Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure [Hardcover]

Kermit Lynch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

One of the world'¬?s most revered wine merchants and importers, Kermit Lynch changed the way Americans drink wine and the way the French make it. His retail shop in Berkeley, California, is a legendary mecca for people who enjoy good wine. Lynch is also a greatly admired writer on the subject. His monthly brochure has been the medium for expressing his philosophy since the early seventies, offering readers not only a wine education, but entry into moldy old cellars and glittering three-star restaurants. It is full of passion, principle, and humor, and peopled by a cast of characters like Patricia Wells, Richard Olney, Lulu Peyraud, Jim Harrison, and many more. In INSPIRING THIRST, Lynch presents under one cover the best of his engaging, highly personal (sometimes cantankerous) accounts of winemakers and their rare potions. Illustrated by the photographs of Gail Skoff, here is a thirst-inspiring treat for wine lovers.An anthology of wine writing from one of the world'¬?s most revered wine merchants and importers, selected from more than 30 years of his monthly brochure (national circulation 25,000), and illustrated by the photographs of Gail Skoff.Kermit Lynch'¬?s wines are available across the United States.Kermit Lynch'¬?s first book, Adventures Along the Wine Route, is in its 11th printing and won the Veuve Cliquot Wine Book of the Year Award. Hugh Johnson said "I am simply thrilled by it. I am bowled over by his blend of poetry and candour." Alice Waters said it "has given wine a new dimension for me."Reviews"Mr. Lynch never engaged in the sort of contrived tasting notes that often pass for wine writing today. Instead, he wrote of the joy and pleasures of consuming good wine, of the winemakers he met and the places he visited. He provided characters, context, and travelogue, and even recipes. In 2004, many of these pieces were gathered into a book, appropriately called Inspiring Thirst."-New York Times"[INSPIRING THIRST] Should be required reading for devotees of nature'¬?s poetry in a bottle."-Publishers Weekly"This book is a treasure: a compulsively readable collection by the revolutionary wine merchant who, almost single-handedly, has brought about a new understanding of wine as a unique expression of land, tradition, and people."-Alice Waters, owner, Chez Panisse Restaurant"For American wine lovers, Kermit Lynch belongs in the same company as Julia Child; he is a pioneer in rediscovering the vinous treasures of the Old World and making them accessible to the rest of us. These original notes from his thirty-year master class are whimsical, passionate, erudite, and eminently thirst inspiring."-Jay McInerney, author of Bacchus & Me"A wine lover opening this book will feel like a child entering a pastry shop. You can read it straight through or dip into it, treat yourself to a vivid vignette about the family Peyraud at Domaine Tempier, turn to an essay on the mysteries of "vintage chart mentality," or savor a tasting note about a wine you loved in the 1980s that perhaps you still possess in your cellar. Besides inspiring thirst and the love of wine, the book will also introduce you to the taste and exceptional personality of a man for whom wine is likemusic: a complete work of art."-Aubert de Villaine"For over 30 years, Kermit Lynch has opened his cellar for public consumption-all of it tasted, tracked, and deliberated over in his newsletter, and now memorialized for us in this anthology. Part memoir, cookbook, tasting journal, photographic reflection (via Gail Skoff's aesthetic vision), and homage to wine's people and terroirs, it is above all a manifesto of the genuine and the antithesis of wine-speak."-Paul Bertolli, author of Cooking by Hand"Kermit Lynch is the wine retailer of one's dreams-a man who will take you in and turn you on to the great vinous treasures of the universe; a man who inspires you to taste a world you hardly knew existed; a man devoted to your pleasure by inviting you to share in his. This book is proof that great wine is meant to be reveled in and shared. Don't miss it."-Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Though this collection of essays, gleaned from Lynch’s wine sales brochures from 1974 to 2003, seems at first glance to be little more than wine propaganda, the industry expert’s humorously written descriptions will educate as much as they entertain. Originally written to bolster sales at Lynch’s now legendary wine import shop in Berkeley, Calif., the essays reproduced here serve as an easy-to-imbibe master class for aficionados of French wines. And few writers—even Gourmet’s venerable wine scribe Gerald Asher—can do as princely a job enlisting mere words to describe wine with such precision. Lynch is just as comfortable articulating the "resiny rosemary-like fragrance" of an Auguste Clape Cornas as he is a 1984 Gilbert Alquier Faugères with a "deep purple color, complex aroma and a good chewy quality." And lest readers think that good wine must be expensive, there’s the 1997 Madiran, which leaves a "big, round, powerful impression on the palate" but not on the wallet. Lynch divides his time between France and California, and the "wine people" he profiles on both sides of the Atlantic are one of the collection’s greatest discoveries. Of the merry vintners at Château de Perron, the author writes: "Why do I always have the impression that I have interrupted them at play?... And what kind of smile is that on her face? I’d call it mischievous...." Much wine writing today is infused with a pompous, exclusionary air; not so with Lynch’s casual but informative compendium. These witty writings—sometimes sweet and sometimes dry—are a fitting paean to the author’s lifelong obsession, and the richly photographed tome should be required reading for devotees of nature’s poetry in a bottle.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

