Brideshead Revisited and Sauternes
Brideshead Revisited
Evelyn Waugh, 1945
Sauternes
Bordeaux, France
Straight from the novel’s most famous summer picnic.
Why it works
Early in the novel, Sebastian Flyte takes Charles Ryder out of Oxford for a picnic of strawberries and a golden sweet Bordeaux under the elm trees. It is one of literature’s great scenes of youthful pleasure, and it is easy to recreate.
Sauternes is luscious and honeyed, with apricot, marmalade and vanilla, but good examples are balanced by fresh acidity. Serve it well chilled, with strawberries, on the first warm afternoon of the year.
Also try
Barsac, Sauternes’ neighbor, is often a little fresher and better value.
In the same spirit
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
Brut Champagne
Non-vintage · Champagne, France
Bubbles for a party that is never quite as happy as it looks.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen, 1813
Verdelho Madeira
Madeira, Portugal
The wine Regency England actually drank — with a sharp wit to match.