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Wine Reads: A Literary Anthology of Wine Writing
In this richly literary anthology, Jay McInerney--bestselling novelist and acclaimed wine columnist for Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, and House and Garden--selects over twenty pieces of memorable fiction and nonfiction about the making, selling, and of course, drinking of fine wine. Including excerpts from novels, short fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction, Wine Reads features big names in the trade and literary heavyweights alike. We follow Kermit Lynch to the Northern Rh�ne in a chapter from his classic Adventures on the Wine Route. In an excerpt from Between Meals, long-time New Yorker writer A. J. Liebling raises feeding and imbibing on a budget in Paris into something of an art form--and discovers a very good ros� from just west of the Rhone. Michael Dibdin's fictional Venetian detective Aurelio Zen gets a lesson in Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello vintages from an eccentric celebrity. In real life, and over half a century ago, Jewish-Czech writer and gourmet Joseph Wechsberg visits the medieval Ch�teau d'Yquem to sample different years of the "roi des vins" alongside a French connoisseur who had his first taste of wine at age four.
Also showcasing an iconic scene from Rex Pickett's Sideways and work by Jancis Robinson, Benjamin Wallace, and McInerney himself, this is an essential volume for any disciple of Bacchus.
Also showcasing an iconic scene from Rex Pickett's Sideways and work by Jancis Robinson, Benjamin Wallace, and McInerney himself, this is an essential volume for any disciple of Bacchus.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2018
32 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Jay McInerney
69 books1,096 followersJohn Barrett McInerney Jr. is an American writer. His novels include Bright Lights, Big City, Ransom, Story of My Life, Brightness Falls, and The Last of the Savages. He edited The Penguin Book of New American Voices, wrote the screenplay for the 1988 film adaptation of Bright Lights, Big City, and co-wrote the screenplay for the television film Gia, which starred Angelina Jolie. He is the wine columnist for House & Garden magazine, and his essays on wine have been collected in Bacchus & Me (2000) and A Hedonist in the Cellar (2006). His most recent novel is titled The Good Life, published in 2006.
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August 5, 2019What a clever idea to amass an anthology of these various "wine reads." Here is a collection for true wine connoisseurs and novices alike, because each selection not only highlights the wine itself - so the reader gets mini wine lessons - but highlights the lives that we live around the wine pastimes we love. An excellent gift idea for wine lovers and readers both!
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May 15, 2023
A wine nerds dream anthology
July 3, 2019
WINE READS is such a creative idea for a book! Written by Jay McInerney, bestselling novelist and wine columnist for Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, and House and Garden, it features more than 20 fiction and nonfiction pieces about wine making, selling and drinking. Drawn from novels, memoirs, short fiction, and narrative nonfiction by literary and wine industry stars alike. Highly recommended for those who appreciate fine wine and fine writing!
Pub Date 13 Nov 2018
Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#WineReads #NetGalley
Pub Date 13 Nov 2018
Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#WineReads #NetGalley
April 2, 2019
A fairly entertaining book. But one certainly needs to be a fan of wine in order to glean much enjoyment from the book (which is probably the initial intention of the editor). Several pieces of fiction, several memoir-style contributions, and a few historical info pieces. The selections containing humorous anecdotes are my personal favorites, with the single exception of Roald Dahl's short story "Taste." (I first read "Taste" when I was a teenager, being a Dahl fan, and loved the story's twisted humor at the time even though I'd then never even tried wine. I'd highly recommend that story to anyone with a "taste" for that kind of humor). Overall, a good read, but probably not one for the casual reader who doesn't have an existing love of the subject.
October 7, 2018
You have to have a pretty inquisitive tongue to pick up a book like Wine Reads – it’s in the old form of “literary” anthology, which means in addition to the slightly boring cover art, at first read, indeed the introduction with quotes from Socrates and Plato, one might think the collection itself well, boring. Fortunately, the introduction is a tease and the anthology itself a true wine lover’s companion, outside a glass of wine, obviously.
McInerney, a well-known novelist in his own right and prolific wine connoisseur of many years, has assembled some of the best known and loved wine stories – from Roald Dahl’s short story “Taste” (a bet on wine vintages gets out of hand) to an excerpt from Bianca Bosker’s 2017 debut Corkdork (this one focusing on the secret tasting groups preparing for the Master Sommelier Exam), a piece from Kermit Lynch’s memoir Adventures on the Wine Route, and even a scene from Rex Pickett’s Sideways, which was ultimately turned into a popular movie of the same name.
