August 2019 Reading & Tasting

Book

I asked our Instagram community what book they wanted to read in August. I received hundreds of amazing suggestions (my reading list is getting long, people), but one book stood out among the responses: A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum, a new novel split between two worlds, Palestine in 1990 and Brooklyn in 2008. It tells the story of three generations of women in a conservative Arab family living in the United States, and the similarities of their experiences in being limited by societal norms. It's one of those can't-put-it-down books that I can't wait to dive into.

Wine

To pair, I think this book deserves a wine with depth, one that's versatile and covers a wide variety of flavors. Chenin Blanc comes to mind as a white wine that can take on many layers and characteristics, much like the way this novel's characters' stories are woven together. Chenin Blanc can be dry and tart, with flavors of apple, quince, ginger, and chamomile. Or sometimes, It can be made in an off-dry style with richer, riper fruit flavors like pear, passionfruit and honeycomb. Chenin Blancs are typically higher in acid, and usually hail from the Loire Valley in France, or South Africa. I think it's an underrated grape.