Foodies know the importance of eating with the seasons--after all, who craves a beef roast and root vegetables on a hot summer day, or a fresh tomato gazpacho in January?

In his new book A Year of Wine, Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, makes the case for drinking with the seasons as well. "At root, this annual rhythm [of seasonality] is about weight, with fuller, richer wines in the winter and lighter wines in the summer," Colman writes, whether you prefer red, white, or a combination.

Colman starts us off in January, when with the New Year comes new resolutions. I'd just made a new resolution myself to drink with the seasons when I heard about Dr. Vino's new book, which I absolutely recommend as a great buy for your bookshelf and your comfy chair.

Continue reading "Book Review - A Year of Wine" after the jump.

As a writer, I know there's no such thing as reinventing the wheel. No matter how original the idea, someone--somewhere--at some point in time--has probably thought of it first. So the key to writing a successful and engaging book is in organizing the material in a new way, or what editors like to call "packaging." Colman's packaging is what makes the book worth buying. Talking about drinking wine with the seasons is new, different, and it makes so much sense to regard wine in this way.

The book is organized by month and season, so Colman has you popping Champagne corks in January, exploring Gruner Veltliner in April, sipping Rose in summer, and warming up with Mourvedre in November. Along the year's journey, Colman weaves in cutting-edge topics like green and organic wine and how-to advice for the newbie, such as whether or not to sniff the cork at a restaurant. Each month includes a travel suggestion, like running down to Mendoza, Argentina, in the winter since it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

I read the book cover to cover in order to review it here, but it's best savored seasonally or picked up each month for tips, ideas, and wine suggestions that will have you thinking--and drinking--differently.