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The classics, or at least these new age classics, are the hardest to pair. The pressure to find the perfect wine is somewhat crippling, but I have learned now to just go with my gut (literally) and forget the rest. I'm so excited to share this beloved series! The Pairing The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Torre de Rejas Tempranillo I hope everyone's Hunger Games introduction was as brow-raising as mine. It was recommended to me by a friend, who described it as "a future world where the people in charge make the other people's children fight to the death." I was not very interested in reading it until my friend added, "It sounds really morbid, but it's so good." I gave it a shot, and lost sleep as I hungrily (yep, I did) turned each page. If you've only seen the movies, then I don't even know you- read the books. These books are dark dark dark with glimpses of softness, earthiness, and love. Hundreds of pages of tortured hope....

With fewer than ten pairings remaining for 2018, I have started to bring out a few of my favorites to share. This week, it's the timeless The Little Prince. The Pairing The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Phebus Rosé Some pairings come easily (Dark Horse wine and Black Beauty or Miles from Nowhere Chardonnay and The Light Between Oceans ), but some I agonize over. This one was of the latter variety. I extrapolated all of my favorite elements and then sought a wine that shared those elements. When the right wine finally makes itself known, it's always such a sweet moment. For today's post, I figured the simplest thing to do would be to share those elements and the reasons why it's this Rosé that works. The Rose: Ok, obvious one first. The prince's love, and the source of his need to explore. The torture he feels when he believes his rose is not unique, and the heartwarming moment when the fox lets him know exactly why she is special. Ha...

I am getting behind! The weird thing is, I was able to stay on top of my Saturday posts even when I was out of town or had crazy weeks at work or had friends in town visiting... but I have absolutely none of those excuses for the past two weeks. October just swooped in and drained all my motivation to do... anything. (Well, except read and drink wine, of course.) But I'm determined to get back on the rails, so I went with a very motivating pair! The Pairing Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and FitVine Sauvignon Blanc Disclaimer: I am not a runner, even after this book. When I first read it, I closed the book and eagerly strapped on my flattest shoes. I grabbed my music and some water and jogged out the front door, so pumped to find out what my body- the body that is "born to run"- could do. Per my phone, I made it one quarter of a mile before I remembered that I very much dislike running and I turned around and went home. However, I have no qualms with drin...

Have you recovered from the full series pairing ? Me, neither. But on to the next! The Pairing Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and Red Theory Merlot I have the biggest author crush on Malcolm Gladwell (see also Tipping Point and Blink and his podcast Revisionist History ). He's a storyteller teacher, which is my very favorite. Gladwell takes a concept and, in order to teach you about it, he tells stories that you can imagine or relate to. The reason I love this is not because it helps you learn the concept (although it does). Instead, I appreciate the pause when you are asked to see something very familiar from a completely new perspective. This shift in view seems to be Malcolm Gladwell's purpose in life. Red Theory Merlot is perfect for this pairing not because it matches the sense of Outliers , but because it takes it to the next step. The tagline on this wine is "What's great in theory, tastes better in reality." What this pairing brings you is that se...

Six books, six wines. These books may be YA, but your weekend won't be. The Pairing(s) The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare and Apothic Wine Blends When I first saw Apothic wines a few years back, I remembered thinking it was a cool label and the name sounded Gothic. (A Gothic apothecary? A Gothic apocalypse? Didn't matter at the time.) However, having recently jumped on the Cassandra Clare bandwagon, I then saw these wines in a whole new light- the swirls on their labels suddenly looked like runes, and Apothic seemed to describe the world within our world that Shadowhunters, etc, inhabit. As luck would have it, there are plenty of these blends- and I've picked out one for each book of the series. Settle in, because we're touching on all of them. Pairing One City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and Apothic Brew This first book will introduce you to a new take on some old familiars: demons, angels, werewolves, etc... but also a race of Shadowhunter...

Romance, comedy, and Pinot Noir. The type of pairing that got me going on this crazy journey to begin with. The Pairing The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and The Pinot Project Pinot Noir Don is 39 and handsome and fit and has a good job, and he is searching for a life partner. He cleverly begins the Wife Project wherein he develops a survey to help him sift through the female population and find a suitable spouse. You know where this is going without me having to go any further. I knew where it was going. And yet. I loved this sweet story. I laughed out loud and winced out loud and then laughed out loud some more. While the arch of the story may, on paper, seem predictable, the actual story was full of surprises. When I got to the end I very seriously considered starting at the beginning again. There is wine consumed in this novel, which I have begun to realize is wonderfully common. I was tempted, as always, to try and match what the characters were drinking, bu...

Did you know Zinfandel is also known as Primitivo ? Guess what else is primitivo ... Dinosaurs. The Pairing Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and Predator Old Vine Zinfandel Some pairings are meant to be light and easy, but not this week's- instead, it packs a punch. Or a bite. If you have not read the book that started the Jurassic Park universe, then stop reading this blog and get to it. Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors of all time because of his ability to combine science and imagination and great writing, and Jurassic Park is Exhibit A. (It still blows my mind that this story of DNA manipulation, chaos theory, and computer hacking was written in 1990.) I can vividly remember reading this book for the first time- I was in 6th grade and, even though I didn't understand everything I was reading, I could not put it down. Actually, I got in trouble in class a few times for literally refusing to stop reading. But who has time for social studies when th...