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The Psychology of Wine: Truth and Beauty by the Glass

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The Psychology of Wine
Truth and Beauty By The Glass
Evan Mitchell and Brian Mitchell
Praeger -ABC-CLIO, LLC 2009

Evan Mitchell and Brian Mitchell bring a wealth of wining and dining experience to life in the pages of The Psychology of Wine. While the title may sound like just another stuffy wine tome, never fear. This book is neither boring nor banal. Indeed, it is a book best enjoyed by popping the cork of a favorite Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio and indulging in the combined pleasures of a good read and a fine wine.

The Psychology of Wine entertains while it educates. It is filled with marvelous myths, amusing anecdotes and savvy advice. Learn the lore behind the birth of Dionysus and the hypothesis of the world's first "accidental" wine. Follow the life of the life the vine from dormancy through harvest. Get to the bottom of the age-old debate of "nature versus nurture." Find out where those dry, didactic numbers used to score wines come from and how to judge wines with a more "soulful" approach. Discover intriguing idiosyncrasies about wine such as the "pathological" nature of Pinot Grigios and which wine grows "wiser" as it ages.

As a foodie, wine lover and travel writer, I particularly enjoyed polishing my wine-speak in Part II, The Language of Wines and the delightful frivolity of Chapter 20 - Games People Play. No doubt as we swirl, sniff, sip and savor a variety of varietals at our next dinner party, we'll play a bit of "This wine is like..." and describe our wines in terms of music, movies and even moods. The Psychology of Wine is a keeper on my bookshelves.

I have never been one to share my thoughts on a book with a vast audience, but after my read of The Psychology of Wine I felt that my impressions on this book might be of value to those looking for a very intimate and entertaining read. By way of brief background, I grew up in a lower middle income home in the rust belt. Wine was not a part of our family household to any degree. After living the blue collar dream our parents put 4 kids through top notch universities. I imparted on a long sales & marketing journey as my chosen career and quickly was introduced to the world of wine mostly from a client entertainment perspective. My cursory knowledge of wines in those early days has lead to a life long passion for all that is wine, although I am still a complete novice in my breadth of knowledge on the subject. It is from this foundation of passion with limited substance that I entered The Psychology of Wine. To my great delight this book spoke to what I have always had trouble conveying (albeit with a large amount of scholarship that I can comfortably admit would not have been part of my conveyance). The Mitchells capture in the varying chapter's bits and pieces of how wine and its romance, its part in our mutual life fellowship, its influence on our life's fond remembrances really infuses itself into our being. Having read a limited amount on wine, I always seem to end up on something touting external communication of ones knowledge of varietals and all of the other "wine speak" so prevalent in those wine enthusiasts I aspire to be. However, this read was a wonderful journey through a host of subjects that clearly gave voice to all that is wine in my life, and allowed me a better understanding and appreciation for the passion that is our shared interest in wine. Wine is a complex and fascinating personal life long love and this book was the first that I have read that spoke to that in such a unique and enjoyable way. I would highly recommend this read.

This book was initially recommended by a friend, and I must admit to being a little hesitant at first. It seemed at a glance to be the kind of thing read at the fireside by silver-haired white males who wear tasselled loafers and paisley cravats. By the end of the first chapter however, this impression had been dispelled completely. Brian and Evan Mitchell (father and son) have confected a breezy and intimate series of essays about all aspects of wine, and their conversational tone involves the reader from the very first pages. The book meanders discursively through personal recollections, Classical mythology, serious wine science and classifications and even music and popular film. Renowned critics and wine 'gurus' are gently skewered, and the concluding theme appears to be (reassuringly to this amateur) that the greatest wines are the ones we enjoy drinking the most.
By the end I found myself edified even despite myself, and like the greatest reference books (Kenneth Clark's 'Civilisation' comes to mind) the content slips into the brain unnoticed among the mellifluous prose and sparkling procession of ideas. Earthy, self-deprecating, accessible and never patronising, The Psychology of Wine offers endless insights into this ancient companion to human life, joyfully lurching from Pamela Anderson to Plato without ever losing its balance. Highly recommended

The Psychology of Wine: Truth and Beauty by the Glass

I'm no expert on wine and found this book to be a wonderful way to explore flavours and aromas while travelling the world and enjoying stories from Greek mythology and the times of Roman opulence and indulgence, to modern day and all the challenges of technology - fascinating and highly entertaining and providing endless dinner table wisdom and witticism, over a glass of wine of course! Four reasons to buy this book: Wine, travel, history, humor - all rolled up into one fabulous and surprisingly easy read. This is a book for everyone who enjoys wine from novice to expert and everything in between. Enjoy! I know I am, and I can't wait to see what the authors come up with next. I was so impressed I bought 3 to give away as xmas presents!