Book Report

[Innkeeper]

“Bacchus & Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar”, Jay McInerney. Vintage Books, 2002, $13, ISBN 0-375-71362-X. Some of you may recognize the author as a popular novelist. Seems he had also gotten very much into wine as most of us have, and in the social whirl of Big Apple society was offered a job as the wine editor of “House and Garden.” The food editor named Lora Zarubin who was to be his boss there was doubtful of his ability, and sent him out to California to visit with Helen Turley who would check him out. Somehow he passed muster with Turley, and the rest more or less is history. He remains a fan of Turley, which is one of things I agree with him on. Other than that gig and this book which is a compilation of those articles that is just about the sum of his work on the subject. Yet, Salon manages to conclude that he is: “…the best wine writer in America.”

I don’t agree with that by a long shot, but before you conclude that I’m going to trash the book in toto, let me quickly assure you that in sum I like it, though there is much I disagree with. There is not a lot of wine literature written by a novelist, and the readability is what I like best about the book. At points, his prose is magnificent. He writes about an experience with Jean-Luc Colombo of Cornas fame: “Tuesday, 8 AM. Jean-Luc stands on a rocky terrace above Les Ruchets vineyard, watching the sky, pacing back and forth with a cell phone clamped to his ear while some twenty-five harvesters, myself included, work the precipitous slope beneath his feet. Clinging to a gnarly grapevine, I dig the toes the toes of my sneakers into the granitic scree of the hillside, struggling for purchase. Far below is the grey ribbon the Rhone, stippled with silver. I’m not worried about the river. If I slip I’ll probably be impaled on the steeple of the neo-Gothic church in the village long before I reach the water.”

If that doesn’t do anything for you don’t read the book, because it was passages like that that kept me going. Most of his wine experiences were far about my pay grade, but he tells his stories in such a way that makes you identify with him. Among the things I agree with him on are his love for Bordeaux, Loire, and Rhone wines; matching petite sirah with steak au poivre, Barbera d’Alba with pizza, late harvest zinfandel with chocolate cake, and pinot noir with salmon. His devotion to Robert Parker Jr. and general acceptance of New World chardonnay are among the things that turn me off. There is a lot of good information about wine mixed in with all the words.

I know that other have had much harsher words to offer on this work, but the author leaves me with the idea that it is possible that he could drop by and enjoy my mesquite grilled burgers topped with aioli washed down with jugs of Staley’s Coat of Roan like I fixed for daughter and two of her wine drinking friends last night. Then again, I may be wrong about that.

[chittychattykathy]

How odd, my mom wanted to use a coupon at the local bookstore tonight for 20% off so we went and this was one of the books I picked up! The jacket quotes and the price were enough for me to figure "why not?" Can't wait to read it now!
Will let you know what I thought. Also picked up "Napa" a tabletop book of mainly photos, something I'd love to do here, and "Wine for Women" which makes me crazy because I've been working (very slowly) on a wine book for women for over two years now.

[wondersofwine]

Well, get ON with it CCK. I want to read YOUR book--especially about German wines!