Tuscany and Its Wines [Paperback]

Hugh Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2005

New in paperback, this book gives a visually stunning and irresistible portrait of Tuscany's culture, history, landscapes, people, food, and, most importantly, wines. In "Tuscany and Its Wines", Hugh Johnson demonstrates his intimate knowledge of and passion for Tuscany's history, landscapes, wines, and culture. One of the finest landscape and travel photographers, Andy Katz, enriches the experience with his glorious representation of the essence of Tuscany. Together they present an insightful exploration of the character of the landscapes and the rich accumulations of history, tracing the connections with Tuscan wines. In this beautifully crafted book, Hugh Johnson guides the reader through the famous Tuscan towns of Florence, Siena, Montalcino, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, and Lucca and some smaller, irresistibly charming settlements such as Pienza and Sant' Angelo in Colle. Along his route, he passes many villas and churches, restaurants, and enoteche (wine shops) in the Chianti hills and surrounding areas. Andy Katz's evocative photography of Tuscany in all seasons and moods - from sultry summer languor to the frenetic activities of the grape harvest - perfectly complement the mastery of the prose. A reference section is also included, providing a guide to the modern Tuscan wine list. This is a rich and satisfying book for anyone captivated by the Tuscan sacred marriage of light and landscape, wine and food, vines and olives, beauty and history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's a land in which "vineyard management" used to mean allowing the grapevines to wrap themselves up to the full height of elm and poplar trees. With Tuscany and Its Wines, prolific British wine author Hugh Johnson and peripatetic photographer Andy Katz bring this land of Chianti to a coffee table near you. More than three decades after the publication of his first book, Johnson manages here, in 144 pages bursting with dozens of gorgeous full-color photos (a few of which, alas, are uncaptioned), to take the reader on a breathless--and breathy--tour of one of the most celebrated regions in Italy, with narrative reminiscent of a particularly chatty uncle who's just picked you up at the train depot. And, as with many an avuncular itinerary, breathless narration can often leave you panting. Anyone unfamiliar with Tuscany may find themselves, after the endless parade of Certosa di Galluzos, Colli Fiorentinis, Ugo Contini Bonacossis, or Tenuta di Capezzanas, reaching--if not for a big carafe of Vino Nobile--for the drawn maps at the start of each chapter to determine whether these names are villages, Italian nobility, or local wines. But breathy quickly turns breezy as Johnson's evocative prose (the tannins of one Sangiovese are "invigorating, like a rough towel"; a particular hillside vineyard is a "green corduroy of vines") takes you jauntily to the town of Impruneta, producer of authentic terra cotta; Sant'Andrea, where Machiavelli wrote his treatise on power, The Prince; the villa at Vignamaggio, birthplace of Monna Lisa Gherardini, a.k.a. the Mona Lisa; and the city of Pistoia, whence the Germans coined the term "pistol" for the "nasty dagger carried under every Pistoiese's cloak." Italians, too, have a word--villegiatura--to denote the wish of escape from the city to a hillside villa. Tuscany and Its Wines may not replace a summer in Siena, but it's a dandy travel brochure. --Tony Mason --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Hugh Johnson is acclaimed as the world's favourite wine writer. His rare talent for making the most complex subjects readable, with wit and humour, has led to a remarkable sequence of books. His first book and internationally bestselling Wine was published in 1966, and subsequent titles, including his annual Pocket Wine Book, The World Atlas of Wine and Wine Companion (both now in their fifth editions), Story of Wine, The Illustrated Story of Wine, The Art and Science of Wine, and How to Enjoy Your Wine, have established him as one of the subject's foremost writers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Mitchell Beazley (November 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845332059
• ISBN-13: 978-1845332051
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,738,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hugh Johnson is acclaimed as the world's favorite wine writer. Since his first book, Wine, appeared in 1966, he has been making the subject of wine approachable to all with his witty and humorous style. His other books include the bestseller "Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book." He is also President of The Sunday Times Wine Club. Jancis Robinson is internationally renowned for her witty, authoritative wine writing and her books Vines, Grapes and Wines, and Oxford Companion to Wine are among the most important in wine literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More photographs than in-depth information, March 28, 2001

By 

Vinophile "vinophile" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hugh Johnson's Tuscany and Its Wine (Hardcover)

There's no doubting Hugh Johnson's position as one of the leading wine writers (and appreciators) of our time. This book is a little misleading however, for it is not the in-depth exploration of the Italian wine explosion one expects from Johnson's past works. This book focuses more on Andy Katz' exceptional photographs of one of the lovliest wine regions of the world. Johnson's prose is an homage to Tuscany more than a technical exploration of just what has caused the stunning advances is the region's wine production over the past 20 years. Johnson gives insights into many fine properties, but if you're expecting an expansion on Johnson's encyclopedia of wine's Tuscan entry you will likely be disappointed. Think of it more as a heartfelt appreciation of Tuscan wine and culture -- it's almost poetic in its mesh of prose and photography.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book for the wine tourist, August 17, 2008

By 

Graeme Moore "Emearg" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hugh Johnson's Tuscany and Its Wine (Hardcover)

This book is a homage basically to the history, culture, landscapes, villages, people, cuisines, wines, vineyards and winemakers of the lovely Tuscan region of Italy. Taking these multi faceted subjects and winding his lovely prose with Andy Katz beautiful photography of the region , Hugh Johnson has created a splendid work.

The first 22 pages cover the history of wine and grape in the Tuscan region. The detail as fine as the scent, shape, size and blending of various grape to produce wines of higher quality and overcome certain flaws with certain varieties of grape have are prominant in this chapter. Its like a short synopsis of the wine making art of the region couple with a brief history of prominant names associated with wine in Tuscany followed by some lovely verse on the landscape, soils, weather etc thrown in.

Once past that opening chaper each Tuscan wine region is explored in a formula that takes the reader on a journey: First the landscape is poetically introduced, followed by descriptions of the leading wine making towns/villages of that region, where their history and architecture - with emphasis on the key restaurants, wineshops, lovely Villa's and churches etc unique to that area - feature prominantly in the prose before the history of the wine and vineyards for that area is covered.

Regions covered include: The Arno Valley, South of Florence (Chianti Country), Siena, The Tuscan Coast (Maremma).

The end chapters offer a selection of the quality Tuscan wines to be found in each region before the book rounds off with a description of the 16 grape varieties grown in the Tuscan region and the other places that grape is popularly grown in and around Italy.

The book is more a celebration of a major wine growing region than a discussion of individual wines in detail. The photography is absolutely gorgeous whether it be a photo of a bunch of grapes hanging from the vine or a panning shot of vineyards trailing down hills or a shot of a villa on a hill or piazza at night. The attention to detail is brilliant. The authors words are penned in a way that is both informative, lucid and absorbing.

All round a lovely book for the wine lover to own.