* An anthology of wine writing from one of the world’s most revered wine merchants and importers, selected from more than 30 years of his monthly brochure (national circulation 25,000), and illustrated by the photographs of Gail Skoff.
* Kermit Lynch’s first book, Adventures Along the Wine Route, is in its 11th printing and won the Veuve Cliquot Wine Book of the Year Award. Hugh Johnson said "I am simply thrilled by it. I am bowled over by his blend of poetry and candour." Alice Waters said it "has given wine a new dimension for me."
* Kermit Lynch’s wines are available across the United States.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; First Edition, 1st Printing edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580086365
• ISBN-13: 978-1580086363
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.4 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, December 18, 2004

By 

Dr. Charles Johnson "Dr. J" (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure (Hardcover)

WOW! What a great book. It came from Amazon yesterday and I can't put it down. Humorous, clever, insightful, educational, entertaining and fun.
This 400 page book of selections from the 1974 to 2003 Kermit Lynch wine brochure rather reminds me of the old Peterman's catalogues. It is full of great wine stories and personalities interspersed with food and travel tips.
Lynch is quite opinionated, but an entertaining writer. I have learned a lot from this book and it has truly changed how I think about wine.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book by a Great Spokesperson for the Industry, September 2, 2007

By 

monkuboy (Temple City, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure (Hardcover)

Nearly 20 years ago I had the pleasure of reading Kermit Lynch's first book, "Adventures On the Wine Route." Back then I thought it was by far the best wine-related book I had ever read and my opinion hasn't changed. I would look forward to receiving the monthly Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant newsletters because they were so well-written. I would save them because they were such great reading material, and thought what a good book they would make.

Well, that's just what Mr. Lynch did, turned them into a book. His writings make me thirst for the wines he describes. The thing is, of course he is a salesman since he owns a wine shop, but he backs himself up by importing some mighty good wines. Seeing his name as the importer on a bottle of wine inspires confidence.

Inspiring Thirst is a collection of selections from Mr. Lynch's monthly wine letter and I found it fascinating to follow the journey from its beginnings up to the time the book was published. And also to be in wonderment at how low the prices used to be on such great bottles of wine - unbelievable.

The author definitely has a way with words and leaves no doubt that he loves what he does. The selections in the book, just like every newsletter or brochure he has printed, is a learning experience. It is far from the typical wine shop mailing that screams the point score awarded it by Robert Parker or the Wine Spectator and how limited the production is of that latest boutique find. You will find no point scores in Mr. Lynch's world, nor will you find attempts to stir up a frenzy over the most recent "vintage of the century" that needs to be touted. I love his own "vintage chart" (which happens to be a blank piece of paper). I laughed when it first came in the mail, and laughed upon seeing it again in the book.

This book gets a most enthusiastic thumbs up. Oh, and by the way, while it is a rather expensive book, the quality of the pages and binding (not to mention the reading material itself) make it worth the money.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiration for writers and wine merchants alike!, October 16, 2006

By 

David A. Chambers "Dave the Wine Merchant" (San Francisco, Anderson Valley, Sierra Foothills) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure (Hardcover)

If you could see me now, you'd notice that I'm just the slightest shade of green. This happens everytime I read a book by Kermit Lynch. No, I'm not ill, just envious. Is it really fair that Kermit was blessed as one of our nation's greatest palates AND one of our greatest writers? And if I ever get a chance to hear his band, I understand I'd be jealous of that too.

I found this, his latest collection of wine missives, difficult to put down. His engaging writing style allowed me to clearly imagine tagging along on each of his European sojourns. I imagined standing next to him in every cellar he described, sitting at every meal he journaled.

If you're anything like me, somewhere in the middle of chapter two or three, you'll begin plotting ways to convince your family a vacation in the French wine country beats Disneyland any day.

Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant
Sideways Wine Club