Customer Reviews

The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

To begin, I will mention that most of the bottles in my cellar would likely be bottles that Feiring would enjoy, and some of which I'd guess she'd love. It helps that my cellar is made up almost exclusively of Burgundy, but my guess is that she and I agree on many facets of the product of wine.

Because of this, and because we both dislike many seemingly unbalanced (read: fruit/alcohol bombs) wines, I felt pretty sure that I'd enjoy the book. Instead, I found myself feeling like I was listening more to a book of whine than a book on wine.

My issues:

+ Feiring goes on and on about her distaste for science's intervention into winemaking. On a couple of rare occasions in the book, she tries to convince the reader that she's not anti-science, but her arguments aren't convincing. There is nothing wrong with understanding wine scientifically, nor is there anything wrong with using that knowledge to make wines. Science goes into some of the best wines in the world -- perhaps not RO, but knowledge that isn't merely anecdotal helps to shape them.

+ This book has been compared to Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" in some reviews here. I couldn't disagree more. Pollan's book could be considered an opinion piece, but his stroke was much gentler. Additionally, he provided gobs more information on his topic. Feiring's material is almost all opinion and truly pushes the reader to believe what she's selling. I do realize that's the format of her book, but for those reasons I don't see the comparison to "The Omnivore's Dilemma".

+ Something about wine knowledge makes people rapidly become wine snobs. I'm guilty of it, and I think most are to some extent. However, I think one measure of a person's caliber is how they're able to educate without being condescending. On this, I give Feiring low marks (but not a failing grade).

+ Biodynamics is, essentially, religion. Natural farming is great, and components of biodynamics are natural, which likely help farming. However, Feiring's willing to make excuses for the oddities of biodynamics (cow dung buried in a horn, for example) where she's not willing to allow science the same leeway.

+ This one's a simple complaint, and for most can probably be dismissed, but please lose the subtitle. It's embarrassing.

All that said, there are some redeeming qualities to the book, those being that you may learn a thing or two about why romance is a big part of the package of wine for many enthusiasts. It certainly makes drinking more enjoyable for me.

I first found out about this book from reading an article written by the author that appeared in the Los Angeles Times. In it, she seemed on the warpath, ready to offend anyone and anything as a means to get people to read her book to see what her outrageous statements were about. Myself, I thought this woman who criticized winemakers for manipulating wines into big, huge, bold styles in order to please Robert Parker and thus sell more bottles was guilty of the same thing, making outrageous statements and trying to create controversy in order to sell copies of her book.

However, I did agree in principle with what she was saying, that too often these days wines are manipulated into something that tries to please the consumer and they are losing their individuality. So I bought the book. Amazon's price makes it too attractive to pass up.

Pros: Ms. Feiring writes very well. She takes the reader around the globe in her adventures as we meet various winemakers on both sides of the fence, as she advances her argument against over-manipulation. I think most readers would be pretty surprised to find out what goes on in a lot of wineries in order to achieve the sort of wine they want to sell. It's a topic that does need to be more publicized.

Cons: Ms. Feiring sounds like she's taken out a contract on Robert Parker. She is so anti-Parker that it threatens the credibility of the book. She also tries to paint everything in black and white, as in small, family, old-fashioned winemakers = good guys and big, corporate, technology-utilizing winemakers = bad and evil guys. It's the same as people who automatically slam big corporations simply because they are big. She also tries to combine her romantic life with her discussion of the wines and I felt this added nothing to the book. In fact, I got tired of hearing about "Owl Man" and the others and was thinking, who cares?

If you can get past the chip (or boulder) that the author seems to have on her shoulder, this book is well worth reading. It will influence the way you perceive the next glass of wine you drink, as well as all the rest of them.

Like many other readers, I hoped to find objective arguments for diversity and non-adulterated wines. After finishing the book, I was concerned that she might have weaken her own stance.

While I agree with the points she hoped to convey, I cannot agree with her logic. Her writing grossly simplified the issues: science is bad, biodynamic is good; big corporation is bad, small producer is good. I have had many of the wines mentioned in the book, and I agree that they are unique and good. However, not all of them are from small producers, and certainly not all of them are made in the absence of technology.

Mr. Robert Parker is without question the most influential wine critic today, and perhaps with his enormous influence should also come the responsibility to preserve the regional diversity of wines. Mr. Parker is a big boy, and he certainly doesn't need me to defend him, but he has become the whipboy for everything that is wrong in the wine world. Consumers, producers as well, should realize that Mr. Parker's view represent one man's palate (or a few in the case of the Wine Advocate), and even he says in his publications that the final judge should be our own palates. My point is that Mr. Parker alone cannot be blamed for everything one does not like in the wine world, and blaming him is simply avoiding the bigger issues; in my opinion, all these issues are just the natural progression of wine becoming an international business. Instead of singling out Mr. Parker, Ms. Feiring could do the wine-drinking public a big favor by encouraging everyone to trust their own palate and explore different wine styles.

Perhaps the single biggest reason I am so negative toward this book is that Ms. Feiring seems to judge the quality of wines by their producers (whether they practice biodynamics) rather than by what's in the bottles. Throughout this book, I get a feeling that she has already made up her mind before she brought the glass to her mouth. While that's perfectly fine in the privacy of her own mind, she needs to be more objective considering the audience this book will reach. I agree that wines should not be manipulated and should reflect their regional diversities, but the reason should be more than "because I say so!"

While I have been harsh and negative about this book, I do want to point out that many of the wines mentioned and likened by the author are truly excellent! For instance, of the Spanish wines I have tried, many were refined and many were rustic, but none was as profound as Lopez de Heredia; give it a try and you will know what I mean.

Ms. Feiring spoke from her heart, and there is nothing wrong with that. I just hope that, in addition to her passion, she could have presented her arguments in a more constructive and objective way.

Feiring's is one of the rare wine books that has equal appeal to both the oenophile and the weekend wine taster. 'Wine geeks' will feel vindicated by her manifesto that cries out against 'spoofalated' (unnecessarily manipulated) wine and praises the renegade wine makers who've turned to Biodynamic farming, or simply heeded the wine making wisdom of their great grandfathers. The less wine-savvy can still take delight in the love stories that mellow this tannic polemic. Feiring writes great characters as well as great wine reviews - for those of us who want to get to know the people behind our wine, Feiring satisfies with anecdotes of wine critics, wine scientists, and most of all the wine makers themselves. Highly recommended.

I am borrowing from another disappointed reader. The reviewer stated the book was about 'whine' as opposed to wine. Very appropriate.

I jumped into this book with enthusiasm but I found myself getting more depressed as the pages flipped on. About half way though, I found the author didn't have anything positive to say about the present wine world. Her basic stance in the book was this: 'I started drinking as a novice, I discovered AUTHENTIC wine, AUTHENTIC wine is disappearing, I bemoan anything new and you the reader, who or may not have had AUTHENTIC wine like me is being cheated by winemakers who use science to help prepare their wines."

I decided to put the book down during the chapter on Piedmont when the author, Feiring was on a mission to find the winemaker who made the wine that first initiated her into the world of the fermented grape. Like a true journalist, she couldn't let go of this dream despite the winemaker's dying wish to be left alone. Besides having a convoluted narrative at this point with all the other egocentric overtones inherent in this book, I found her lack of respect for the dying and her willingness to share such an uncouth journey disheartening. I don't know if she met the Italian winemaker or gave up... because I gave up.

Alice Feiring is a harsh, centre-stage author in her approach which makes it difficult to sympathize with her plight (I still don't know if the subtitle is meant as a joke or this is how she views herself). She rarely offers an objective or unbiased observation and like the film Mondovino presents a black and white picture of the wine world. The black cowboys being the corporate winemakers using reverse osmosis and the various yeasts strains to make their wine and the white, all the quirky and incredibly charming backwood winemakers who still hold true to the land.
It feels like a Saturday morning cartoon.

Also, nicknaming her friends and former lovers such as "Owl Man" I found difficult. She patronizes the reader by continually reminding us modern wine is not up to the standards of the 1970s. Thankfully I only took this book out at the library. I wouldn't have spent the cash to be insulted which I felt after certain point (I was born in the late 1970s and only came to wine after 2005 so basically Alice is telling me I've never had AUTHENTIC wine because I never had the chance.)

I agree that science has had a hand in helping winemakers craft their vintages but we live in a time where more and more people have access to wine and can enjoy it. What's wrong with that? There are different wine styles out there, granted and the modern is the most popular. But to stay we are all being hoodwinked and Feiring is our wine savior, I'll pass. By manipulating emotions, drawing one-dimensional perspectives on a fascinating and historic industry, one can say this author has only draw a self-satisfied self-portrait as opposed to an invaluable read which I'm sure this book could have been in the hands of someone more capable and less prone to centre-stage theatrics.

