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)