This Calls for a Drink!

If you want to learn about wine and beer in the most informal, non-intimidating way, this book is for you. It's hilariously written while still being incredibly informative. I seriously found myself laughing out loud.

First of all, I love how honest Diane McMartin is, she lets the reader know that expensive wine glasses aren't necessary, and a lot of stuff in the wine world is "overrated" and unnecessary. I found the beginning of the book very informative, especially when McMartin spoke about different glasses for different beverages. She also teaches you how to read complicated wine labels (very helpful!).

Secondly, this book is laugh out loud funny. McMartin takes real life experiences every person goes through (good and bad) and finds a suitable wine or beer to get you through that particular life experience. She is witty, down to earth and honest. She doesn't tell you to buy the most expensive bottle on the shelf, or the cheapest, but she does give you options, and perfectly paired choices for each occasion. Every few pages a popular type of wine or beer is showcased and outlined in more detail to give the reader a bit more information and appreciation.

I want to buy this book for all the wine lovers I know. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a gift for the wine-o in their life. And I also recommend it for anyone who just wants a light-hearted read about wine. It's a fun book, while still teaching you all you need to know about the wine and beer.

A fantastic resource for drinkers! Covers literally all situations with humor and helpful advice.

Most books about wine or beer pairing talk about food, often because they are based in the culture of restaurants.

But in our everyday lives, the occasion or circumstance is what calls for a drink. But how do we choose what to bring or drink?

We can probably figure champagne is inappropriate to bring to the newly widowed, but what about bringing it to a baby shower?

McMartin takes on how to pair wine or beer with the business of our everyday lives in chapters that cover groups of related events.

After an useful and unfussy introduction covering basics like glassware, decanters, and reading wine labels, she goes to the main event.

Each circumstance has one or more wines and beers suggested. I like that often they are less well-known choices. She also recommends labels and makers.

Often she takes a particular wine. and describes it in more detail in a box.

Her writing style is casual, unfussy, and accessible.

This book is full of undiscovered gems that will make you a hit among your friends.

When I first read the description for This Calls for a Drink I was pretty excited about it. I LOVE wine, but its been nearly a decade since I took higher level wine classes in culinary school so I'm out of practice on knowing wine pairings. Its one thing to go to a restaurant and ask for a wine pairing, but sometimes you just want a wine to pair with junk food and Netflix. Not only does Diane McMartin have an amusing tone but she has great situations that can apply to almost anyone. Including an entire section on breakups that include when you are dumped, when you are the jerk who dumped, and "its not you, its me."
In between the various categories, she includes profiles on many types of wine and gives a very readable section about glasses, regions and types of wine and beer, and even how to taste different drinks and what to look for. It was a great refresher for me and got me excited all over again for tasting wine. I genuinely chuckled at the titles of most of the categories and definitely make me reminisce about similar situations in my life.
This is a must for non-pretentious wine-lovers who want to move beyond the bargain brand and branch out when you go on an OkCupid date, or go to a baby shower for someone you only sort of know at work, or get street food while on vacation.

I really enjoyed this book and what I enjoyed most about it was that I felt like these were drinks I could actually attempt to drink.