First Big Crush: The Down and Dirty on Making Great Wine Down Under

by Eric Arnold

The story behind the bottle, "First Big Crush" is Eric Arnold's wild account of his year immersing himself in all things wine...and somehow not winding up in rehab.Never having held a meaningful job for very long (and getting fired from most of them), Eric Arnold heads to New Zealand -- to Allan Scott Wines -- seeking adventure and hoping to learn a little bit about wine. What could be better than working outside in the fresh air and drinking wine all day? Before he knows it, he is dirty, wet, cold, and at the mercy of a tank of wine that just might explode and take him with it. So begin Eric's adventures in the world of wine. He gets sunburned, sore, and drunk -- and then does it all over again the next day.

"First Big Crush" is a story that is as outrageous as it is compelling. Here are tales of first pressings, pruning, and tasting competitions. There are also rowdy nights at the local pub, girls, meat pies, girls, rugby, and tales of hunting wild pig. Along the way, each step of the winemaking process is explained in a way that humans can actually understand. Almost against his will, Eric becomes an expert.

Genres: Nonfiction, Wine

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

cool concept and some good info about wine but nearly ruined by some of the most obnoxious writing I’ve ever read

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good source of information about winemaking and a good story about a year in a winery and vineyard. It was full of interesting things to know about the production of wine from start to finish. The only problem was the crude comments the author felt it necessary to throw in. He seemed to need to establish himself with the reader as a raunchy young guy on an adventure. He also seemed to be on some sort of a formula--if three pages had gone by without a crude comment, it must be time for the next one. You would just about get comfortable with the story, then ZING! there was another one. Many were gratuitous and all were unnecessary. I could have done without them. Well, actually there's another problem: the cover has a picture of grapes being pressed by foot, the old-fashioned way. But the first thing you find out in the book is that they didn't do it that way in the winery where he worked--it was all mechanical, as it is mostly, but not entirely, these days. I think it set up an expectation that was not fulfilled.

[Malcolm Venter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads a bit like an FHM magazine from the 90s. Could have been an interesting story but ruined by the authors frequently misogynous tone and schoolboy humour.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book we get to laugh at Eric Arnold's gaffs and blunders as he stumbles through a year working at Allan Scott Winery in New Zealand. As much as the book is entertaining, it's incredibly interesting as well. There was so much I didn't know about wine and probably never would have learned if not for Eric giving us this funny and irreverent behind the scenes look at how things go from vine to bottle. Get the book to laugh at his NZ tales and along the way you're sure to pick up a ton of wine knowledge as well.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arnold does a great job of giving a real, not so glamorous, behind the scenes look at a winery from crush one year through harvest the next. For any wine-geek looking to get a look at what it might be like to own your own winery this is a must read. Arnold does a masterful job of mixing anecdotal and humorous (while somewhat juvenile) stories with nuts and bolts information regarding wine making on a large scale winery level. Overall, a very entertaining and insightful read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for anyone interested in getting to know the wine making process from root to bottle. Eric breaks down each step so anyone can understand and adds some humor along the way. He covers almost every aspect of making and enjoying wine, I particularly liked the insight of how wines are graded.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great, first hand glimpse into the tough work of making wine. Really informative about the process and entertaining too, but I just wish Arnold weren't such a frat boy. It would have been a better read without all the analogies to blow jobs.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading it was like a bad trip to a hypnotist, like in that movie Dead Again, when Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh see revisit their past lives and discover they might have killed each other way back when...but it'll probably be different for everyone else who reads it....

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for learning about making wine but not to learn how to make wine. Author has a good sense of humor that is inhanced if read while drinking wine.

Author also makes a concerted effort to make book accessible. No wine snobbery here.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting insight into the world of winemaking in NZ - more interesting since I live here and so know a lot of the wines - and Allan Scott has always been a favourite - but the jokes are very unfunny and get annoying.

[Sienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is laugh out loud funny, borderline crass at times, and witty. It is like a younger, edgier, fresher, backpacker version of SIDEWAYS. You don't need to be a wine expert to enjoy it. I am considering going to New Zealand because of this book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say, I loved it at the beginning, but it got a little boring toward the end. Very informative and fun new style!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Arnold spends a year doing odd jobs at a winery in New Zealand's Marlborough region and writing about the people and places he comes across in the process. An entertaining read.

[Ashley Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to learn about the process of winemaking and New Zealand wines. Arnold can be crass at times, but overall I liked his down to earth writing style.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

this cracked me up! a very accurate and humourous description of vintage.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new high in lows. I laughed, I cried, I hurled! If you don't feel drunk or diseased after reading it, you're doing it wrong.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

think author target audience is those that dabble between Maxim and the Economist, but so long as you don't take him too seriously, it's a fun read of the life cycle of grape to wine.

[Trent Emery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into who's who in the industry and understanding all the work that goes into enjoying a drop of wine.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned to never try and drink a kiwi under the table.

[Mark Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know about this Arnold guy. Kind of seems like a shady character.