I have been collecting, drinking and learning about wine since the late 60s. Recently was browsing books to see if there was anything new as far as pairing wine with some of the newer and more exotic cuisines. That I did not find but in browsing stumbled upon "The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization" by Alice Feiring. I had never heard of Alice but the title caught my eye because Robert Parker, who popularized the 100-point wine rating scale, is such a powerful figure in today's wine world. It also probably did not hurt that she is a self-described Jewish, Russian, redhead, wine geek with a finely tuned palate or that her jacket picture radiates a combination of intelligence, mystery, insight and determination. Once started I could not put the book down and read it during one cloudy Saturday afternoon. Since brevity is not the norm for wine books was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned. In a lively 268 pages she takes us behind the scenes for an insiders view of wine making, wines, techniques, producers and some of the controversies raging within the wine world. Intertwined with all the information is a lively and engaging story that makes it easy to digest the mountain of information. Feiring, an accomplished storyteller, combines her personal odyssey in the world of wine with serious and relevant issues that confront today's wine world.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Feiring's book. I am by no means a wine expert, let alone a wine snob. I found her information about the wine industry extremely interesting and it certainly changes the way I think about the wine I drink. I am astonished by the other reviewers who condemn her "attitude" as black and white. This is a book with a point of view, not a talk show attempting to present two sides of an argument equally. To those who seem to be offended by Ms. Feiring's strong opinions, let me remind you that books are a very legitimate place for "point of view" --if all books were written without it, reading might get to be quite boring! The quirky characters add humor and dimension. If you are looking for a wine textbook, this is not the book for you!

I found Ms. Feiring's style to be engaging and fun. For anyone out there with limited knowledge of wine or who is not a wine snob, this is a delightful read. So pour yourself a glass of something (natural) from the Loire, curl up with this book, and enjoy!

I picked up this book because of the title. It sounded like it might be helpful with my own changing taste and evolution with wine. It did and it's a terrific book.

As a native Californian, when I started drinking wine in the late 60s it was California Cabs and I loved them. However, over time I eventually grew tired of buttery chards, and jammy reds. When I started to explore French and Italian wines it was confusing and a disappointment at first. But then the subtlety finally got to me and they began tasting elegant and unique. It wasn't long until the overly fruity and oaky wines were hard to drink. Furthermore, I slowly began to realize that the 1-100 point scale for wine that I once used religiously became an almost inverse guide--- if Parker or Wine Spectator, or Wine Advocate gave something a 90 plus rating, I would worry that it was way too fruity.

Kermit Lynch's terrific book--Adventures on the Wine Route, really opened my eyes--or taste buds--and helped in a historical context to more understand what fine, soulful wine is all about.

Alice Feiring's book takes it a step further and nails it for the wine world of today! This is a wonderful, funny, and insightful work. Her many different points of contact in the wine world reveal just how the current disincentive for authentic wine has occurred--everywhere in the world. Her personal references humanize the story making it more fun to read than the typical wine book. Within the fascinating stories, are remarkable, if not startling specifics of what to avoid and what to seek out in trying to find the unique, quality wines that are honest expressions of the area and not artificially doped-up and homogenized to a single commercial taste. All this is extremely important to anyone who really wants to improve their understanding and find truly good wine--old or new world. Fortunately, they do exist in both and his books points you in the right direction.

But perhaps most importantly, Feiring is a competent and courageous voice helping to get the world of wine back on track.

Bravo and carry on!

I just finished reading Ms. Feiring's "The Battle for Wine and Love." I loved it. I belong to a wine group that has been blind tasting wine since the 1970's. Over the past few years, we've all wondered, sometimes out loud, why gifted, talented and experienced (some more than others) tasters so often are unable to identify the grape varietal or blend. Ms. Feiring's book, in a well-balanced manner, offers many explanations. Locally, we've found that our beloved fruit, Pinot Noir, has become so extracted and over-oaked that we don't know what the hell we're tasting. There are, however, many local wine makers that get it - as does Ms. Feiring. The thought of a global palate, just like having all of our food taste identical (or nearly so) is just plain wrong. Cheers to Ms. Feiring for her passion, honesty and integrity.

I picked this book up because I thought I would learn something about wine, and it seemed like a faster, more fun read than most wine books. (I am a hedonistic amateur, I love wine, but I really don't know that much about it.) Was I ever right! I couldn't put it down, and feel like now I can geek-speak with the best of them. The author gives a really engaging portrait of the different wine regions, and also the quirky wine makers she meets along the way. She also explains the debate about naturally made versus manipulated wine, which I knew nothing about before reading, but that's really made me think about how wine is and should be made. I'm dying to taste the wines she describes, now I need to track them down. They sound amazing.