Bastille Day, a Riesling-Only Wine List
the Woman Who Makes Wine Make Sense
Bastille Day, a Riesling-Only Wine List, and the Woman Who Makes Wine Make Sense
Some things are marketing. Some things are destiny.
Maryse Chevriere’s new book, How to Sound Wine Smart, landed on Bastille Day — with the French national team playing that same afternoon. When I pointed it out, she just laughed: “It’s meant to be.”
Maryse is a James Beard Award–winning illustrator, the creator of FCGH Studio, and the person TikTok turns to when it needs wine translated into plain English. She’s also the mom of a 10-month-old, which means her honest answer to “what does a Tuesday night look like?” was: hold it all together until the baby’s asleep, then pour a glass.
Ten-plus years in wine, and she still isn’t precious about it. She loves th
e cool, fancy stuff. She’ll also happily grab a bottle at Trader Joe’s. There’s good wine everywhere, she says, if you stop performing and start drinking.
Part 1 traces how she got here — Boston to Houston (where she learned to drive at 15), New York to San Francisco, fifth grade in Paris, and three months working harvest at a domaine in Alsace that she describes as the best fall camp of her life. Barely any money, all the wine you could drink, grapes stomped by foot, and more learned on the job than any book could teach.
Then came Terroir Wine Bar in New York, and owner Paul Grieco, who gave her a shot she admits she hadn’t earned yet. Fifty wines by the glass. Every single white a Riesling. Guest wants Chardonnay? Too bad — here’s a Riesling that’ll scratch the same itch. It was a crash course in wine, hospitality, and how to talk about a bottle without sounding like a jerk.
Which, come to think of it, is the whole book.
🎧 Listen to Part 1 above.
Get the book: How to Sound Wine Smart
Follow Maryse: @fcghnow | fcghstudio.com