For everyone who's ever picked up a book to try to learn more about wine, this will be like no other wine book you've ever read. It is a course between covers, based on how I teach about wine, and how I learned -- by tasting. Every chapter features tasting lessons that are easy and fun to do at home, that help you learn grapes, styles and what all those wine tasting terms mean.

Wine and food pairing -- most everyone understands the pleasure potential in a great wine and food match, but few of us know where to start. This book teaches you my best-bets pairing principles for everything from everyday to ethnic to classic fare. The cheese pairing chapter is an awesome tool for exploring the two greatest fermented phenom's on the planet, and the index in the back lets you quickly look up pairings for everything you can imagine, from aioli to zucchini, Albarino to Zinfandel.

Comfort food and full-bodied red wines never go out of fashion. Nor does Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" or Chet Baker's "These Foolish Things." Just as these musicians tweak songs in their own distinctive style, Immer shows you ways to improvise roast chicken, frites and tarte Tatin. In video demonstrations she also gives pointers on decanting wine and putting together the ultimate cheese plate.

Dressed in jeans and displaying a down-home sassy attitude, Immer lends her views on BBQ, lager and ale. Plank-cooked salmon and grill-steamed mussels in wheat beer, matched with the proper brews, are the way to get any party jumping. The deep, smoky taste of her bourbon-brined baby back ribs is a perfect fit for the soulful growl of Etta James's "Hoochie Coochie Gal" and "Don't Touch Me." Another blues highlight is Little George Benson's "It Should Have Been Me," his first recording at age 11.

The hot, sexy sounds of Brazil come together with irresistible fare like seared shrimp and chorizo skewers, boldly sauced steak and chocolate-banana sorbet. Here Immer shows how to shake up potent, refreshing caipirinhas, sure to make hips sway to the beat of "The Girl from Ipanema," the most famous bossa nova song of them all. An eclectic, global list of artists -- from Arto Lindsay to Eliane Elias to Sadao Watanabe -- interpret the tunes, bringing some samba into play as well.

Minty mojitos are the cocktail of the moment and you can't fail with Immer's step-by-step instructions. Anyone can be a mambo king by mastering surefire hits like chili-pepper popcorn, shrimp ceviche, rum-painted salmon and caramelized banana pizza. She also suggests wines that enhance Latin fare. Providing the soundtrack for a spicy time are Latin-flavored songs by Rosemary Clooney, Tito Puente and Xavier Cugat.

You're not alone if you find uncorking Champagne and sparkling wine a little tough. But with a little guidance and some practice, you can learn to do it with ease. That's why I included short films on each of my Entertaining Made Simple CDs, including this one that tells you about Champagne glassware, and shows you how to open the bottle safely.

The lobster recipe on this Chardonnay, Shellfish and Schubert CD shows the easiest way ever to cook lobster to perfection. This short film shows you how to get the cooked lobster meat out of the shell, with ease.

There are several reasons to decant red wine: to aerate the wine, and to separate the clear wine from its grainy sediment (usually found only in older, full-bodied reds). Here's how.

A little practice is all it takes to use a corkscrew with ease. The short film from my Pinot, Pasta and Puccini CD shows your how.