Episode 290: Inspiring Thirst

San Francisco wine merchant and importer Kermit Lynch joins us this week with the story of how he entered the wine world through the back door and ended up a leader in the exquisite and the little known. His new book is Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure.

It’s meat-and-three for the Sterns at Zarzour’s, a Chattanooga favorite so elusive it’s only listing in the phone book is under the name of the owner’s mother-in-law! Joshua Wesson cracks the code for teaming booze with stews, and Lynne shares her recipe for Emilia-Romagna Braised Pork Ribs, a luscious dish from Ferrara just right for a wintery evening.

Steve Jenkins talks bargain cheeses, and Nigel Slater, author of Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger, remembers a mother straining to cook with love but always missing the mark. For winemaker wannabes we have the scoop on the Crushpad, a new idea for home winemaking, and Lynne takes your calls.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• January 8, 2005 (originally aired)

• January 7, 2006 (rebroadcast)