Wuthering Heights & Hayton Viognier

This pairing was not easy.

The halfway point of this journey felt very important and in need of something spectacular. I was stuck in the belief that every idea was not good enough. I actually did not know what pairing I would do until late this morning, after a simple, but satisfying, revelation.

When I began this project- a year of weekly book and wine pairings- it was with two goals in mind. Firstly, I wanted to try and build a company with similar intent and needed to create inventory. But, more practically, I also wanted to see if this was something I would stick with. Too often I have ideas and then they trail off after a week or two and join whatever afterlife ideas go to.

When I thought about my second goal, it hit me that I will never be able to guess the most popular novels or wine bottles. Things like reading and drinking are personal, so the best I can do is share the books and wine that I love. This week, the 26th pairing, is just that.

The Pairing

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and Hayton Viognier 2015

The main reason I paired these two together is because of how they entered my life. For both this wine and this book, I was forced upon them but instantly fell in love. Wuthering Heights was required reading when I was in high school, and I found the tale of Catherine and Heathcliff to be heartwrenching and heartwarming at the same time. Their love story had echoes of Darcy and Elizabeth from another favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, but with a new element that I found I really enjoyed. 

Likewise, I only received this bottle of Viognier because it came in a set that I bought online (confession: I buy wine online a lot). It reminds me a lot of another beloved wine, Chardonnay, but is also very different in a very delicious way. It's a little less sharp, a little more fruity, but still carries that buttery body. I think I giggled with happiness when I first tasted it. 

Initially, when I thought of what to pair with Wuthering Heights, I assumed only a red wine would do. So much of the story is dark (loss, betrayal, resentment, jealousy, manipulation, you name it) that I wanted something sturdier than a white to hold onto. But there was something in this Viognier that felt similar to the journey of this classic. It took some time to pin down.

Both seem to develop and change over time- the book over 300 pages, the wine over a single sip. So many times in this novel, you think you know how you feel about a character, but then something occurs and you start to shift your feelings. I needed an adaptable wine that could keep up.

I don't know if Wuthering Heights is as loved by others, and I don't know if people have heard of or like Viognier. But I now realize that I will never know these things, so I can only share what I have learned and hope that it sparks some curiosity. 

The novel is set as a story relayed by a housekeeper, so grab a bucket of ice to keep your wine chilled because you and Nelly are going to need the whole bottle. I must admit- in my universe, this pairing is spectacular.

Cheers to the next 26!