Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion: Red, White, and Bubbly to Celebrate the Joy of Living    by Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2004 (2004) Hardcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson The authors of this book are into wine - I know that, because they also write the Wall Street Journal Tastings column. They tell us that wine is not about pretentious snobbery, but rather about 'Sharing with friends, remembering, and making life a celebration'. And that is the tone of Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion - how to make great memories by bringing people and wine together through the seasons. Chapters range from 'Wine Tasting Parties - the Nouveau Thing' through wine accompaniments to the big annual holidays and the big life celebrations. There are sections on 'Wine-Tasting Groups' (I enjoyed this, having helped run one for years that we called the Bacchus Bunch), and on visiting (U.S.) wineries and 'Foreign Wine Regions'. There's advice on decoding the wine list in restaurants, buying wine, and finally 'Saving the Memories' (a sticky issue) and '101 Things Worth Knowing' (the language of wine). I can see why the Tastings column is a success - the authors give sensible advice and they know their wines. They tell us how to buy a special old Cabernet for Thanksgiving dinner, and what to serve the next day with the leftovers. They even recommend suitable 'Hamburger and Hot Dog Wines'. There are great ideas like a 'wine swap' party, what gifts to give the oenophile, wines to lay down for kids, and wine registries for engaged couple. I especially enjoyed discussions of how many bubbles there are in a good bubbly, movie wine trivia, and the joy of wine bars. Throughout the book, the authors include interesting, and often touching, excerpts from the letters that people addressed to their column over the years. I recommend Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion to anyone looking for ideas to stretch and share their knowledge and enjoyment of days of wine and roses. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews