Working with Bacchus: Adventures of an Impassioned Scot in an Italian Vineyard (Mitchell Beazley Drink S.) [Hardcover]

Colin Fraser (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mitchell Beazley Drink S. | Publication Date: July 28, 2006

From British writer Colin Fraser comes his own inspiring, beautifully written true story about winemaking in Italy. Fraser found and purchased a piece of abandoned land with a derelict house in the beautiful Sabine Hills northeast of Rome. He transformed it into a successful property, planting a vineyard and learning (already in middle age) to create respectable wines in a part of Italy that had never produced any before. Fraser describes growing grapes and making wine, the frustrations of operating under the Italian bureaucracy and its legislation, peasant conservatism, and his struggle to introduce more modern ways into the winemaking process.
 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Colin Fraser is the critically acclaimed author of a number of books, including The Avalanche Enigma (John Murray, 1967), revised and republished as Avalanches and Snow Safety (John Murray, 1972); Harry Ferguson - Pioneer and Inventor (John Murray, 1972, Ohio University Press, US 1972, republished Old Pond, UK, 1998), and Communicating for Development - Human Change for Survival (I.B. Tauris, 1998).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: MITCH (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845330927
• ISBN-13: 978-1845330927
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,946,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventures in Italian Winemaking, September 21, 2006

By 

Keith E. Webb "Cross-Cultural Leadership Coac... (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Working with Bacchus: Adventures of an Impassioned Scot in an Italian Vineyard (Mitchell Beazley Drink S.) (Hardcover)

Colin Fraser, consultant in Rome, buys a derelict property in the hills outside Rome and plants a vineyard that he intends to produce fine wine from. It's Italy, it's easy you say? Except, Fraser is holding down a full-time job, knows little about viticulture, the area he bought his land in is known for terrible wine, it's too high, and the Italian regulations are too thick. That's what makes this story a wine adventure!

I was inspired by Fraser's perseverance in learning through books and meeting with anyone who would talk with him. He educated himself as he proceeded to establish his vineyard and then his winery. The story is filled with wonderful cultural stories that bring texture to the Italian people.

For those with a secret, or not so secret, desire to get away from it all and grow grapes and produce fine wine, this book is for you.

Salute!

5.0 out of 5 stars Sit down with a glass of wine and enjoy., September 16, 2005

By 

S. P. Harper (Cheltenham, UK.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Working with Bacchus: Adventures of an Impassioned Scot in an Italian Vineyard (Mitchell Beazley Drink S.) (Hardcover)

For those who dream of getting away from it all and starting a new life, here is an inspirational true story. If you love wine you will find it fascinating what goes into your favourite tipple. If you do not quite have the courage to start a new life then perhaps settle for reading this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars The joys and trials of turning an abandoned piece of Italian real estate into a successful vineyard, September 4, 2005

By 

John C. Balan (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Working with Bacchus: Adventures of an Impassioned Scot in an Italian Vineyard (Mitchell Beazley Drink S.) (Hardcover)

Imagine an Italy loving Scot purchasing 18 acres in an unlikely location there and turning this into a vineyard producing fine wine. Fraser documents with great personal feeling the joys and trials he went through to accomplish this feat. His sympathy for Italy, all his Italian collaborators, and even for the Italian bureaucracy, are sensitively described. Not only a very amusing story, but also a textbook on viticulture and wine making.