Marco Pasanella's behind-the-scenes memoir through the world of wine will captivate wine lovers with its story of one man who decided, at age 43, to change his life by opening a wine shop.
As Kitchen Confidential and Waiter Rant explored the front and back of the house at restaurants, Uncorked offers a peek behind the curtain of the wine world.
Pasanella takes the reader into the underbelly of his store and the industry, which is steeped in history yet fanatical about technology and brimming with larger-than-life personalities.
Infused with rich details of his historic waterfront building in New York City and his sojourns to Tuscany, Pasanella's memoir is one of transformation through a project many fantasize about but few commit to. A colorful cast of characters rounds out this fascinating journey through the world of wine.
Uncorked: My Journey Through the Crazy World of Wine
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Shop wines from California, Washington, Oregon, New York and more; plus, find wines with a 90+ professional rating. Ship up to six bottles of your favorite wine for just $9.99. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Who would have guessed it? The wine world is just as crazy and full of intrigue as the restaurant scene. Uncorked knocks wine off its pedestal and yet elevates it at the same time. I’m more of a beer guy, but after reading Marco Pasanella’s book I suddenly have the urge to build a serious wine cellar. He takes wine out of the hands of oenological snobs—and pulls back the curtain of mystery surrounding the grape’s sublime elixir—and places it into the hands of the common man. This is a surprising, heartfelt, and entertaining book.”
—Steven Dublanica, author of the bestselling Waiter Rant
“Facing the East River, not far from the amazing Brooklyn Bridge, is one of New York’s most unique wine stores. Pasanella & Son is the charming and evocative brainchild of Marco Pasanella. Marco is extremely knowledgeable about wines: how they taste, how they are made, and how they are bottled. The story he tells in Uncorked is much more than what wine to pair with what, and everyone interested in enjoying an excellent glass of wine should read his book.”
—Martha Stewart
“In this memoir about family, love, wine, and Italy, Marco shares how he reinvented his life—from designer to wineshop owner—and discovered what’s really important. The book is filled with portraits of the wild and crazy characters you find in the food and wine business. It’s also filled with real wisdom. If you’ve ever thought about changing course and taking a big leap to follow your passion, then Uncorked is a must-read.”
—Rocco DiSpirito, author of Now Eat This!
This is a book that any wine lover should read. The stories of dealing with growers, winemakers, salespeople, employees, customers, bureaucrats and family are insightful, occasionally hilarious, and often heartfelt.” – WINE LINES ONLINE
—Steven Dublanica, author of the bestselling Waiter Rant
“Facing the East River, not far from the amazing Brooklyn Bridge, is one of New York’s most unique wine stores. Pasanella & Son is the charming and evocative brainchild of Marco Pasanella. Marco is extremely knowledgeable about wines: how they taste, how they are made, and how they are bottled. The story he tells in Uncorked is much more than what wine to pair with what, and everyone interested in enjoying an excellent glass of wine should read his book.”
—Martha Stewart
“In this memoir about family, love, wine, and Italy, Marco shares how he reinvented his life—from designer to wineshop owner—and discovered what’s really important. The book is filled with portraits of the wild and crazy characters you find in the food and wine business. It’s also filled with real wisdom. If you’ve ever thought about changing course and taking a big leap to follow your passion, then Uncorked is a must-read.”
—Rocco DiSpirito, author of Now Eat This!
This is a book that any wine lover should read. The stories of dealing with growers, winemakers, salespeople, employees, customers, bureaucrats and family are insightful, occasionally hilarious, and often heartfelt.” – WINE LINES ONLINE
About the Author
MARCO PASANELLA is the proprietor of Pasanella and Son Vintners, which opened in the South Street Seaport area of Manhattan in 2005. The shop has been included in top-ten lists in New York magazine and The Village Voice, and has received praise in Food & Wine, Elle, and Blueprint.
Previously, Pasanella designed hotels, including the Maritime in New York, and his furniture and houseware designs are on display at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
A graduate of Yale, he taught for 13 years at the Parsons School of Design. He has been featured in and has written for numerous publications, including Esquire, GQ, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warning - Reading this book will make you hungry and thirsty (and nostalgic for your past)!
April 17, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Wow! What a journey and what a fun read! I was horrifed and yet read with admiration as the financial and personal peril this couple put themselves thru to pursue a dream of a wine shop unfolded. I felt like I was a friend of the family by the end and that somehow I had personally shared in their adventure.
Great tips on wine, food, personal discovery, dealing with all sorts of people and "going broke" for your dream. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys wine, food, or is thinking of a life change that is full of risk.
Great tips on wine, food, personal discovery, dealing with all sorts of people and "going broke" for your dream. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys wine, food, or is thinking of a life change that is full of risk.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Because the copy of the book I was sent, is an uncorrected proof edition, and has 'Please do not quote for publication without checking against the final book', which isn't due out until late May, its really hard to say much about the book, with quotes.
If the final edition is like this copy, I can highly recommend it. Love the tone of the book, from how he was exposed to wine in Italy, and how he and his wife came to have a wine shop. When I read of his Fathers death I actually cried. When I read of the meals with wine served I smiled and felt in some way as if I were there in some way.
Am very pleased with the recipes he has included when writing about certain topics. These are not average, boring, or even complicated recipes. A few we have tried, were a great success.
