The Book
Everything about Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke screamed a book that was going to be super fun to discuss: a tradwife influencer wakes up in 1855 and has to live the true homesteading lifestyle she’s built her career romanticizing on Instagram. As she comes to realize, the 1800s aren’t exactly a walk in the park. This was a tough one for me to get through, at first. All readers agree that the protagonist, Natalie, is really hard to like. I started reading the hardcover and made it maybe 70 pages in before I stopped caring whether she lived or died, tbh. If you've read Yellowface, she gave me some serious June Hayward energy. IYKYK.
But on a road trip to the coast, we had lots of time to kill and could not find an audiobook we could agree on. Somehow, this popped up and I gave it a second chance. As an audiobook, I was hooked pretty quickly. Hunter near-immediately started with the commentary: “She’s awful.” “I hate her.” “There is nothing good about her. Why are we listening to this?.” And it continued for all six hours in the car…
So, apparently I'm not alone in having opinions. And in talking with readers at various book festivals throughout the year, Yesteryear is the kind of book people seem to either devour or want to argue with. It made the wine pairing almost too obvious.
The Pairing
Chardonnay, but rich and oaky, Romabuer style
Why It Works
Few wines divide a room like a rich, oaky and buttery Chardonnay. People either love the buttery, toasty richness or can't stand it—there's not much middle ground. That felt exactly like Yesteryear, a book that seems to split readers the same way: you're either fully on board with Natalie's journey or you want to argue with her the entire time. Rather than trying to talk anyone out of their Chardonnay opinions, I wanted a wine that leans all the way into what makes the style so polarizing in the first place.
The Bottle
Try: Louis Jadot Meursault (Burgundy, France). Meursault is one of Burgundy's classic oaked Chardonnay appellations and it’s rich and round, with baked apple, vanilla, and toast from time spent in barrel, plus it has enough acid to keep it from feeling heavy. It's the real deal for anyone who wants to know what all the fuss over "buttery Chardonnay" is actually about. This is definitely the more nuanced version of the oaky/buttery Chardonnay, and it could be a splurge, but it’s so worth it.
Alternate: Rombauer Chardonnay (Carneros, California). If any bottle proves the point of this pairing, it's this one. Rombauer is famously the Chardonnay that started the ABC (anything but Chardonnay) revolution. Big, buttery, and unapologetically oaked, with ripe tropical fruit and a creamy texture. People either keep a case in their fridge or refuse to let it in the house. Either way, it's the perfect bottle for a book that gets the exact same reaction.
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 →]