Do you love wine? How about with burgers? Well, you can drink wine with burgers, or cheese, or fruit, or chocolate, or anything, but experts agree that there is a best food for each wine, and vice-versa.

How do you figure out which wine to drink and when? Well, RCPL has books written by wine experts that can help guide you. I love red wines, and I’m partial to pinot noirs (I loved the movie Sideways,) but even I must admit that a pinot doesn’t go best with everything. It is pretty tasty with a burger, though!

If you are interested in outsmarting the sommelier (the waiter in a restaurant in charge of wines,) then Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience can guide you.  In this book, I learned that matching food to wine is a science tht involves finding a balance of sweetness, flavor, intensity, spice levels, acidity, dryness, and flavors. Wow, pairing wine can be like doing a chemistry experiment!

If you prefer a straight-forward, picture-filled book that tells you just what wine to pick, then This Food, That Wine : Wine and Food Pairings Made Easy should not disappoint.  The recipe for parmesan-panko-breaded baby lamb chops looked great in the photo, and I can pair it with the recommended Super Tuscan red (a blended Italian wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes.) Sounds yummy!

So check out some of these books and movies below, and have fun exploring some delicious wine and food pairings. Leave a comment and let us know what works for you.