Customer Reviews

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kermit Lynch is an importer of artisanally made wines. His book is both a diary of his search for wines of authentic character throughout France and a manifesto in defense of an ethic of winemaking that is falling out of fashion. The wines Lynch adores are not always the greatest wines in the world, but there is a certain idiosynchratic appeal to them. They are crafted according to a philosophy that abhors chemical or mechanical adulterants and emphasizes minimal human intervention during the wines' elevation in cellars. Consequently, when nature cooperates, they are expressive of the subtlest elements of their vineyards' terrain, and they taste best with the cuisine prepared where they are grown. But they are risky to make and must be sold in a marketplace that seldom rewards the effort.

Lynch's best chapters are his entries on Provence, the Rhone, and Chablis, which give readers a clear sense of what these wines ought to taste like, how the regions' winemaking traditions have evolved over time, and what differentiates extraordinary examples from underachievers. Each chapter focuses on a handful of producers recalcitrant to change with whom Lynch has longstanding relationships. His analysis, with winemaking scion Gerard Chave, of the component parts of the legendary J. L. Chave Hermitage (one of the best wines in the world) might be the most vivid deconstruction of a taste ever put into words. The chapter on Provence is one of Lynch's more saccharine entries -- his ties to the family behind Bandol's Domaine Tempier are personal, and Lynch introduced and evangelized this hitherto obscure wine to American markets -- but it makes an eloquent case in favor of the rustic and less glamorous country wines of France. True to Lynch's evident loyalties, then, the chapter on the gold standard of French wine, Bordeaux, is among the weakest in the book, focusing on a small producer in Graves unrepresentative of the sprawling aristocratic estates that characterize the region. It tells a charming story, but it is only a footnote to the story of Bordeaux.

Lynch, to his credit, seldom romanticizes his work and does not disguise that he is a businessman who seeks these wines because he loves them but also because it is his trade. Because he has carved out for himself a small market for specialties in a large industry increasingly tending towards uniformity, his interests differ from most importers', inspiring him to remark that he sometimes feels more like a historical preservationist than a winebuyer. Wherever Lynch travels he is as likely to be disillusioned by a once-illustrious producer succumbing to cheap shortcuts as he is to find a truly special product he can sell with a clean conscience to customers who trust his name as a talisman of authenticity. He betrays his commercial interests somewhat by drafting some passages almost as advertisements for his wines, most of which don't need it, and also by repeatedly condemning the practice among American and English reviewers of awarding ratings to wines and vintage years on a numerical scale. In principle, this practice should not offend anyone capable of articulating the gradations of his preferences, but merchants with inventories to sell resent it deeply when a powerful critic advises consumers to avoid a thin vintage. Some such critics have done as much as Lynch to lead consumers to special wines, so I won't concede the principle. But I will drink any of Lynch's wines whenever the opportunity arises, and readers inclined to do the same will find in this book the context that renders them all 100-point experiences.

This is an older book now (1987), but it is timeless in its content and an important read for anyone who wants to understand more about the wines of France and the story behind them.

Wine is an agricultural product, produced by farmers. There is not a lot of glamor in the production of wine - it is hard work and full of frustration, as the producers have to deal with a variety of uncontrollable factors - weather, unreasonable reviewers, fickle consumers, etc.

In Adventures... Kermit Lynch gives us a highly personal view of the lives of some of the more colorful wine characters he has come to know in his annual wine-buying travels to France. These profiles are informative and entertaining and provide a backdrop to a better understanding and appreciation of wine.

The book travels through the major wine-producing regions of France and peppered throughout each chapter are Kermit's views on many aspects of wine production, distribution and marketing. Reading this book in the early 21st century one understands the profound effect this important wine merchant has had on the business of wine, over the past 15 years.

I have read this book twice and will re-read it everytime I travel to France in the future - both to help me remember which vineyards to seek out, but also as a reminder of how to engage with the vignerons I meet - every vigneron has a story - they are all different and all are worth listening to.

Kermit introduces us to several of these stories and I hope some day he writes a sequel. In the meantime, this is one of my favourite all-time reads.

This book offers a comprehensive picture of all of the major wine-growing regions in France including broad notes on differences in the wines and the winemaking methods. In each region, it includes interesting anecdotes on Lynch's own adventures in finding unique wines and the winemakers he comes in contact with. Lynch is most passionate about the wines of Burgundy -- and least interested in Bordeaux -- as much because of his enjoyment of the wines themselves as to the different natures of the wine trade in those regions.

Some of the other reviews note a "pedantic and sanctimonious" manner from Lynch's writing. There is something to this perception as Lynch does have a tendency to hammer his points home again and again. Nonetheless, Lynch is so passionate about what he likes and the characteristics of winemakers that he likes to work with, that you can almost overcome it. (Nonetheless, this is why I dropped one * from my rating.)

For what it is worth, I read this book about the same time as I read Patrick Mathews book on natural winemaking. Interestingly, they form a matched pair as both books share a passion for wines made, as much as possible, through traditional methods without extra intervention.

