This Calls for a Drink! A Sommelier's Guide to the Best Wines and Beers to Pair with Every Situation

Any decent wine book or food magazine can tell you what to drink with a grassfed steak. But what's the best wine to pair with a blind date? Or to pour for your girlfriends when settling in to watch the Oscars? What goes with a lame class reunion? A job promotion? Your next Netflix binge? THIS CALLS FOR A DRINK! is the inspired guide to matching wines and beers to the significant (and not-so-significant) events in life—not just what you're eating, but what you're feeling, and when. It's the beverage book for those situations that truly call for a drink—from dating quirky OKCupid guys to recovering after a rough day at work to squeezing into yet another bridesmaid dress. Diane McMartin, a trained sommelier who launched an occasion-based drinking column on The Hairpin after trying to soothe a brokenhearted roommate with cheap rosé, offers hundreds of unexpected recommendations for dating, work, holidays, weddings, music festivals, baby showers, and more. Stalking a new boyfriend on social media? (Get a grip with a fresh, minerally Chablis.) Turning 27? (Graduate to a decent American craft brew, like Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA.) Reconnecting with a high school flame? (This calls for something impressive, but not too on the nose. Want to look like a grown-up who's arrived? Try Barolo.) The writing is fresh, hip, full of attitude, and as solidly informative as it is entertaining. In addition to the complete emotional landscape of wine and beer, there are guides on tasting, buying, and serving; profiles of grape varieties; and primers on topics like hops and wood-aging. Everything you need to know to drink like an adult, even if you don't always behave like one. Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 2 Copyright Page......Page 3 Contents......Page 4 Introduction......Page 6 The Basics......Page 10 Dating, Mating, Rejection, and Heartbreak......Page 40 Just Us Girls......Page 72 Growing Up and Getting Older......Page 86 The Holidays......Page 112 Home and Hosting......Page 138 Movies and Television......Page 160 Music......Page 174 Reading......Page 184 Summer......Page 196 Weddings......Page 216 Spawning......Page 226 Work......Page 240 Glossary......Page 255 Online Resources......Page 262 Acknowledgments......Page 265 Index......Page 266 "Any decent wine book will tell you what goes with a rib eye. But what pairs best with a blind date? Or to pour for your girlfriends when settling in to watch the Oscars? What goes with a lame class reunion? A job promotion? Your next Netflix binge? Matching beers and wines to moments instead of meals, this inspired guide has a drink for every situation, mile-stone, or mood. It's how to drink like an adult, even if you don't always behave like one"-- Provided by publisher Occasional Drinking offers nearly 200 wine and beer suggestions for just about every situation that calls for a drink. And it's a helpful guide with profiles of different styles, primers on terms and traditions and tips on everything. Occasional Drinking will show you how to drink like an adult, even if you don't always behave like one. The basics Dating, mating, rejection, and heartbreak Just us girls The holidays Home and hosting Weddings Movies and television Music Reading Summer Spawning Work.