Vineyard Tales: Reflections on Wine [Hardcover]

Gerald Asher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

A Napa Valley Cabernet, a French Burgundy, an Orvieto Classico shared among friends in the Umbrian hills-every wine has a story, and Gerald Asher tells it best. Asher, longtime wine editor of Gourmet magazine, has an unsurpassed knowledge of vineyards, wineries, and wines. He also has the refreshing ability to write about wine informatively and entertainingly, without technical jargon. Now in paperback, Asher's delightful Vineyard Tales evaluates wines from around the world-from secret sun-drenched vineyards on Crete to the celebrated Champagne houses of France-setting each wine in the context of a region's history and culture. In addition, Asher offers an expert's advice on decanting, tasting, and serving wine. Connoisseurs looking for greater insight, novices seeking an introduction, or readers who simply want to enjoy armchair travel to the world's finest vineyards, will find Vineyard Tales irresistible-and discover that along the way they have also learned a great deal about wine.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Raymond Chandler bristled at being called "one of the greatest mystery writers of all time"; he considered himself a good writer who just happened to write mysteries. Wine writing has its own system of pigeonholes--a grape ghetto, if you will--in which the reader is secondary and the tasting note is king. Happily, Vineyard Tales proves one thing: Gerald Asher is an excellent writer who just happens to write about wine--as well as the people and the land that shape it. In 29 essays, most of which have appeared in slightly altered form on the pages of Gourmet magazine, to which he contributes regularly as the wine editor, Asher demonstrates his gifts as researcher, historian, phrase turner, and storyteller. Like a master winemaker, Asher skillfully blends tannic opinion (anyone on the quixotic quest for the perfect food/wine pairing should find his piece "Wine and Food" the final word on the subject) with floral grace notes (his "Orvieto: Fair Lily of Umbria" is layered with romance worthy of subtitling on Bravo Network). He merges structure and backbone (he's the history teacher you wish you had, dropping tidbits like: in 1869, 42 percent of U.S. wine came from Missouri; in 18th century England, London merchants openly added Syrah to their Bordeaux--"Hermitaged" wines fetching a premium) with style and length on the finish (the punch line of "Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon" is pure O. Henry, while "Letter from Burgundy" contains observations such as, "Difficult wines improve with the years about as often as difficult people do").

As with any case lot, the occasional corkiness wafts off Vineyard Tales: no essays are dated, so references to "recent" vintages confuse, while accounts of Asher barrel-tasting vintages of wines now long gone lend a musty air to otherwise fresh writing. And if he can't completely shake the wine writer's tendency to "bottle drop" (in Asher's case, an 1899 Haut-Brion), he never abandons his audience. As Asher writes in his introduction, "In every glass of wine, I have found, is a story. In these pages I will tell you some of my favorites." Lovers of wine--or good writing that just happens to be about it--won't be disappointed. --Tony Mason --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Given the opportunity, anyone who enjoys wine will savor this book. Asher has devoted nearly a quarter of a century to his position as wine editor at Gourmet magazine, and he writes superbly, entertainingly, and with international scope about wineries and the vintners responsible for tending the grapes where fine wines are produced. This is no pedantic discourse, but, rather, intimate, appealing accounts of Asher's vineyard visits, including places that may not be well known to the average wine drinker as well as renowned wine-producing areas. Anecdotes often combine authoritative insights with outright enthusiasm for the simple pleasures even a modest wine can provide. There is much to be learned from Asher's expertise and even more to delight in among these spirited essays. Alice Joyce

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811812677
• ISBN-13: 978-0811812672
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding and informative for neophytes and professionals, November 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Vineyard Tales: Reflections on Wine (Hardcover)

Gerald Asher's book is approachable and a joy to read, yet reveals a glimpse of the scholarly depth of his knowledge of food and wine. It is not full of vintage charts, wine reviews, buying suggestions or other mundane (and otherwise ubiquitous) information; rather, it is a charming collection of experiences and history, of wine regions and their principal characters and vineyards. This book is a wonderful complement to anyone's food and wine book library - no matter how large or small.

Full disclosure: Gerald is a friend, and I can assure you that the previous reviewer's understanding that he is not stuffy or pretentious is absolutely accurate, and this fact comes out in the most natural way in the book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wine lover's treasure chest of short stories., March 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Vineyard Tales: Reflections on Wine (Hardcover)

I was prepared to find a dull book. So many wine books are that way. This is an entertaining collection of short stories about making wine, eating food, walking in the vineyards all over the world. It is a history of wine without being boring at all. I started reading it randomly and found that I forgot I read a particular story a few weeks ago because Asher tells such a good tale

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remembrance of Things Past: tales from wine tasting, April 26, 2001

By 

Jose E. Cavazos (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vineyard Tales -Reflections on Wine (Paperback)

This book is a collection of wine tales. Each of them could stand by itself as a refreshing piece to read. The virtue is that the collection of tales approach wines from the way we remember wines: time, ambience, location and a bit of history of the place. The writer lets you know what he likes and why he does! It is a perspective useful when you are able to find some of the wines that are discussed and taste them. If you know that the overwhelming taste of OAK is not a sign of aging potential, this book is for you!