Customer Reviews

Vintage France: Adventures Along the French Wine Route

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In the world of armchair travel it's always good to find new adventures beckoning. Vintage France is one of those, the account of a couple's love for France and especially for its wine culture and their exploration and growing knowledge of it. Tanner recounts the story of two visits to France, both focused on wine-growing regions, tasting and buying wines for pleasure and expanding the considerable knowledge of viticulture that he and his wife had already developed. They began in Reims and visited the cathedral there before beginning their wine-tasting. I've visited that cathedral, also as our first venture off the plane, and greatly appreciated Tanner's observations on what the ancient, deeply historic, now battered church expresses about France's history. They moved on to Epernay to begin the serious business of wine tasting, then on to Alsace for the night and the next day on toward their main goal, Burgundy where they would come to know both new wines and new friends. A surprising number of the people they met there were to become their close friends, from the guide who led their tour to the Cote de Nuits to many of the vineyard owners and workers and their families. Upon their return to France for another vacation, the Tanners reunited with the friends they'd made on their first trip and were honored to receive an invitation to a very formal dinner with the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin where they experienced amazing wines and foods including L'Escargot en Glace.
I learned about wines from this book, more about Corton, so hallowed a name that proximity to the site struck the author dumb, as well as much about others completely new to me. Jim and Liz Tanner spent time participating in harvesting the grapes as well as witnessing every other step in the process and certainly enjoying the fruition of it. Jim described incredible French cuisine, and through and around all this came the reality of France, the landscapes, castles, cathedrals, other monuments and natural beauties, the warmth of its people and the great pleasure of traveling there and experiencing L'Hexagon in person.

I don't know much about wine, but I know what I like when my wife and I add this to a fine dinner. And I don't know much about France and have never been there. But Jim Tanner makes both come alive in his vivid discriptions of the country and its people and the fine art of wine-making. There is also a taste of history, the fine arts, religion, and the joys of traveling in and to unknown places. He is an excellent writer, who paints word pictures with witt and charm. He should be hired by the Tourist Bureau of France.
By the time one puts this book down one wants to go there to see for oneself if all he says is true. And, if your wine supply is low, a trip to the wineshop is in order.
Glenn Martin

I met Jim Tanner several months before his book was published. He impressed me as an interesting person who seemed to have found a good balance in his life. Jim was friendly and gracious. No big ego or unrealistic expectations about life would hamper his ability to spot an opportunity. He mentioned rather casually that he had an experience traveling in Europe that transformed his life. Being full of very fond memories of my own recent trips to France and Italy, I asked him to, "say more." As he spoke, my jaw figuratively fell open and I was spell bound as he reminisced about several encounters in France. When I told him he ought to write a book, he admitted that he was finishing one at the urging of other friends.

None too soon I learned Jim's book was finished and available. I teasingly told him I'd buy a copy and wanted him to autograph it. A few days after the book arrived I thought I'd just glance through it. Frankly, I thought it couldn't possibly be as good as Frances Mayes' wonderful books on her Tuscany experiences, but Jim's quiet elegance I found to be superior. The book is lovely, gentle and beguiling. I eagerly recommend it to seasoned travelers, wine and food connoisseurs, or story lovers. But, even if you have never traveled far from home, don't know your Merlot from Budweiser, or only find your entertainment on a big screen, this book will offer very pleasant reading. I was transfixed.

This time, reading about his journey, it was my mind that fell open. I was opened to the wonderful images he put before me. Images of people, places, and relationships and feelings all were drawn in a way for even an experienced traveler to enjoy. The book tells a story about a life transforming experience. It starts with learning that a stranger has finally experienced something many people have experienced over the years. Aha, Jim made it to France! But, as you read more about Jim and Liz, you come to realize that he has shared this part of his life's journey with you. You witness the process. Jim learned something I did not and could not have known before. He found his France and willingly offered it to me. The sharing of the trip was complete; not just the places and events, but the heart of this unassuming man was offered to his new French friends, and to me. Through his trip abroad he found his home, and shared that process in this little book. It enabled me, years later, to appreciate my own journey to France in a new way. That is a gift for which I am grateful.

