I read this week that the wine merchant Corney & Barrow have teamed up with the Sunday Times wine critic Damian Barr, to create A Book and a Bottle. Each month the partnership choose a novel and recommend a wine to accompany it.
Curling up with a good book and a glass of wine is my idea of heaven, so the genius idea of ‘novel pairings’ has got me thinking about the perfect wines to support the tower of books currently sat on the bedside table. This year I’ve been working my way through a reading challenge for cyclists, comprising 20 books, next on my list is an autobiography, for which I’ve chosen Hunger by Sean Kelly.
So what is the perfect wine to characterise Sean Kelly? I don’t know much about wine, but my instincts say it should be a robust red. I imagine a wine that is described as having mineral flavours (I believe this is wine speak for wet concrete) and charcoal overtones (wine talk = gritty). Regrettably I have to admit that I have been known to select a wine for its label, in which case it would be a grand formidable label with a coat of arms, something fitting for the King Kelly title.
Perhaps a glass of vino is not the answer, maybe Sean Kelly’s autobiography should be enjoyed with a pint of Guiness, as homage to his Irish routes instead. I know even less about beer, but a Belgian craft beer could be the perfect match?
If I am to finish my reading challenge before March 2017, I fear a rather alcoholic winter ahead of me.
See here for more about A reading challenge for cyclists, and please please do send me any ‘novel pairing’ suggestions. I would particularly like to find the perfect tipple for one of my favourite reads, The Rider by Tim Krabbe…any ideas?
The Small Hall 
For Kelly’s ‘Hunger’ it would have to be something honest, straightforward, and possibly spattered with mud.
For ‘The Rider’…well, it’s a beguiling book that draws you in and surprises with it’s depth and profundity, so it would have to be a good Pinot Noir. Too pretentious? OK…how about one of those rare perfect cups of tea where the ration of brewing time to milk added falls right in the sweet spot.
Personally, I reckon the longer the book the better. A book and a crate has a ring to it.
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Ah yes a French Pinot Noir, very good suggestion, also if I remember correctly the race passes near Roquefort, so some cheese too? I hadn’t thought about tea, but I like a good brew so will give it some thought. Thanks for your input.
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I don’t drink wine (I’m a whisky girl) but it is a novel idea – pun intended.
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Thanks for reading Sara.
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