Anyone who read my April 20 debut article must realize that I don’t like the way restaurants treat wine. Who knew I’d have to go all the way to Paris to find one that gets it just right. Lucas Carton serves a specific wine with each menu item. Think of it: No matter what you order, you get a special glass of wine with each dish, and your wine is matched to no other menu item. Sound gimmicky? It’s not. The chef obviously spends weeks analyzing the flavors of his foods and marries them to the wines that best enhance those flavors. Seattle restaurants ought to make this effort. But they won’t.

A do-it-yourself food-and-wine pairing

1996 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir: There are more powerful Pinot Noirs. And certainly more expensive ones. But there aren’t many better ones. This wine totally seduces with aromas of violets, cinnamon, vanilla, and dominatrix leather; then it delivers a mouthful of plum, raspberry, and pumpkin pie. Yes, at $35, it’ll set you back some. But it’s drinkable right away and as delicious as wine gets. Perfect with salmon.

Dear Dennis,

You mentioned that I could learn a lot from a book. Got one in mind?

ERIC, QUEEN ANNE

Dear Eric,

I got a lot out of the Kama Sutra. When you’re done with that, try Oz Clark’s wonderful The Essential Wine Book. It takes you from the basics (how wine is made, how to taste, etc.) to the details on the world’s wine regions.

e-mail: wine@seattleweekly.com