Varietal Tendencies: The Crush Chronicles [Paperback]

Michael J. Caldwell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Crush | Publication Date: December 26, 1997

Multi-generational winemaking saga spanning World War II to present day, featuring Nazi plunder, San Francisco during the 60's and modern day Pinot Noir production in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Jack Miller is a young Oregon winemaker whose grandfather Henry, the most famous winemaker in California, has a shaman-like way of assigning uncannily appropriate varietal totems to family members at birth: Jack's father Anthony, for example--shy, meticulous, cool and complicated--is Pinot Noir, and Jack's sister Sunflower, with her charming personality and blond and copper-colored hair, is Pinot Gris. At the outset of the story, Aunt Cherise (syrah) has committed suicide, leaving Jack thousands of acres in the Yakima Valley. Unbeknownst to the family, it's planted in lucrative Bordeaux varietals and the (fictional) Washington Wine Guild has sent a lawyer to make sure that Jack renews the lease. The sub-story is told by Jack at a winemakers dinner tonight in Eugene, Oregon, involving flashbacks to Henry's reconnaissance missions in World War II to recover wine stolen by the Nazis hidden in Italy, and his fathers accidental acid trip at a Grateful Dead concert in the 60's where he's counseled by an imaginary dancing bear to move to Oregon and make Pinot Noir to achieve the perfect balance of acid and sugar. Wine lovers will read this odyssey quickly and share the story with others over their next great bottle of wine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Caldwell has a gift for creating unique characters in absorbing situations and his off-the-wall observations about wine are original and thought-provoking. The book is filled with winemaking lore and there's even a cooking section and glossary in the back filled with recipes from the dinner scenes featured throughout the text. -- The Sunday Oregonian

If you're a fan of Oregon wine, you'll get a kick out of Michael J. Caldwell's novel, Varietal Tendencies. It is a war story, love story, winemaking saga, and antic meditation on the metaphysical characteristics of winegrape varietals. It spans three generations of a winemaking family, from Italy during WWII to Sonoma in the Sixties to present day Eugene, Oregon. -- Oregon Wine Magazine

The world of Michael J. Caldwell's first novel is populated by characters who come from supportive, close-knit families, find the perfect mates, play baseball, and think about everything in terms of wine--not a place we're familiar with, but it sure sounds good. Jack Miller is a young Oregon winemaker whose grandfather Henry, a famous California vintner, has a shaman-like way of assigning uncannily appropriate varietal totems to family members: Jack's father Anthony, for example--shy, meticulous, cool and complicated--is pinot noir, and Jack's sister Sunflower, with her charming personality and blond and copper-colored hair, is pinot gris. At the outset of the story, Aunt Cherise has commited suicide, leaving Jack a thousand acres in the Yakima Valley. Unbeknownst to the family, it's planted in lucrative Bordeaux varietals, and the (fictional) Washington Wine Guild has sent a lawyer to make sure that renews its lease.

Woven into the narrative are flashbacks to Henry's wartime service in Italy and to the San Francisco acid trip during which Anthony is counseled to move to Oregon by a fuzzy yellow bear: love at first is a recurrent theme, and from early on there's little doubt about the happy ending...Couched in Caldwell's novel are the basics of wine and winemaking. If you can't bring yourself to slog through the excuciating prose of the average beginning wine book, Varietal Tendencies is a good alternative, presenting the same information in much more entertaining fashion...it's gutsy, honest and well-informed. If Caldwell approaches grapes with the same kind of enthusiasm and integrity he brings to writing, he probably makes a good bottle of wine. -- Willamette Week

About the Author

Former commercial Oregon winemaker and restaurateur living in Hood River, Oregon. Currently operating two restaurants.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Tannin Ink Press (December 26, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966148606
• ISBN-13: 978-0966148602
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,639,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Combination: Wine, Food and Love, July 16, 2000

By 

Paige - See all my reviews

This review is from: Varietal Tendencies: The Crush Chronicles (Paperback)

Michael J. Caldwell has written a very entertaining first novel. Not only does he introduce us to the art of wine and food without the snobbery, he entwines this education with the tale of a 3-generation winemaking family that we can actually care about. We are invited into their lives, we dine with them and we get to know their "varietal totems." I especially enjoyed the shift to points in time that shaped the future of the family. Grapes are on the vine and love is in the air. There's a little something in it for all you beer lovers too. So kick back and enjoy this book with a glass of your favorite red or homebrew. Salud!