Where Your Next Great Escape Begins
Here’s what we’re sipping, reading, and listening to this month
Mark Your Calendar: Our February Book Club meets Thursday, February 26 at 6 p.m. PT
Cover Story follows Bel, a sharp, guarded journalist starting over in Manchester after a career setback. When she lands an undercover assignment with high stakes, she’s forced to team up with Connor, a new intern and former lawyer she clashes with instantly. To protect their investigation, the two fake a relationship and quickly discover that pretending can get complicated when real feelings start to surface.
Erin, the founder of Novel Pairings, is a longtime Mhairi McFarlane devotee, and this book is exactly why: smart humor, emotionally grounded romance, and characters who feel deeply human. Cover Story delivers sharp banter, slow-burn chemistry, and thoughtful reflections on ambition, reinvention, and trust, making it a feel-good read with plenty to unpack together.
The Book: Cover Story
by Mhairi McFarlane
The Wine: Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is the perfect match for this book: charming on the surface, thoughtful underneath, and quietly confident. Not all Pinots taste the same, though — so choose the one that fits your reading mood.
If you like your stories thoughtful and emotionally grounded…
Go with: Oregon Pinot Noir
Fresh, balanced, and widely available, Oregon Pinot is all about red berries, gentle earthiness, and elegance. It’s introspective without being heavy; perfect for readers who love character growth and emotional clarity.
Erin’s Favorites:
Splurge: Domaine Drouhin’s 2023 Pinot Noir Laurène
Great Value: Stoller Family Estate’s 2024 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (you can find this one at a lot of supermarkets and wine shops)
If you want something polished and a little glamorous…
Go with: California Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast or Santa Barbara)
Silky, smooth, and fruit-forward, this style feels a bit like a glossy magazine spread, but with substance behind the scenes. A great pick if you’re here for sharp dialogue, chemistry, and a story that moves.
Erin’s Favorites:
Splurge: Timbre Winery’s 2021 Lead Vocals SLO Coast Pinot Noir
Great Value: Presqu’ile Winery’s 2023 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir (seriously, this bottle should cost double)
If you love subtlety and slow-burn depth…
Go with: French Pinot Noir (Bourgogne Rouge)
Lighter in body, higher in acidity, and beautifully restrained. This is the Pinot for readers who appreciate nuance, quiet moments, and emotional payoffs that sneak up on you.
Erin’s Favorites:
Splurge: Domaine Faively’s 2022 Mercurery La Framboisiere
Great Value: Loudenotte Pinot Noir 2022 (Find this at Trader Joe’s!)
The takeaway:
Nearly EVERY wine-producing country makes a Pinot Noir. There’s no “right” Pinot Noir, just the one that fits how you want to experience the story. Pick your bottle, pour a glass, and come talk it out with us. Find a Pinot from a different country: Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, Germany, Canada….have some fun exploring and we can talk about why they’re different!
A Familiar Tune, A New Ending
Nothing is quite what it seems. Inspired by Cover Story, this playlist is made entirely of cover songs—familiar melodies reimagined, identities rewritten, and emotions hiding just beneath the surface. Smart, romantic, and a little bit playful.
Many, many thanks to my awesome group of friends for the inspiration and some covers I’d never heard of before!
The Tunes
This is YOUR Space
This membership is your invitation to pause, unplug, and pour into yourself. Whether you come for the books, the wine, or the community, you’ll leave feeling a little lighter, a little more fulfilled—and ready to come back for more.