If the final edition is like this copy, I can highly recommend it. Love the tone of the book, from how he was exposed to wine in Italy, and how he and his wife came to have a wine shop. When I read of his Fathers death I actually cried. When I read of the meals with wine served I smiled and felt in some way as if I were there in some way.
Am very pleased with the recipes he has included when writing about certain topics. These are not average, boring, or even complicated recipes. A few we have tried, were a great success.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
At forty-three years old, Marco Pasanella a Yale graduate with a successful career as a designer, and teacher for thirteen years at the famous Parsons School of Design, gave it all up to open a wine shop.
It was a good time to buy a five story dilapidated building in the South Street Seaport area in Manhattan. He had a renter- a fish market. Pasanella figured he could continue renting to them while he fixed the building to rent out to a few other tenants as well and live on one floor when the fishmonger up and left. After two months of attempting to get a business to rent the main floor he finally found one- trouble was it was himself.
He decided to start a wine shop with no knowledge of the business.
Pasanella takes you with him as he discovers the trial of hiring a competent wine expert to work the store, the arduous ordeal of getting a liquor license in New York City, the many tiered system of buying wine for a shop.
Attempting to stay up on all the new organic, green and biodynamic wines is a mystery and a challenge, "It was hard to keep an open mind when he started detailing the making of chamomile sausages out of cows' intestines and their burial at the fall equinox until they have amassed the proper etheric and astral forces, at which point the goop is disinterred. Likewise, I had to turn away when he described lovingly packing ripe cow dung into a female cow's horns to make a potion that would fertilize the whole field. Yarrow plant stuffed into deer's bladder, dandelions stuffed into bovine peritoneum, and oak bark stuffed more ominously into the skull of a domesticated animal rounded out this menu of entrails farci." In the end, Pasanella says that biodynamic has become shorthand for "I care more."
I don't hand off many books to my husband to read also, but this one I did- he loved it.
Pasanella weaves a fascinating story from start up to successful wine shop.
It was a good time to buy a five story dilapidated building in the South Street Seaport area in Manhattan. He had a renter- a fish market. Pasanella figured he could continue renting to them while he fixed the building to rent out to a few other tenants as well and live on one floor when the fishmonger up and left. After two months of attempting to get a business to rent the main floor he finally found one- trouble was it was himself.
He decided to start a wine shop with no knowledge of the business.
Pasanella takes you with him as he discovers the trial of hiring a competent wine expert to work the store, the arduous ordeal of getting a liquor license in New York City, the many tiered system of buying wine for a shop.
Attempting to stay up on all the new organic, green and biodynamic wines is a mystery and a challenge, "It was hard to keep an open mind when he started detailing the making of chamomile sausages out of cows' intestines and their burial at the fall equinox until they have amassed the proper etheric and astral forces, at which point the goop is disinterred. Likewise, I had to turn away when he described lovingly packing ripe cow dung into a female cow's horns to make a potion that would fertilize the whole field. Yarrow plant stuffed into deer's bladder, dandelions stuffed into bovine peritoneum, and oak bark stuffed more ominously into the skull of a domesticated animal rounded out this menu of entrails farci." In the end, Pasanella says that biodynamic has become shorthand for "I care more."
I don't hand off many books to my husband to read also, but this one I did- he loved it.
Pasanella weaves a fascinating story from start up to successful wine shop.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hmmm. I've heard this story before...
If you're into stories of people leaving their careers and staring a new one, you'll like this book. I live in wine country and I've heard it all. Read more
Published 10 days ago by S. Peterson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Could have been a lot better
I enjoyed this book, which is the tale of a man and his wife deciding to do complete 180's with their lives, abandoning their previous professions to live out their dream of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Melissa Niksic
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and fascinating
"Uncorked" recounts how its author decided to risk everything at age 43 to open a wineshop. Granted, the man is a Yale graduate and professor at the prestigious Parsons School of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by esanta
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bravo Mr Pasanella
A truly motivational tale about leaving your "real" world behind and doing something you love. Oh to have such courage. Bravo Mr Pasanella.
Published 1 month ago by DG
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun read for wine fans
It ends up being as much about starting and struggling to start a small business, but there are many nuggets - especially about Italian wines given the authors heritage.
Published 2 months ago by Scott McA
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed
The world of wine is often clouded by an air of mystique, a feeling of exclusivity and the presence of many virtual question marks due to the plain uncertainty of it all. Read more
Published 3 months ago by I. Darren
3.0 out of 5 stars
A for Effort; C for Execution
I wanted to love this book. There are all sorts of passages that contain beautiful imagery that feel like you are living in the moment with the author. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tethys
4.0 out of 5 stars
Successes and Setbacks of a New Life Venture
This is an honest, amusing and sometimes uncomfortable tale of a couple who drastically alter their lives to achieve the dream of being wine merchants. Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. Wussow
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but not Great
Some parts of the story, particularly the long passages about business issues and an employee who had a drinking and attention deficit issue, are not unique to the world of wine. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mark Olson
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Wine World May Be Crazy But Marco Pasanella is Not
This review was originally published on 205Food.com
The wine world may be crazy, but Marco Pasanella is not. Read more
The wine world may be crazy, but Marco Pasanella is not. Read more
Published 5 months ago by DPHBrooklyn
