A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas
A huntress kills a disguised faerie, enters the seductive Spring Court, and discovers that its beauty is held under a curse she must confront beneath the mountain.
The varietal
Syrah · Cornas, Northern Rhône
Cornas beats softer Grenache or ethereal Pinot Noir because its flowers arrive over granite, bloodlike iron, and stern tannin—the novel’s exact movement from enchanted garden to ordeal under stone.
Ask for Floral, savory Syrah—think Swartland Syrah or Cornas
Syrah’s violet perfume and ripe dark fruit supply the Spring Court’s seduction, while pepper, smoke, iron, and gripping tannin reveal the danger beneath its cultivated surface.
Accessible
~$15
Boekenhoutskloof Porcupine Ridge Syrah
Swartland, South Africa · Syrah · 2022–2023
Blackberry and violet lead into black pepper, smoked meat, and dry fynbos herbs.
Recurring image
Its floral opening is edged by pepper and thorn-scrub herbs, placing the Spring Court’s blossoms and their defenses in the same glass.
Refined
~$34
Stolpman Vineyards Estate Grown Syrah
Ballard Canyon, California, USA · Syrah · 2021–2023
Plush black plum and blueberry narrow into olive, cracked pepper, and firm savory tannins.
Metaphor
The wine begins generously and then tightens into pepper and tannin, matching the plot’s turn from Tamlin’s luxurious courtship to Amarantha’s coercive trials.
Prestige
~$60
Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 30
Cornas, Northern Rhône, France · Syrah · 2020–2022
Violet and black cherry sit over granite dust, smoke, iron, and a long stony finish.
Terroir mirror
Grown on Cornas’s steep decomposed-granite slopes, it gives literal mineral weight to Feyre’s descent beneath the mountain, with iron notes recalling the blood price of her escape.
P.S. If your wine shop doesn't have these specific wines, just ask them for a Floral, savory Syrah—think Swartland Syrah or Cornas.
- Temperature
- 60–62°F
- Glass
- Large Rhône or tulip-shaped red-wine glass
- Decant
- Give the Porcupine Ridge 20 minutes, the Stolpman about 45 minutes, and the Cornas 1–2 hours.
- Alongside
- Rosemary-roasted lamb with pomegranate—a feast-table dish whose sweetness, herbs, and char meet all three wines.