After months of planning the newest venture from Book●ed, I’m delighted to report that the launch of BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ was a blast! The gathering of people at TASTE Food & Wine on July 23rd mixed, mingled and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The pairing of quality books with quality wines was “a stroke of genius” said one of the guests. Oh yes, indeed!

Author Susanna Calkins captivated us with her description of the fascinating period in history, “the world turned upside down” in 17th century England, where her acclaimed Lucy Campion mystery series takes place. The Masque of a Murderer, the third book in the series, was available for sale, along with copies of the previous two books, which Susanna personalized and autographed for new and returning fans.

Wine maven Phoebe Snowe poured the featured wines that were paired with references in the book to Rhenish wine and claret. Rhenish means from the Rhine Valley in Germany; for that, we were treated to a crisp, German reisling. Claret, explained Phoebe, was the name given by the British to wines from the Bordeaux region of France; the Bordeaux we tasted was luxurious. Both selections were big hits with the guests.

Thanks to Nili Yellin, representing The Book Cellar, for expediting book sales; and to Sara Fenwick of F-Stop Photos for capturing images of the evening.

Many of the guests who attended our launch plan to return for the August 20th BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ event when we host NY Times bestselling author Jennifer Lancaster. With her latest book, The Best of Enemies, we move from the mysterious past to the hilarious present. Wait till you see what featured wines TASTE will pair with that book! We hope to see you there.

To learn more about our events, visit the Book.ed website where you can read my weekly blog or click on the BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ tab for upcoming event details and our entertaining little promo video.