Customer Reviews

Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Marketing books will tell you that the way to captivate a customer for your product is to tell a story, rather than recite a bunch of dry facts. The majority of books about wine focus on facts - about the grapes, vintages, food matches, how-to's, etc., and there's certainly nothing wrong with that except for when you've read one, the others get kind of repetitive.

What is refreshing about Ms. MacLean's book is that you learn via her telling you stories, relating her various wine world experiences. Her writing style is personable and easy to read, and makes you feel like you are accompanying her on her journeys. Reading her book is sort of like listening to Forrest Gump while most other wine books are like listening to a lecture. She's also got a great sense of humor - very entertaining.

The book is similar in style to Kermit Lynch's Adventures on the Wine Route; both educate the reader via tales of wine encounters. The difference is Mr. Lynch focuses on his visits to the various producers he imports (and thus writes from the point of view of a merchant and wine lover), whereas Ms. MacLean has a broader scope of topics (and it is obvious she has a passion for wine). What they do have very much in common is a talent for making you thirsty for the subject matter. Consider them both great ambassadors for wine.

One other thing I'd like to add is I admire how the author got started in her career. She came across something that really interested her, she pursued it, and her passion is obvious. We should all find something we love so much!

This book was absolutely the best resource I've read on wine. I use the word "resource" purposely because, while Ms. MacLean has a gift for storytelling, in the end, this book is quite enlightening and educational for folks like myself that are just beginning to appreciate good wine. I've been a wine drinker for 15 years, but couldn't ever keep my interest in any particular book or magazine. However, I couldn't put this book down. I highly recommend it. I have also very much enjoyed her free newsletters.

This book will make you thirsty. It is highly recommended that you have a ready supply of wine on hand before you start reading. Natalie MacLean makes you feel as if you are right by her side on her fascinating journey through the world of wine and encounters with its engaging inhabitants. And since she's in the driver's seat, you should relax, uncork and enjoy the ride.

Through this book, Natalie MacLean has achieved something many wine writers strive for but rarely achieve. Her book is educational, yet not at all intimidating -- it's actually fun to read. Natalie covers a wide variety of topics most "average, everyday winedrinkers" are interested in knowing more about -- wine production, marketing, tasting, and sharing -- and she does so with a humorous way of poking fun at herself. Great writing style!

Entertaining, fun, light, but educational. A great way to learn about wine! I'd rather travel to wine regions in person, but this is a good second choice.

Natalie has a fun and unique style; her stories are delightful. This book is best enjoyed with a glass...or bottle...of your favorite wine! And, if you are not a wine lover, you will be after reading this enticing book!

A rollicking good time, and the wine book that needed to be written, but she should have spent more time with Josh Raynolds and Stephan Tanzer as Robert Parket and Janice Robinson already have lakes of ink spilt on them. This is a great book for wine geeks, sideline spectators, and those just curious about how the wine industry works. MacLean verges on M. F. K. Fisher's "How to Cook a Wolf" territory with some of her long passages on dining with family and friends, but it is all forgivable. Lots and lots of fun.

I am half way through Natalie's book and must say that it is
both enlightening and entertaining. Not only am I learning,
I am smiling too! What could be better? Great Book!
Her newsletter is also a wonderful littany of humor and knowledge.

Natalie covers the wine spectrum. You wouldn't think we needed another wine book, but it would be a crying shame if this sparkling personality remained silent. Wine is so individual, and this particular wine individual has got a personality--and a sense of humor--that we all profit by sharing.

Yes, everybody thinks they've got a sense of humor, and few actually do, but Natalie qualifies (and with a vengeance). Ferment it all together with Natalie's tremendous wine erudition and you've got a winner.

Before you can abandon yourself to wine you've got to think a little. Natalie takes care of that prerequisite. If you like to learn, this is a fun book. If not, this is still a fun book. And it's a smart book.

Unfortunately, much of today's wine writing is, if you'll pardon the expression, far too dry, but Natalie MacLean has managed to wrap some very informative -- even at times rather technical -- information in a wonderfully entertaining package. She also spices things up with some delightfully sensual language, not least her decidedly female perspective late in the book on opening a bottle of champagne which I'll leave for readers to discover for themselves.

Speaking of champagne, that particular chapter ("The Merry Widows of Mousse") was my favorite, both informative and lyrical, almost poetic perhaps, in its evocation of the glories of champagne and its magical journey from chalky soil east of Paris all the way to our glasses in some of life's most enjoyable and memorable moments. I can't say it better than she does at the end of that chapter:

"For some, the allure of champagne is the image of luxury and celebration; for others, it's one of life's greatest sensory delights. For me, it's the Champagne behind the champagne, a region as old as Roman conquests, as deep as the chalk fissures, as artful as the riddler's hands, and as eternal as the taste itself."

One can't evoke the meaning and joy of wine any better than this.