Wines of the Finger Lakes
Wines, Grapes, and Wineries of New York’s Most Dynamic Wine Region
Author: Peter Burford ISBN: 978-1-58080-181-2
Publisher: Burford Books Rating: Very good
Format: Soft Cover, 188 pgs. U.S. Price: $18.95
For anyone unfamiliar with wine regions of the world, upstate New York, with its brutally cold winters, wouldn’t automatically spring to mind as a great wine producer. The Italian countryside is more like it. However, the Finger Lakes area of New York state is a prominent, award-winning North American wine region, and Peter Burford’s Wines of the Finger Lakes tells us why. Beginning with an explanation of the lake effect on the surrounding countryside, along with that of soil and slope on the vineyard, Mr. Burford guides us through a history of the region’s wine industry and its founding fathers. A brief course in winemaking follows, shedding light on the basics for wine newcomers, and the rest of the book is dedicated to a descriptive listing of Finger Lakes wineries. Although this book is not highly technical, it’s part history book and part travel guide; as such, it will appeal to the reader who wants to go a bit in-depth and not just skim. The photography is a bit thin and mostly in black and white, but the book is set in a very readable type with restful whitespace. I recommend this book for anyone from or interested in the Finger Lakes wine region for its historical look back at the events that set it all in motion.
Mario Batali
Big American Cookbook
Author: Mario Batali and Jim Webster ISBN: 978-1-4555-8471-0
Publisher: Hachette Book Group Rating: Excellent
Format: Hard Cover, 495 pgs. U.S. Price: $40.00
What I love about Mario Batali’s latest cookbook is its utter lack of pretentiousness. For a celebrity chef who is also a restaurateur, author, entrepreneur and TV personality, Mr. Batali has a down-to-earth, engaging writing style. He and Jim Webster wrote this with the home cook in mind, with easy-to-follow recipes for good ol’ traditional American food from all regions of the country. Introducing his book with an homage to the root sources of our rich culinary history — mostly other countries’ home cooking that immigrants brought with them — he lets us know up front that this book is a compilation of traditional recipes from around the country, not his spin on them. He does, however, offer his suggestions for a twist on the original at the end of each recipe — these are his own “kick it up a notch” ideas for variations. In this treasury, which is rich with sumptuous photos and descriptions, you will find such regional classics as Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Shrimp and Grits, the two Chowders (New England style and Manhattan), She-Crab Soup and Apple Pie; however, every region of the country is covered, and readers are sure to recognize their own local favorites. Not to be remiss, cocktails, preserves and desserts are also included. The Big American Cookbook is great as a gift to the foodie in your family (or to yourself) for a delicious return to the basics.