Lidia Bastianich on the Marriage of Food and Wine

As a child growing up in northeastern Italy, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich recalls being "swept up" in the excitement of the harvesting of grapes from her grandparents' vines. Today, she writes best-selling cookbooks, stars in an Emmy-nominated cooking show on public television and is chef/owner of half a dozen acclaimed restaurants across the U.S. Bastianich also produces award-winning wines in Friuli and Maremma, Italy, with her son, Joseph.

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Chef Lidia Bastianich recommends tasting several wines first before cooking with it. — Photo by KCTS 9/PBS

Although she was raised appreciating wine and food together, Bastianich understands that most Americans were not. In her latest cookbook, Lidia's Italy in America — a companion to her public television series — Bastianich offers tips on developing an appreciation for wine, using wine in cooking and pairing wines with foods, including five of her own recipes.

Start small: "There is so much out there, so many countries that produce wine, I can understand how people can be intimidated," she says. "I think the best thing is to stick to one country at a time, and just begin tasting wines."

Ask the experts: Bastianich recommends seeking advice from those who know wines well — whether it is the sales clerk in the wine store, the sommelier in the restaurant, the expert on a television show or the author of a wine book. Then just relax and taste.

Use all of your senses: "You want to smell the aroma, see its color, roll it around in your mouth, use all of your senses," she says. "Tasting and developing a palate for anything is like developing a great library. You need to take it volume by volume, familiarize yourself with each and store it away." 

Skip the cooking wine: Bastianich cautions against using products marketed as "cooking wine," recommending instead a quality wine that you would want to drink on its own. "Remember that what you want is the flavor of the wine," she says. "Whether it's a nice, aromatic white wine or a really jammy red wine, you want those flavors to add to whatever you're cooking."