Once a month, Kate Leahy gathers with childhood friends for “Porch Time.” These laid-back potlucks started as an ironic joke before any of them had graduated from tiny apartments to homes with porches. The concept, however, is clear, no matter the setting: a mishmash of no-fuss nibbles paired with a bottle of affordable wine with the purpose of fueling conversations.
The San Francisco-based author of many acclaimed cookbooks had these types of occasions in mind when she wrote “Wine Style: Discover the Wines You Love Through 50 Simple Recipes” (Ten Speed, $22). If, like me, your eyes tend to glaze over tasting notes that describe wines as “crunchy” or “angular” or “resembling pebbles bathed by moonlight,” Leahy can help translate.
Her aim is to help us enliven our wine explorations without overloading us with more minutiae than we care to know. She begins with a concise primer that breaks down wine flavors and textures and offers basic guidelines for pairing them with food (high-acid wines for tomato sauces, bubbles for fried chicken).
Chapters categorized by wine types go into more depth, with easy-to-prepare recipes that bring out the virtues of each. She recommends, for instance, curry-seasoned popcorn with prosecco; chilled spaghetti with smoked salmon, capers, and avocado with brut rosé; orange and fennel-seasoned pork loin roast with Sangiovese or cool-climate chardonnay; and a bittersweet chocolate and olive oil cake with port or Banyuls. And she shows us how to design cheese and charcuterie boards guided by whether we’re serving red or white.
Reading Leahy’s book won’t likely turn us into wine snobs. But should we ever ponder what to pair with briny oysters, we’ll know to look for a wine with a stony, mineral-like flavor — sort of like pebbles bathed by moonlight.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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