Pour out the wine without restraint or stay,
Pour not by cups, but by the bellyful, 
Pour out to all that wull.

~Edmund Spencer

I’m not quite sure what’s influencing me this morning (besides the bottle of cabernet sauvingnon I polished off last night).  Perhaps it’s the anticipation of my company’s holiday lunch, taking place at Boston’s extremely fabulous, award-winning restaurant, L’Espalier.  Chef Frank McClelland is truly deserving of a standing ovation for his menu.  He is a master of French cuisine, and Erik Johnson, the resto’s wine director, always manages to suggest the most flawless wine pairings.  In fact, McClelland (along with writer Christie Matheson) recently published Wine Mondays (Harvard Common Press), a book named after the classic L’Espalier prix fixe that takes you on a tour through a variety of wines, paired deliciously with dishes from the L’Espalier test kitchen.  Definitely recommend this for anyone on your holiday gift-giving list.

Allow me to wipe the drool from my face.  The whole purpose of this post was that I wanted to share this article on the NYTimes wine-blog “The Pour.”   It talks about the representation of wine in modern culture, as well as gives several significant suggestion on what books to add to your wine-loving library.  Ok, so I’m not exactly talking food here, but in the spirit of the season– redden your cheeks with some pinot, and fill up your mind on wine-lit.