Wine expert Raul Diaz gears up to launch wine and recipe book with a twist

By Lisa Riley

Published: 14 November, 2019

Wine expert Raul Diaz has made his first move into publishing with a wine and recipe book promising to deliver a difference in the burgeoning market.

Wines & Recipes by Raul Diaz, available to pre-order now, showcases a selection of 50 handpicked wines alongside a recommended recipe for each of the wines, with the book covering sparkling, white, rosé, red, sweet and fortified.

Basing the book on the wines, while giving the recipes a “supporting role”, presented a “unique approach” and would make the edition stand out on book shelves currently filled with food and drink books, Diaz, also the founder of Wine Training School, told Harpers.

“When it comes to food and wine pairing books, of which there are obviously many, they are always based on the recipe so doing it the other way around will establish a new way to look at wine,” said Diaz, who chose the wines based on his 15 years in the industry - a journey which has taken him to over 100 countries exploring the world of wine.

With the book, Diaz said he is hoping to introduce a more “practical way” to look at wine, adding he had been inspired to put pen to paper by feedback from clients, friends and (Wine Training School) students, all keen to see “an easy to navigate and read, practical guide to food and wine matching that puts the wine in the spotlight”.

“I want to share my experience and knowledge of local wines and cuisines with the reader. There is no need to be an expert to enjoy my new book - it is for anyone and aimed at helping everyone enjoy wine whether on a week day or for a special occasion.”

Once people have tried Diaz’s recommended wine and recipe combination, they are encouraged to “mix and match to add their own touch”, he added.

Diaz made the brave move to ‘self publish’ the book following encouragement by two key UK publishers, which however declined to back the launch, primarily because “to sell a drinks book is much harder than a recipe book”.

“Both publishing houses were interested but eventually turned the book down, but encouraged me to pursue this on my own,” said Diaz, adding both said it was “a very good idea”.

Not resting on his laurels, Diaz is moving into publishing while continuing to also focus on his Wine Training School venture, which he said has experienced “incredible growth” in the last year, with bookings up almost 200%.

“We achieve because we sell premium experience and because we care about our students - recognising them as people not just numbers - and this message has started to seep through helped by word of mouth and social media,” said Diaz.

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