There’s a new cookbook about to hit the shelves and it is all about pairing beautifully fresh, colorful dishes with natural wine. Coming out Tuesday, September 11th, Wine Food (from Ten Speed Press) is the joint effort between Dana Frank of Portland’s Bar Norman and cookbook author and stylist Andrea Slonecker, whose previous work includes contributions to books like Pok Pok as well as Six Seasons, my all-time favorite cookbook. And how do you celebrate the release of a natural wine cookbook? With a natural wine party, of course.
Taking place Wednesday, September 12th at Bar Norman (duh), the Wine Food launch party is going to be a night of good food and good wine, including a few of the dishes in the book and Food Wine, a “juicy, fruity, glou-glou red blend made of 70% organic pinot noir and 30% organic gamay grapes from Oregon’s Willamette Valley” made by Frank and Slonecker in collaboration with their significant others, Bow & Arrow’s Scott Frank and Division Winemaking Company’s Tom Monroe. Monroe and Scott Frank will be also be on hand to help get the party popping off, Monroe guest bartending for the night and Frank spinning records, which if Bar Norman’s Natty by Nature playlist is any indicator, will include a healthy dose of golden-era hip hop.
Of course, there will be books available for purchase. Described by the press release as “the new way to talk about wine pairing, coined by the evolving breed of wine drinker and cook who wants to discover a wider range of wines and match them to the rustic, casual, global food they love to eat,” Wine Food includes “recipes for brunches, salads, vegetable dishes, picnics, weeknight dinners, and feasts with friends, all inspired by delicious, affordable wines that go with them beautifully.” Recipes include stuffed peppers with sweet corn, herby rice, and possibly too much cheese to be paired with a cold glass of verdejo from producers like MicroBio and Isaac Cantalapiedra.
The Wine Food takeover of Bar Norman gets rolling at 4:00pm on Wednesday, September 12th, and as all great parties tend to do, goes until ???. No RSVP is required, so come and go as you please. But be forewarned, I will be sending someone in my stead to cop a cookbook for me, so you may want to get there early enough to get your own copy before my Sticky Bandit accomplice shows up.
All images via Wine Food.
