Great Tastes Made Simple: Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate

by Andrea Immer

The author of Great Wine Made Simple now adds great eating to her repertoire, showing how to enhance the flavor of even the most casual meals with winning wine selections.

Most wine experts’ advice on wine and food pairings consists of rigid rules that apply largely to haute cuisine and luxury wines. But, in her trademark accessible style, Andrea Immer now takes the mystery out of choosing wine for food–and vice versa. Great Tastes Made Simple unlocks the secrets of basic food tastes–sweet, earthy, savory, buttery, tart, and spicy–and their particular wine affinities.

Giving even ordinary meals extraordinary flavor, Immer shows readers how to bring the flavor alchemy of wine to everyday fare from burgers (with Zinfandel) to macaroni and cheese (with Rioja Crianza). She calls Pinot Grigio her “tuna helper” and likes barbecued brisket with Valpolicella. There’s also plenty of more sophisticated eating, including smoked salmon and Riesling; asparagus hollandaise and Champagne; wild mushroom risotto and California Pinot Noir, to name a few upscale matches. In fact, there isn’t a food or category of food–including a panoply of cheeses, ethnic foods, and desserts–for which Immer doesn’t provide a match and the reasons why they work so well. Chart of mouthwatering pairings and an easy-to-use index make finding wonderful wine and food combinations a snap.

Zeroing in on “wine-loving food”–those flavors, textures, and cooking techniques that truly dazzle when paired with wine–Immer demonstrates how to get the maximum enjoyment out of every food and wine encounter. A selection of twenty recipes–Low Country Shrimp and Grits (think Chardonnay), Beet Risotto (Pinot Noir), Short Rib Ragù (brawny reds), and Warm Chocolate Torte (Madeira)–provides delicious examples of wine-loving dishes and cooking techniques that will become part of every wine-loving cook’s repertoire.

Invaluable in restaurant settings and at home, this innovative guide can make every meal a cause for celebration.

Genres: Cookbooks, Wine, Nonfiction, Food and Wine

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2002

About the author

Wine writer also published as 'Andrea Immer Robinson' and 'Andrea Robinson'.
Andrea Immer Robinson
Andrea Robinson

Reviews

[christina white · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think you know nothing about wine, read this book! If you think you know A LOT about wine, read this book! This is one of the most useful books I have ever read regarding food. Immer explores what makes all food everywhere taste good, better, and best. She takes all the snobbery out of wine and make is accessible to even the most humble novice. Refreshing and extraordinarily useful information. I became a better cook after reading it.

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the wine info is completely out of date now, this is still a good book for understanding the pairing of wines with foods -- what works, what's dicey, and the why behind it. It focuses less on specific wines and vintages and more on how to use your senses.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book for pairing wine with food. And love that she isn't a wine/food snob - you can find the right wine to go with frozen pizza!

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2002 Random House published Master Sommelier Andrea Immers’ book “Great Tastes Made Simple.” This wonderful book is subtitled “Extraordinary Food and Wine Pairing for Every Palate.” Andrea writes about the inner relationship of wines with six food tastes —sweet, earthy, buttery, tart, savory, and spicy. Her insights are presented in easy to understand charts linked to an index that is creative and easy to follow. She also encourages her readers to experience her pairings by preparing 20 original recipe meals. (P)

[Wendy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a cookbook, but it does have some good recipes. It goes in depth explaining how to pair wines with all kinds of food based on color, body, flavor, aroma, and a host of other factors. Reading this book will enable you to easily decode wine labels and match up the perfect wine with the perfect dish.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells you how to organize your own wine tasting group in order to develop your own palate rather than be told which wine generally goes with which food.

[Diane]

Great resource for food pairings