EatDrink By Becky Wasserman And Karen Cease
Read your way through France's great vineyards
Buying a bottle of wine for Paul Wasserman would be a daunting task.
Son of the legendary Burgundy broker Becky Wasserman, it's easy to imagine Paul growing up awash in the best grand cru vintages. So if a gift were in order, what would we buy? A corkscrew? A set of wineglass name tags?
Wasserman and business partner Karen Cease are working to expand the world of wine (and food) gifts beyond such limited options with their new L.A.-based company, EatDrink.
While not strictly a publishing house (there's some classy wine paraphernalia in the works), EatDrink is beginning with books, and its first title, Bouquet ($85), is a stunning debut. With its silk-screened hardcover and elegant typography, this limited-edition, printed-in-Pasadena volume is a bibliophile's dream.
Originally published in 1927, British author G.B. Stern's account of an enviable tour of France's greatest vineyards is still wonderfully fresh. Both breezily conversational and well informed, her unpretentious voice will pull you quickly through the 300-page journey from Hermitage to Médoc to Beaune.
EatDrink's next project is as cerebral and geeky as Bouquet is accessible: A complete reissue of Dr. M.J. Lavalle's 1855 vineyard classification of the Côte d'Or, including exacting reproductions of the original lithographs and maps.