The Wine Marketer’s Summer Reading List
It’s summer in Napa and man, is it sweet. Sweet like the grape-infused breeze. Sweet like the morning dew in the wheat fields. And sweeter than ever, considering the lockdown we’ve all experienced for over a year and a half. Everyone looks happier, feels bubblier, and has relaxed their work-from-home shoulders a few inches. With tasting rooms open again (Yay!), our team has been able to dial back on the excessive content creation and, if you could believe it, open one of the books on our sad, neglected shelves. Summer reading is back and better than ever, but not without the appropriate beverage by our side. We asked our Account Managers — what are you reading these days? And what are you sipping with it? Here are our current favorite reads and the drinks to match all their twisted genres and dreamy settings. Lord willing, we will finish a book or two this summer!
The Most Important Meal of the Day
Erin is our Brand Manager of FlyWithWine. She’s effortlessly cool and the one on the Zoom whose houseplants always look fantastic in the background. Her current read is The Best of Me by David Sedaris. “I never get tired of David's smart, spicy, hilarious storytelling,” which is exactly why she sips on an Extra Spicy Bloody Mary while she’s reading. Bloody Mary’s can go in all kinds of directions — we’re sure you’ve seen those abominable Bloodies with cheeseburgers and waffles as accouterment. But Erin is leading us right to her source with this recipe from Vinepair that calls for your favorite hot sauce and exactly 3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce. If you have 45 minutes to spare in the morning, throw together this Bloody and start Sedaris’ short stories for an easy pick-me-up.
Some Beach, Somewhere
There’s no question about it. Summertime = Beach. They might as well be synonyms. Sure, you can enjoy a mountain weekend or a vacation across the pond, and you can even claim to hate sand, but come Fall Equinox, you will feel unsatisfied if you haven’t been on the beach. The tertiary component to summertime and a beach trip is a not-too-intense, not-too-corny, not-too-teenage romance novel. It’s such an essential type of book that the “beach read” has become its own genre. Our Senior Account Manager Makenzie, fondly known around here as “Kooz”, has picked out your ideal novel for Labor Day Weekend. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry hits all the awkward but sweet marks of young relationships with best friends Poppy and Alex, who travel to Croatia for their annual trip. For a nice refreshment to accompany this fun story of opposites attracting, Kooz says there’s “Nothing better on a hot summer day than cracking a cold can of Rekorderlig Strawberry-Lime Cider! It's a cider lover's dream—a blend of lime, strawberries, and the freshest Swedish spring water.”
Day-Dreaming and Day-Drinking
Director of Accounts Tara Jordan is a well-known lover of all things chicly European. Give her all the antique liquor advertisements (read that like ed-VER-tizmenz), Parisian cafés, WWII stories, and sepia-toned Tuscan romances. Her pick is The Queen of Paris: A Novel of Coco Chanel by Pamela Binnings Ewen, a novel based on the private life of the designer, founder, and planetary icon. You can’t indulge in Coco Chanel pseudo-fiction without sipping on something slinky. Tara’s go-to is the Aviation, a cocktail she admittedly stole from her fiancé. You’ll need your favorite Gin, Maraschino Liqueur, Crème de Violette, and a splash of lemon juice. If you have a toasty porch to sit on, this is your pairing for a breezy afternoon.
Refreshing Work Day Reminders
Another lovely newcomer to the Account Manager squad, Kelsey submitted a book-drink duo that sounds like an ideal home spa day. A treat yourself day. A kick the kids and/or spouse out and vacuum with Etta James playing kind of day. Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis is a refreshing read for any woman going through a period of self-doubt or just trying to find her place in the world. Hollis talks about the importance of learning who you are as an individual (and not just as a wife, mother, or sister), being confident in your individuality, and running down your dreams. Kelsey proposes a cocktail that’s the freshest of the fresh and her personal recipe. “I make my own spin on a Moscow mule at home. Muddle cucumber and mint for extra freshness, and swap vodka for gin.” Your skin will be glowing and your planner will be organized after a morning with this remedy from Kelsey.
