WINE AND DINE

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres
from Restaurant Saul and Damascus Bakery while Carroll Gardens
author Tony DiDio reads from his new book "Renaissance Guide
to Wine & Food Pairing" (Alpha, $18.95) at BookCourt
on Sept. 4.



DiDio’s "Wine & Food Pairing," written with Amy
Zavatto, has forewords by chef Daniel Boulud and his sommelier
from Restaurant Daniel, Jean Luc Le Du.



According to Le Du, DiDio and Zavatto began their collaboration
when they "met on the sidewalks of Brooklyn while looking
for the perfect prosciutto in one of the many great food markets."



Le Du is a fan of the pair’s accessible writing style which is
intended for everyone from "consumer to connoisseur."



"They make wine simple because they were brought up in households
where wine was a staple of every meal, not a prize served to
impress guests," writes Le Du. "Tony still makes Zinfandel
in his apartment, just like his grandpa taught him to, and maintains
a working garden behind his apartment."



In their introduction, the authors say they hope to change readers’
attitudes about wine as a special occasion drink. In fact, "The
occasion to drink wine is any time you sit down to a meal,"
they write, thus the word "renaissance" in the title
refers to a revelation you’ll have about wine rather than the
era in European history.



DiDio’s book offers a bit of wine’s history as well as insight
from experts such as chef Michael Lomonaco, formerly of Windows
on the World, and Rick Moonen, chef and owner of RM restaurant
in Manhattan. There are also interviews with winemakers such
as Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards.



"Wine & Food Pairing" is also just an easy-to-use
reference guide full of charts to grab off your shelf when you’re
looking for wines to pair with fowl, with spicy foods, with vegetables,
with fish, etc.



The reading will take place at 7 pm on Sept. 4 at BookCourt (163
Court St. at Dean Street in Cobble Hill). The event is free and
open to the public. For more information, call (718) 875-3677.



– Lisa J. Curtis