Weekend Cooking: Wine Reads by Jay McInerney

You may know Jay McInerney as a novelist (Bright Lights, Big City), but did you know that he's a James Beard Award-winning wine writer? He currently writes for Town & Country magazine, but his wine columns have also appeared in the Wall Street Journal and House and Garden.

Take note that his edited collection of wine writing, Wine Reads (Atlantic Monthly Press; November 13), comes out next month. The 27 pieces included in this volume were written by a wide range of wine lovers, including the expected wine critics and food writers (Eric Asimov, M. F. K. Fisher) along with writers of fiction and nonfiction.

Some of the selections cover legendary stories, such as George Taber's "A Stunning Upset," which describes the first competition in which a California wine beat the French. Others are excerpted from novels (like Sweetbitter and Sideways), and some of my favorites were the more personal stories.

Wine Reads is the kind of book you'll want to savor, a selection at a time. I'm not quite finished, and I didn't want to rush my way through just to write a review. On the other hand, I wanted to alert you to the November publication date, because I think Wine Reads would make an excellent holiday gift suitable not just for wine lovers but for those who appreciate excellence in writing as much as they do in their wineglass.

The collection opens with a piece by Roald Dahl (yes, that Dahl), who describes a 1950s dinner party in which an "interesting" bet over a wine occurred. Jim Harrison swoons over the sound of a popping cork and talks about how wine accompanied the stresses and joys of his everyday life--not just the weddings and holidays.

Bill Buford writes about an exclusive Burgundy tasting he attended that had, perhaps, a bit too many wines on the table. I also liked Tilar J. Mazeo's account of how the Widow Barbe-Nicole and her champagne survived the 1814 Napoleonic War; war wasn't always good to winemakers, their cellars, and their vineyards.

Jay McInerney's Wine Reads is the perfect collection for winter reading, preferably with a glass of wine near at hand. Buy a copy for yourself and another as a gift. Wine Reads deserves a place on your bookshelves; it's the kind of book you'll return to over the years to revisit a story or to read a passage aloud to your friends.

Thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press for the review copy.

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