Acquiesce 2022 Bourboulenc paired with Bread and How To Eat It by Rick Easton
A book and a bottle
Bread and wine make the world go round, or at least extremely delicious. I was recently gifted Bread and How To Eat It, by a dear friend. I quickly started reading it and it became apparent readily, that it’s a great read, useful reference and also a bit freeing mentally. Soon after starting it, I was hooked and needed a glass of wine to pair with it. I picked Acquiesce 2022 Bourboulenc. This is a very small production wine from an excellent producer in Lodi, CA. Lodi is a region most famous for Zinfandel and other reds, that has a much wider bounty of diversity, when you take a closer look, than many wine lovers realize.
Bread and How To Eat it by Rick Easton with Melissa McCart ($30)
Rick Easton owns a well regarded bakery in Jersey City, NJ, Bread and Salt. What speaks to me loudest in the book is the firm, but forgiving manner in which Rick offers direction, or advice. He makes it pretty clear the things he would, or would not do when it comes to recipes and sourcing ingredients. This is particularly true as it relates to the quality and provenance of certain items. But, after making it crystal clear what his quality preferences are, he lets the reader off the hook a little if they can’t quite get the ingredients he knows are best. To make it easier though, he offers a list of his preferred purveyors, towards the back of the book. We already have some in common, such as Ranhco Gordo for beans. I plan to try quite a few of the others too.
There are many excellent recipes in this book. But more than the recipes themselves the book is imbued with life experiences, methodology, and the overriding mentality to reconsider the importance of bread in your life and the world at large. As a 1st generation Italian American who learned at a young age to judge a restaurant, or really, nearly any dining experience by the quality of bread that’s presented, I feel this very, very deeply. So yes, if you want to invite me over for a meal, please for the love of all things delicious, make sure the bread isn’t an afterthought. And again while bread is the driver, Easton makes the point to consider the quality of all your ingredients. Bread and How To Eat It, will go down easy whether you read it straight through in a sitting or two, or alternatively if you consume it in smaller chunks.
Acquiesce 2022 Bourboulenc ($36.50)
This is entirely Bourboulenc from the Acquiesce Vineyard in the Mokelumne Sub-AVA. Less than 400 cases were bottled. Bournoulenc has flourished in Southern France for centuries. In case you’re unfamiliar with the variety, it’s one of five used in white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Acquiesce Vineyards was the first winery in the United States to work with it. Their portfolio is made up of Rhone varieties. The wines are made by Susan Tipton, founder and owner. The focus is white and rosé wines. In fact they’re the only Lodi, CA producer to be an all white wine house.
Citrus drives the aromatics here. The palate is stuffed with fleshy yellow melon and secondarily, bits of papaya. The lingering finish shows off a core of minerals and a weightiness that impresses. Firm acidity is evident throughout and plays beautifully alongside the beautiful mouthfeel.
On page 134 of Bread and How To Eat It is a recipe for Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Cauliflower. That recipe would pair perfectly with this beautiful wine. I strongly recommend tasting some wines from Acquiesce and other Lodi producers, there are many family owned boutique and larger wineries to explore. And if you care about bread, and come on, most people do, give it the attention it deserves and dive into Bread and How To Eat It. This is undoubtedly, a very entertaining read, but more importantly a useful tool. I firmly believe that excellent books and bottles are even better together, this is a prime example.