Reading Between The Wines
Vesper Books & Wine pairs light reading and recipes with rieslings, rosés, and more.
Cookbook and wine pairings courtesy of Symantha Duggan and Rob Wilson of Vesper Books & Wine.
Salsa Daddy: A Cookbook by Rick Martínez paired with Grüner Veltliner Barbara Öhlzelt, “Grüner Leader,” Niederösterreich, Austria, 2022
Rick Martínez, author of Mi Cocina and now Salsa Daddy, used his latest release as a deep dive into the salsas and sauces that define all regions of Mexican cooking. From mermelada picante de baya de verano, to ciruelas crujientes, we paired Martínez’s sophomore cookbook with Barbara Öhlzelt's Grüner Veltliner, which can withstand a moderate amount of spice and is a great option for dishes driven by salinity.
Kalaya's Southern Thai Kitchen: A Cookbook by Nok Suntaranon and Natalie Jesionka paired with Spätlese Riesling Trocken, Stein, "Palmberg," Mosel, Germany, 2023
Nok Suntaranon, James Beard Best Chef - Mid Atlantic Award winner and the brilliance behind Kalaya in Philadelphia, uses Kalaya's Southern Thai Kitchen as both a love letter to and act of preservation for authentic Thai cooking—not the diluted versions tourism and cheap dining have dictated over the years. We paired Kalaya's Southern Thai Kitchen with Stein's Palmberg Spätlese Trocken, which is a legendary wine with notes of citrus, pineapple, and reverberating acidity that will make gaeng gai, som tam—and pretty much every Thai dish you put on the table— taste more delicious and bright, if that's even possible.
Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa paired with Merwah-Sangiovese, Mersel, “Rising Phoenix,” Qannoubine Valley, Lebanon, 2023
We feel that third culture cookbooks are often reluctant to include ‘typical’ American cuisine, but not Zaynab Issa's. We paired this cookbook with Mersel's Rising Phoenix Rosé; a beautiful field blend of Merwah and Sangiovese, with citrusy, savory tasting notes, to complement everything from Issa’s Middle Eastern and East African dishes, to the more expected "American"-style desserts she grew up eating at her local shopping mall.
We the Pizza: Slangin' Pies and Savin' Lives by Muhammad Abdul-Hadi and Michael Carter paired with Pais, Gustavo Riffo, “Pipeño Lomas de Llahuen,” Itata Valley, Chile, 2021
We the Pizza is as accessible in its ingredient lists and sensitivity to dietary restrictions as it is deeply inspiring. From the team at Down North Pizza, a pizzeria owned and operated exclusively by formerly incarcerated folks, the recipes in this book serve as a masterclass in Philly-Detroit-style pizza making. Pair our favorite cookbook of 2025 thus far with Gustavo Riffo's Pipeño Lomas de Llahuen—a juicy, approachable, and dangerously crushable pipeño—and with any type of pizza.
