: Dining's Downside AN OPEN LETTER To RESTAURANT CRITICS BRING YOUR OWN WINE RATINGS: What's the Real Score? CHAMPAGNE: WIth Respect WINES FOR FOOD The Strategy A Few Helpful Do's and Don'ts Appetizers Salads and Vegetables Seafood Pizza Pasta Roasted Meats Game Picnics ETHNIC CUISINES ITALY Northern Central Sicily and the South Germany, Austria, and the Scandinavian Countries FRANCE Northern and Central Provence and the Southwest Alsace Spicy Foods of the Wesern Hemisphere Tex-Mex/Southwestern Mexican Caribbean Cajun/Creole Indian and Asian Thai and Vietnamese Indian Chinese Japanese Cheese Desserts SO... Index

About the Author

Willie Gluckstern, an outspoken critic of wine snobbery, label worship, and over-oaked Chardonnay, is the founder of Wines for Food, a consumer wine school in New York City. He has written the wine lists for hundreds of Manhattan restaurants, and is the purchasing director for the popular wineshop Nancy's Wines in New York City. He lives in New York City with his moldering 8-track tape collection.