In this interview with American Public Media’s The Splendid Table, Terry Theise, author of Reading between the Wines, discusses how he fell in love with wine at a Rod Stewart concert (it involved Stewart in tight leather pants “chug-a-lugging his Mateus on stage”).
In contrast to many wine writers who seek to demystify drinking wine, Theise would like to “remystify” the process, embracing its emotional and abstract beauty. But this doesn’t mean we need to search out some rarefied mystical experience to appreciate wine. Theise encourages wine lovers to relish the everyday satisfaction that comes with enjoying a good wine—to find a wine perfect for its moment, or one that makes you say “This is as good as it gets.”
At The Splendid Table’s website, you can read an excerpt from Reading between the Wines and find a recipe for Smoky and Spiced Dutch Split Pea Soup, which makes a perfect pairing with the German Riesling Theise talks about in the interview.
For more on the book, check out this New York Times review, which calls Reading between the Wines “a consequential book, rich in ideas and powerful in feeling.”
