Perfect Pairings. Evan Goldstein

       ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Most wine and food pairings are a confluence of diverse influences, and so is this book. During its creation, countless people have been inspirational and motivational, while others have been patient and tolerant. And many, truly those to whom I am most thankful, have been all those things.

      I thank my wife, Barbara, for her unequivocal love and support, for her discriminating palate, and for reminding me with frequency that it's only fermented grape juice; my daughter, Elena, whose ability to discern today's apple juice from yesterday's at age three still dwarfs any of my gustatory accomplishments; and my son, Adam, whose love of food and request to attend cooking classes at age seven was heartwarming to his dad and a source of family pride.

      I thank my mother, Joyce, without whose passion for food, wine, and all things of a sensual nature I'd likely still be trying to make it as a struggling rock-and-roll drummer, and whose recipes grace this book and make it far better than it would be without them; my sisters, Karen and Rachel, whose palates are better than mine; and my father, Marc, who, in spite of recognizing and appreciating gourmet cuisine, would be far happier with a grilled-cheese sandwich, made with real American cheese!

      I express my profuse thanks to the team at the University of California Press: my editor, Blake Edgar, whose support and belief in this project made it happen; Nola Burger and Nicole Hay-ward for their design prowess; Dore Brown, Erika Büky, and Chalon Emmons for their perspective and assistance with the text; and Jenny Wapner and Matthew Winfield for keeping the engine humming.

      I also thank my agents, Eric and Maureen Lasher, and my indispensable right hand during this project, Christie Dufault, who organized the tastings, kept copious notes on the hundreds of wines we tasted, provided balanced opinions, and kept the devil out of the details!

      Appreciative gratitude goes out to all the producers, importers, and winemakers who shared their wines, souls, and personal artistry.

      And finally there are my peers and friends, who collectively have influenced me more than they will ever know. Among them are Nunzio Alioto, Stephen Brauer, Sam Bronfman II, Val Brown, Fred Dame, Gilles Deschamps, Barbara Ensrud, Doug Frost, Joël Girodot, Diana Goldstein, Peter Granoff, Daniel Hallé, Mike Holden, Chet Hutchinson, Brian Julyan, Masa Kobayashi, Danny Kopelson, Nick Lander, Barbara Lang, Erika Lenkert, Bob Long, Chris Lynch, Karen MacNeil, Danny Meyer, Bill Newlands, Steve Olson, Ronn Owens, Kathleen and Michel Rege, Andrea Immer Robinson, Jancis Robinson, David Rosengarten, Leslie Sbrocco, Ab Simon, Harvey Steiman, Madeline Triffon, Paul Wagner, Alice Waters, Josh Wesson, Wilfred Wong, Mary Ann Worobiec-Bovio, Kevin Zraly, and the late, great Gerard Jaboulet.