When it’s Simply Too Dang Hot
You may never get used to extreme temperatures, but you will certainly learn to love them. And I, Astra Account Manager Savannah-Jane, can confirm that good books and alcohol are how to embrace the Georgia low country. I recently cracked open South of Broad by Pat Conroy. Conroy is a master of time travel. He takes you across the daring, cobblestone, genteel, tragic life of teenage Leo King in Charleston, 1969. It’s by no means a thriller, but I find myself turning pages at warp speed, feeling that sticky humidity from back home. I like to squeeze in a chapter during lunchtime when it’s way too hot to do anything else. The beverage of the hour is a Corona Extra. Put it in the freezer for 10-20 minutes (You want it just barely forming ice), squeeze in a slice of lime, wet the bottleneck, then coat with any kind of chile salt, Tajin seasoning, or this local spicy number from Tsalt Seasonings. It’s sort of the working man’s Margarita. The salty, citrus Corona fits right into summertime on Broad Street.
Hydration for the Horror Fans
Summer always needs a few scary stories by the bonfire — cue Jason Voorhees and Camp Crystal Lake. Account Manager, New Yorker, and proud mother of Bella the Cat, Emma chose a book by the cult podcasters Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. “A lot of their personal conversations about overcoming challenges, while they aren’t EXACTLY relatable to my life, really resonate with me.” Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered is the tagline (and now book title) of the, My Favorite Murder, on which Karen and Georgia discuss interesting, infamous, and sometimes silly murder cases all over the world. To support Emma’s statement — it’s hard to explain how Karen and Georgia make murder so funny and relatable without being insensitive, but their side conversations, hilarious tones, and storytelling are intoxicating. For your glass, Emma chose the delicious, female-founded, and on-theme, Fearless Rosé. If the bottle shape and the label’s typography don’t lure you in, then the taste of strawberries and the smell of jasmine certainly will. Let the crickets start chirping, get out this duo, and as always, stay sexy and don’t get murdered.
Hopeless Romance with a Side of Cider
New kid on the block and Digital Marketing Associate Carina has pulled The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Mary Street off her shelf. Carina is a self-described hopeless romantic, so this Pride and Prejudice rewind fits the bill. It’s the same charming tale but from the perspective of the love interest Mr. Darcy, rather than the main character Elizabeth. This historical fiction has pretty outstanding literary reviews, most notably being called "The Holy Grail of P&P sequels." Carina is also a fan of Rekorderlig Cider in the Wild Berry flavor. “I’ve become obsessed with it and it's now my casual hang-out staple.” This pairing would be the coziest companion for a rainy weekend or a dreary lunch break when you can’t help but feel contently melancholy. Maybe light a candle or two to get into Jane Austen’s rural realm of early 19th century England.
Hardcore Local Lore
Mysterious is our Digital Marketing Director’s middle name. Give Abby a wild, inexplicable but true story, and she’s going to memorize every detail and possibly even solve it. If you’re a local, her suggestion, Lies That Bind will really pique your interest, as it’s set right here in Napa and written by Napa’s own Craig Smith. “Half the time, you're trying to solve the case, the other half trying to figure out which local spots and famous Napa Valley wines the author is alluding to.” This mystery sees the likes of priests, police officers, murder, money, and relationships tango into a well-told, fascinating tale infused with Craig’s refreshing, townie humor. Abby’s new favorite partner-in-crime is Mataro by Once & Future. It’s a Contra Costa red blend that’s complex enough to help you through this book’s sultry suspense but light enough for summertime sippin’.
The Astra Summer-Reading-and-Drinking Library is now complete, and you have seven well-rounded assignments to entertain your imagination and your taste buds. There really isn’t a more sigh-worthy feeling than taking a shower, fixing yourself the drink you’ve been craving all day and plopping down to let your mind wander through a written world. Whether you’re shopping our Astra ladies’ reading list or going on your own shopping spree, consider ordering from an independent bookstore in your neighborhood, downtown, or online. We love giving our business to local shops like Napa Bookmine.
