WINE: Putting grape to barrelMAKING wine — especially for those who come to the activity from another career — is seductive and addictive and everything about it can swiftly become an obsession. No matter how many people work with you, no matter how much advice you seek (or is Study: Warming could make Montana wine [...]
WINE: Putting grape to barrel
MAKING wine — especially for those who come to the activity from another career — is seductive and addictive and everything about it can swiftly become an obsession. No matter how many people work with you, no matter how much advice you seek (or is
Study: Warming could make Montana wine region
MISSOULA — Climate change warnings tend to focus on the losers, but western Montana would come up a winery winner, according to a new scientific analysis of temperature trends. “Winter temperatures have been a limit to vineyard growth in our state
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure
Liberty, equality, and fraternity are all well and good, a champion of French culture once remarked. But, he continued, what made France truly superior to its neighbors was the French passion for wine, which “contributed to the French race by giving it wit, gaiety, and good taste, qualities which set it profoundly apart from people who drink a lot of beer.”
The commentator may have had a point; after all, write Don and Petie Kladstrup, it was a well-known fact that Adolf Hitler did not like wine. Still, their leader’s teetotalism notwithstanding, the Germans showed no distaste for French wine when they invaded France in 1940. Indeed, among the first acts of the occupying army was to seize great stores of wine, sending tens of thousands of barrels to the Third Reich and ordering the conversion of thousands of hectares of vineyards into war production.
Some French vintners, the Kladstrups write in this enjoyable study, went along with orders. Many others, however, including the heads of distinguished houses like Moët et Chandon, engaged in daring and dangerous acts of resistance wherever they could. Some lied about their yields; others built false walls to hide precious vintages; and still others concocted elaborate ruses, such as sprinkling carpet dust into inferior grades of new wine to give it a musty, distinguished flavor. Not every German was fooled, and some partisans of the grape died for their troubles. But some Germans, at considerable risk to themselves, also looked the other way. The Kladstrups fill their pages with memories of the wine war from both sides of the struggle, stories sometimes somber, sometimes amusing, that commemorate those “whose love of the grape and devotion to a way of life helped them survive and triumph over one of the darkest and most difficult chapters in French history.” –Gregory McNamee
Customer Review: Community power in the face of political might
One of the best ‘war’ books I have ever read, as it is not about agression, but of collaboration and a love of something which bonds so many together. The repercussions of the strength of these wine families and communities is felt still today.
I have actually just started to re read this boook, and am fascinated again to read about Berchesgarten in the first few pages – a place I have seen, but at the time had NO idea what lay behind those walls. I love books which give you a new perspective on a well written about series of events.
Customer Review: Alternative History
A great book that is very entertaining in a serious way. If you like the history of Europe and of WWII and especially if you are a wine drinker and appreciator this book is for you. Get it here since the price is a lot less than at book stores.
Italian Wines 2007: A Guide to the World of Italian Wine for Experts and Wine Lovers (Italian Wines)
The tenth edition of Italian Wines , published by Gambero Rosso and Slow Food Editore, a translation of the twentieth edition of the Italian version, is the world's most complete guide to quality Italian wines. Richer and more complete than ever, its 960 pages assess over 2,200 wine producers and their labels. Over 16,000 wines are reviewed, selected by a team of more than 120 tasters under the direction of GR and SFE. Italian Wines 2007 , besides evaluating wines according to the classic categories of one, two or three glasses, also includes a useful series of appendixes about award-winning wines in the past and the best producers. The guide also pays special attention to wineries that are sensitive to the environment and to achieving naturalness in their products.
Customer Review: Not usable for assistance in buying Italian Wine
I purchased this book in an attempt to make more informed decisions on my Italian wine purchases. I live in a predominately Italian section of my city, and have access to a wide variety of Italian wines. However, it is nearly impossible to either find any wine in the book that matches up completely, or to look up wines that are available on the shelf to see what they may be like. I do not recommend this book for casual Italian wine drinker that is looking for assistance in buying retail.
Customer Review: Slow Food Book, Slow Reading
Not a bad review of Italian wines. Just so many of them and in minute detail. No highs and no lows, either. Reads like it was written and rewritten by a committee. Since I love most Italian wines, particularly the reds, I would like to have seen more personalized impressions.
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