Wine books for a refreshing read

Of a pair
If the food part of the equation has you stumped, you might instead turn to Evan Goldstein’s “Perfect Pairings” (University of California Press, $30). Goldstein, a master sommelier and wine teacher, aims not only to offer pairings but to explain why they work.  He breaks down the flavors in each grape variety and outlines what foods will pair best. Key elements like acidity and texture get thoughtful consideration.

Even better, he has commissioned recipes from his mother, cookbook author Joyce Goldstein, to match with each type of wine, and lists specific wines under a range of price categories (“Everyday,” “Premium,” “Splurge”). I’ve always admired Joyce Goldstein’s recipes for their precise, clear flavors, and that asset becomes doubly valuable when the goal is to make the dish and the wine into more than the sum of their parts.

My only wish is that the Goldsteins had included a list of pairings by food so that readers could launch a pairing quest for a menu they’ve already planned. The index does this somewhat, but incompletely. That said, I'd choose theirs over most pairing books on the market. It's not hard (though it is helpful) to offer a list of pairings, far more difficult to explain what makes them work.

For sake’s sake
The realm of sake is so unexplored even by studious wine drinkers that anyone who has ordered a bottle of warm sake with their sushi will be dazzled by the detail in “Sake: A Modern Guide” (Chronicle, $19). Author Beau Timken, who owns a San Francisco store devoted to this ancient rice beverage, cautiously details the elaborate brewing process, including the crucial polishing of the rice. He sorts out a junmai (made with rice and water, with 30 percent of the grain polished off) from a dai ginjo (made with distilled alcohol, with 50 percent polished). He is determined to shatter a few well-worn myths along the way, including the belief that you mustn’t pour your own sake.

Brevity was the guiding principle here. A bit more detail amid the book’s 120 pages wouldn’t have hurt.  The sake vessel known as a masu is described, as is the practice of overfilling it as a sign of generosity. But a brief explanation of just how to drink from the slightly awkward cedar box is nowhere to be found — perhaps because Timken is such a vocal advocate for using wine glasses.

The latter half of the book is devoted to a list of 50 top sakes — complete with descriptions that provide reference points among beer and wine — and sake recipes provided by magazine editor Sara Deresan. Her recipes are helpful, but it would have been equally helpful to devote those pages to a more nuanced treatment of the drink itself. Sake has been ritualized for 2,200 years; surely a discussion of sake rituals deserves more than two pages?

Finally, good news for big wine geeks: Jancis Robinson and her team are putting the final touches on a long-awaited edition of “The Oxford Companion to Wine,” due out this October. The dizzyingly comprehensive “Companion” is not for the casual reader, but it is quite simply the best wine resource in print.

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