The most enjoyable book on wine I know, and one of the few that provides a warm human side to wine. Kermit Lynch describes 20 years of voyages through France looking for wine to import for his store in Berkeley, CA and his experiences along the way. The stories range from unbelievably crazy, to frustratingly French, to warm and touching. Through all these experiences, Kermit Lynch succeeds in conveying the French culture and beauty of French wines and the people who make them. Kermit is one of the few Americans that seem to understand French wine and succeeds in conveying these differences and how to appreciate them. If planning a trip to France for wine tasting, this book is worth a 1000 guides who try to rate the wines on some scale of 5 stars or 100 points. It is not guide, but it offers understanding and human warmth that will enhance the enjoyment of French wines and French wineries.

I picked up Adventures on the Wine Route from my book shelf again tonight after about a year. You know, it's not one of my favorite wine books. It's one of my favorite books. He has a very simple but effective formula of a strong engaging, passionate voice, he's a consummate storyteller, and you know what? He can write.
That's what it comes down to. Can you tell a story? Can you write dialogue so the tempo and phrasing are true to life, as well as the words. Can you describe a man, a scene, a frustration? Can you make your reader feel it? Just in setting down a simple anecdote, Lynch has an elegantly subtle touch, no less than some of the wines he praises.

It is so nice to find someone so down to earth, realistic and at the same time picky about what makes them happy in wine. He does not "score" wine, he tells you, in a beautiful manner why he likes the wines. How the back stories, mystery and people that work the land, are therefore shaped by it make wine enjoyable not an arbitrary number assigned by a certain person in Monkton, Maryland. The French attitude toward wine has morphed, even since the writing of this book, with the globalization of tastes propagated by scores and a general "sameness" with everything in our world. However living 20 minutes from Kermit Lynch's wine shop in Berkeley, I can promise you that he has not bent to any market trends, and after reading this book, perhaps neither will you.

I recently was able to visit France on business when I was exposed to that nation's greatest natural resource-it's wine . Upon my arrival home I sought knowledge on the whole French wine heritage thing and yearned to return and try more samples. Kermit's book is written as though you are in the back seat of his car or walking up a rocky slope behind him on the way to a vinter's lair. The personal anecdotes and descriptions of the individuals he encounters keeps the book interesting as you are also learning the complex industry of French wine making .Kermit's blue collar approach to taste- we are all unique and good is as good tastes(sorry for taking artistic liberties Kermit) makes novices such as myself feel somewhat at ease in the often elitest community of wine lovers.

If Kermit ever needs a travel partner, after reading his fun filled, tart commentary I would gladly volunteer to forgo the burden in the name of wine education or even foreign relations given the current state of affairs.Give me a call Mr. Lynch and we will open a bottle of Saint Joseph or Crozes-Hermitage and plan your next book.

Besides being funny, touching and revealing, I find this book to be essential for any person really interested in wines. Furthermore, I think that _every_ wine importer must read it, and I was dismayed to find out that none of the most important merchants, in my country, have read it. This book talks about what wine really is (or should be). I just wanted to know what happened to the author and his producers later on, since this book was written in 1985.

Mr. Lynch brought a new way of bringing wine into this country, by finding small, high quality local producers, convincing them to sell him wine, and then importing the product. There are now a number of high quality importers following his path. I sell wine retail and frequently tell customers two things. These are the wines you drink when in Europe and wish you could find at home; and it's like going to a Farmer's Market to buy wines. The wines are agricultural, not industrial. The book tells the story of his first ventures into France.

Kermit is the owner of a very successful wine import and sales business. I've been one of his customers since early days when, one gathers from this book, no one in the Burgundy would speak with him.

The secret of his success was stated by someone: He trusts his own taste over wisdom received from others. I started a Slow Food chapter in Santa Cruz, and featured a lot of extremely interesting (to me) wine events. The chapter's motto was "God gave you a sense of taste; others only give you advice." One of the famous 84 Buddhist Lojong slogans is "Of the two judges, choose the principal." That's you. The other one is everybody else.

You should listen to others, of course. How I wish I could have had a canny French father to teach me about wine.

One of the endearing things about Kermit's taste is that he likes to sell (and frequently drinks himself,) low priced wines that just taste good. Even if you could afford it, you wouldn't want to drink fancy wines every day. He likes European-style, informal, inexpensive dry rosé wines for example. Many of these come from Corbiere in the Languedoc region of France. For those who go by reputation, that's like Modesto wine (Gallo before they upscaled.) Those who value taste and don't want to waste money can drink these rosés all day, starting with lunch. That's why Kermit is sometimes called "The Rhone Ranger."

One evening I had saved up enough money to have supper at Chez Panisse. This famous restaurant recommended a Spanish Rosé (from Muga) that they had bought at a local supermarket, at Kermit's suggestion, for $8 per bottle.

Kermit introduced Daumas Gassac wines made by Guibert to the US maybe 25 years ago. These are bold, fabulous, inky red wines from an unfashionable region of France. It came in at $10/bottle. Everyone knew it couldn't be good, because of its other-side-of-the-tracks source. This wine is now often referred to as the "Grand Cru of the Languedoc." The French magazine GaultMillau has called it the "Lafite Rothschild of the Languedoc-Roussillon".

People who don't go with the crowd, but still know what they're doing, are rare. Read this book!