Betsy Marvin, JD
October 21, 2002

What makes VINTAGE FRANCE so unique is the author's ability to take you right into the pages of his book, making you feel like you are right there with him by his side. Mr. Tanner takes you with him on his travels through the countryside of France, tasting the wines along the way and introducing you to the incredibly gracious French people he has not only gotten to know, but love. From the descriptions of his explorations of the tiny wine villages, to the astonishing way his palate finds the incredible flavors of France, Tanner paints a picture of France that literally takes you there. The French people he and his wife encounter and befriend are so gracious you want to pack your bags and leave immediately for France. This is an extraordinary insight into the lives of two Americans who have traveled, and been embraced by, France. It is a unique opportunity not only to learn about the wines but to get to know the people of the regions they were visiting, especially Burgundy. VINTAGE FRANCE is nearly impossible to put down once you begin it. Planning a trip to the wine country of France with my husband, this book gave us such an insight into the land, the people and the great wines of France that we felt we had already been there - and already had friends there. This book was exactly what we needed to help us better understand the journey we were about to take.

Vintage France is the personal travelogue of James Tanner- a rare
breed- an adventurer who plans but leaves room for serendipity.
A good role model for anyone thinking of traveling in France or
almost anywhere in Europe. He shows that planning opens the
door to wonderful people and experiences and demonstrates the
politeness of travel as opposed to tourism. He also shows how to
take advantage of opportunity or complications as they develop.
Few travelers can know exactly what to expect, especially given
weather, small town calendars, transportation and communication
issues.

See the book review on the back cover of the book- it may be
copied here or a publisher's website. That review is accurate and
comprehensive.

Jim Tanner has reached two audiences.

The first is the future traveler who has yet to comprehend the
veracity of accounts of futilely looking for a location across
a small town (with a map and directions) and not finding it for
hours or having the small hotel owner surprise you with a basket
of bread, cheese and wine for your day trip into the country.

The second is the seasoned traveler who nods in knowing
appreciation about an account of scurrying across the countryside
wondering if the clock is motorized- how could a two hour lunch
result in such a loss of time ??? or of a winemaker sharing his
special reserve wine in the cellar. Most travelers confirm the
friendliness of the French either in Paris or in the countryside.
The key seems to be that expecting too much, too fast or visiting
during the peak vacation season invites harshness.

While we enviously look forward to Bordeaux and Burgundy travel
ourselves, experiences in Paris, Provence and Italy confirm the
tone and tenor of these stories. Rest assured these people,
friendships and experiences are not exaggerated. Firsthand
observations are quite different than media portrayals.

The structure and body of the book resemble several travelogues
and differ from classic storytelling. A combination of uneven
pace and eager digression seems common to these works and only
enhance the charm of the stories. Thankfully the author is
descriptive and has a broad overview as a basis for taking on
the rigors of writing. At the same time his naivete upon first
seeing some of the famous sites of Europe or winemaking is
common.

It would be easy to expand any one of the events of the book, but
that is typical of all travelogue writing.

Jim's enthusiasm and rapture are infectious. His thoughtfulness
and awareness of the situation often ease whatever diffuculty
could develop. Naturally, he reports there are times when he is
painfully unaware of something and is guided by his companions.

As food and wine cooking tour leaders in Europe, we are grateful
to Jim and recommed this book to our travel customers and all
other interested or future travelers. Bon Voyage.

Vintage France: Adventures Along The French Wine Route expresses delight in French cuisine, wines, and classic culture, with an exquisite eye for narrative detail. An excellent reading tour of the remarkable aspects of the wine culture of this proud, flavorful, and inviting nation from village vineyards to festivals, to simple hospitality.

I am an avid reader of anything related to France. A connoisseur of most everything French. So I had high expectations of this book to discuss French travel, culture and wine.

Unfortunately, the book ended up being a deeply personal narrative of a trip. It read most like a diary. This is something I definitely wished I had known before purchasing this book.

I had anticipated and hoped for a book which delved into wine and the true culture of France and instead ended up reading the story of this trip. And I know that each person has their own personal ideas behind what others may be thinking and what their actions indicate, but its clear that sometimes the writer sort of missed the mark.

This book is best placed in the biography section of a bookstore.

Overall, this very short book left me a bit wanting.

This is an unusual wine book. Unusual in the sense that it's neither full of facts, figures and tasting notes, nor is it one of those glossy coffee table books with little to add to the subject. Instead Tanner focuses on the spirit and the people behind the wine. His first encounter with rural France is shared with warmth and humour. This is not a book for label-collectors, this is a book for for those who believe that good wine should be accompanied by good food and good friends. Highly recommended.