The Book
One of our Novel Pairings book Club members, Carol, recommended The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer to me, and told me it was everything I had hoped our June book club pick, The Astral Library by Kate Quinn would be.
Rainy Marsh is a book witch living in the Pacific Northwest. She and her coven are tasked with protecting stories from the “Burners”, a group determined to destroy all those books that they believe are lesser, saving only what they view as “The Classics.” Yes, the parallel to modern-day book banning is strong in this one.
But at the center of it is a witch not all that dissimilar to us: she has a book boyfriend, The Duke of Chicago, a detective in one of her favorite series. Things get complicated when she is tasked with protecting Duke from a burner in his series, a real life mystery happens in the real world and she is threatened with expulsion from her coven for having too-strong feelings for Duke.
It’s a magical love letter to books, with the ability to disappear inside them so, naturally, I was sold. Did I also fall in love with Duke? Yes. Yes, I did. This is exactly the kind of cozy fantasy I want on a rainy fall afternoon: clever, magical, romantic, and completely enamored with books.
The Pairing
Grenache
Why It Works
Grenache has exactly the energy I want from an easy, cozy romance/mystery book kind of wine: tons of red fruit, warmth, and spice, with enough brightness to keep it from feeling heavy. It’s like the wine equivalent of a chai tea latte and warms you in all the best ways. That makes it a natural match for The Book Witch, which has plenty of comfort and romance but also magic, mystery, and adventure keeping the story moving.
Both pull you in right from the start, are a little spicy around the edges, and extremely easy to settle into for an afternoon. Add a rainy window, a blanket, and several uninterrupted hours of reading and I'm not sure I need anything else…..though I definitely am not getting that perfect weather yet up here in Northern California.
The Bottle
Try: Joseph Cellars 2022 Grenache (Calistoga, Napa Valley, California). I first tried this wine when Joseph Cellars hosted one of our Pages & Pours events, and I've been thinking about it ever since. It has loads of fresh fruit, hints of spice, and just enough heat to make it feel especially good once the weather starts cooling down. Grenache can sometimes get quite ripe and bold in warmer climates, but what I like here is how comfortably everything comes together. It's the kind of red I want to pour when the plan for the evening is simply to stay on the couch and read. Preferably about Duke.
Alternate: Look for a Grenache or Grenache-based blend. If you can't find the Joseph Cellars bottle, ask your wine shop for a fruit-forward Grenache or a Grenache-based red blend. Look for descriptions that mention raspberry, strawberry, cherry, baking spice, pepper, or herbs. You want something warm and generous rather than huge and heavily oaked.
About Erin Kirschenmann
Erin Kirschenmann is the founder of Novel Pairings and Managing Editor at Wine Business Monthly. She holds a WSET Diploma, teaches at Napa Valley Wine Academy, and was named to Beverage Dynamics' 40 Under Forty in 2025—but mostly, she just really loves matching a good book to the right glass of wine. Every month, Novel Pairings members get a new pairing like this one, plus the book club, playlists, and community to go with it. [Learn more →]