Book excerpt: “A primer on everything the wine-phobic woman needs to know . . . Probably the only wine book out there that could be excerpted in Cosmo.” —Chicago Reader Alpana Singh is uniquely qualified to talk about wine, contemporary women and relationships. At age twenty-six, she became the youngest woman to be inducted into the world’s most exclusive sommelier organization, the Court of Master Sommeliers. She spent five years as sommelier at a world-famous four-star restaurant, Everest of Chicago. While there she closely observed the sometimes humorous, sometimes absurd, social interactions between men and woman at all stages of their relationships. Her mental journal of these “social observations” came in handy as she wrote Alpana Pours. Alpana Pours reaches readers in playful language they will understand, and in a highly entertaining manner they will enjoy. Women want to know how to select wine when entertaining important clients, pair wine with food they and their partner are preparing together, choose the right wines for hostess gifts, bridal showers, a first meeting with a boyfriend’s parents and what wine to, or not to, order on a first date. Alpana Pours supplies tips on these and a myriad of other topics including “dating” and “dealing with guys.” The book’s gender riff on wine and lifestyle is unique and will definitely grab reader’s attention. “Singh’s quirky writing makes reading about the correct wine and food pairing more fun than it should be . . . Singh blends wine culture with everyday life, while still illuminating the mysteries and myths of wine. The author’s friendly tone welcomes readers who don’t know their pinot noir from their peanut butter.” —Publishers Weekly