Reading List: Perfect pairings—Books, wine, and events to pore over as the world opens
The pair behind Upstart & Crow raise a glass to fine writing everywhere in their monthly column
PERHAPS IT’S THE promise of a world (or at least a province) “reopening” this summer, or the glimmer of sunshine after rainstorms, but the watchword of this period is expansive. We are beginning to unfurl our lives once more—to different extents—which is always a most exciting prospect… and it is why, at Upstart & Crow, we’re readying for some suitably themed events.
During the pandemic the answer to “Which wine when?” was often simply “That wine, now.” Many of us imbibed more than ever before. A more wholesome change was that we spent more time in our kitchens than ever before, too. And now, with our worlds slowly expanding, it’s the perfect time to combine these pandemic-era trends for future activities with loved ones.
Look no further than a book, Which Wine When: What to drink with the food you love, co-written by one of the UK’s most celebrated emerging wine writers, Claire Strickett, with Bert Blaize. The book is a delightful aid to choosing wine to match any meal.
As the authors explain, “This is a book for everyone who finds themselves struggling over and over again to pick a bottle of wine to drink with dinner based on anything more than a pretty label, a special offer or a vague memory.”
How to think or write or talk about wine without feeling somewhere between ignorant or pretentious is a fine art, one that many of us are nervous to take up. This bright book provides helpful, down-to-earth explanations for how to make selections based on everyday favourites you cook at home, and to how to order wine when you are out in a way that enhances your experience. Chocolate brownies go awfully well with red Banyuls (a red wine from France); you’ll want a complex white like a Soave or Chenin Blanc if you’re ordering a margarita pizza; and white Rioja goes delightfully with Caesar salad.
On June 10, Strickett will join us remotely at Upstart & Crow to talk about an even more important pairing, however: stories and wine. Merlot with a mystery, Tempranillo and magic realism, or something else entirely? We’ll share tasting notes for our favourite books and bottles. Tickets are available here.
While you wait, here are a few new releases that will make you want to sit down with a glass of wine.
Real Estate, by Deborah Levy (Penguin Canada)
Levy is either a writer you adore or the most famous writer you have never heard of. This latest work, just released, is the third in her “living autobiography” series: a collection of breathtakingly stylish and deceptively simple explorations on what it is to live. Time with her writing is a marvellous form of self-care, and always a recommendation from our store.
A Ghost in the Throat, by Doireann Ni Ghriofa (Biblioasis)
“When we first met, I was a child, and she had been dead for centuries.” This is a gripping, surprising gem from Canadian indie Biblioasis, now published in this country after winning handfuls of awards in Ireland, where the author resides. A woman in the present becomes obsessed with understanding the life of a 17th-century female poet, who has otherwise been all but erased. This is sophisticated, beautiful, bold. To be sipped.
Peaces, by Helen Oyeyemi (Penguin Canada)
The New York Times raves about this best-selling author. Of this inventive novel about a couple changed by an unusual train voyage, they share how Oyeyemi “unstirs the soup, reconstituting the links that bind her eccentric cast of characters to one another. . . . Every piece of the puzzle falls into place, but the picture is never made whole.” It’s a page turner with style; one of those books where you wonder if the author is somehow using different words to the rest of us.
And, finally, they may not feature new releases, but we’re eagerly anticipating Indian Summer Festival’s literary events, in which four exciting writers share expansive conversations about their prescient works. Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Hamid, Avni Doshi and Souvankham Thammavongsa are among the guests at this cultural triumph, running from June 17 to July 17.
Be sure to tune in. And if you are so inclined, raise a glass to summer, and to fine writing everywhere.
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