Just in time to worry about all the guests who will descend upon your house for the holidays — or perhaps all the wine you’ll want to drink to avoid them — a new book aims to help you soothe your stress while still enjoying wine to the fullest.

Wine writer Jon Bonné’s latest, The New Rules of Wine, navigates a complicated wine world by offering tips to ease any trepidation or confusion, and in some cases, even remind you that there are no rules.

On why wine pairing “rules” can be disproven

I think born maybe out of the late 1970s and 80s, [there’s] this idea that you had to provide a pairing for people, because wine went with food and you had to harmonize and find this mysterious beauty — and that’s great. I think that happens sometimes, but I also think most people go about their lives and drink the wine they want to drink, and eat the food they want to eat, and don’t freak out about it. In general, things will work relatively well, and there are a lot of pairings that wouldn’t fall into the traditional category, with things like Thai food, that have more to do with texture, spice and acidity and less to do with traditional pairings.

more at mainepublic.org