In the ‘great wine stories’ canon, McInerney includes New York and Vanity Fair editor Benjamin Wallace, who chronicles Bill Sokolin’s great bottle debacle in “A Pleasant Stain, But Not a Great One” – Sokolin, a small-time wine merchant, made headlines in 1986 (and indeed, all the way into his obituary) for breaking a 1787 Margaux – then claimed to have been once owned by Thomas Jefferson, and which had been trying to sell for some $500k. And later, Esquire editor Maximillian Potter waxes clandestine in “The Assassin in the Vineyard” – another true story of the 2010 plot to poison the vineyards of legendary Domaine Romanee-Conti on the Cote d'Or. Both stories are rich with intrigue and entertaining for wine lovers and anyone who loves a good mystery.
Popular food and wine writers like Bill Buford, Stephanie Danler, M.F.K. Fisher and New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov are also present. Asimov’s “The Importance of Being Humble” breaks down the social anxiety people feel toward wine as well as the industry that created it. “For ordinary people who may yearn to experience the pleasures that wine has to offer, the idea that one must engaged in and master these rituals before one can enjoy wine contributes greatly to the anxiety that so many feel,” he writes.
Other favorites include pieces from famed wine importer Kermit Lynch whose Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France remains a classic some 30 years after publication and who delivers in “Northern Rhône” both a travelogue of tasting as well as commentary on disappearing traditions and the modernity of contemporary winemaking. “In stainless steel, the wine remains more anonymous. It does not reflect the originality of the appellation, by which I mean those characteristics that Hermitage Hermitage,” he says. “I say if you are going to pay the price for an Hermitage it might as well smell like Hermitage.”
Elin McCoy’s “The 1982 Bordeaux” is the seminal piece on the rise of Robert Parker, the self-professed “most trusted authority on wine” and originator of the 100-point scale, and how his positive and somewhat lonely prediction of the 1982 Bordeaux proved so successful “the Bordelais began to call the 1982 the American vintage.”
Ultimately, as Eric Asimov points out, “You get no points in life for caring about wine or food. If whatever you pick up in the supermarket on the way home does the trick for you, that’s fine.” The benefit to keeping this collection is not simply as entertaining stories of wine, though that is likely its main goal – but also as resource, as a reminder of the history, traditions and art from which all wine, good and bad evolves.
[Note: I received an ebook copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.]
McInerney, a well-known novelist in his own right and prolific wine connoisseur of many years, has assembled some of the best known and loved wine stories – from Roald Dahl’s short story “Taste” (a bet on wine vintages gets out of hand) to an excerpt from Bianca Bosker’s 2017 debut Corkdork (this one focusing on the secret tasting groups preparing for the Master Sommelier Exam), a piece from Kermit Lynch’s memoir Adventures on the Wine Route, and even a scene from Rex Pickett’s Sideways, which was ultimately turned into a popular movie of the same name.
In the ‘great wine stories’ canon, McInerney includes New York and Vanity Fair editor Benjamin Wallace, who chronicles Bill Sokolin’s great bottle debacle in “A Pleasant Stain, But Not a Great One” – Sokolin, a small-time wine merchant, made headlines in 1986 (and indeed, all the way into his obituary) for breaking a 1787 Margaux – then claimed to have been once owned by Thomas Jefferson, and which had been trying to sell for some $500k. And later, Esquire editor Maximillian Potter waxes clandestine in “The Assassin in the Vineyard” – another true story of the 2010 plot to poison the vineyards of legendary Domaine Romanee-Conti on the Cote d'Or. Both stories are rich with intrigue and entertaining for wine lovers and anyone who loves a good mystery.
Popular food and wine writers like Bill Buford, Stephanie Danler, M.F.K. Fisher and New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov are also present. Asimov’s “The Importance of Being Humble” breaks down the social anxiety people feel toward wine as well as the industry that created it. “For ordinary people who may yearn to experience the pleasures that wine has to offer, the idea that one must engaged in and master these rituals before one can enjoy wine contributes greatly to the anxiety that so many feel,” he writes.
Other favorites include pieces from famed wine importer Kermit Lynch whose Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France remains a classic some 30 years after publication and who delivers in “Northern Rhône” both a travelogue of tasting as well as commentary on disappearing traditions and the modernity of contemporary winemaking. “In stainless steel, the wine remains more anonymous. It does not reflect the originality of the appellation, by which I mean those characteristics that Hermitage Hermitage,” he says. “I say if you are going to pay the price for an Hermitage it might as well smell like Hermitage.”
Elin McCoy’s “The 1982 Bordeaux” is the seminal piece on the rise of Robert Parker, the self-professed “most trusted authority on wine” and originator of the 100-point scale, and how his positive and somewhat lonely prediction of the 1982 Bordeaux proved so successful “the Bordelais began to call the 1982 the American vintage.”
Ultimately, as Eric Asimov points out, “You get no points in life for caring about wine or food. If whatever you pick up in the supermarket on the way home does the trick for you, that’s fine.” The benefit to keeping this collection is not simply as entertaining stories of wine, though that is likely its main goal – but also as resource, as a reminder of the history, traditions and art from which all wine, good and bad evolves.
[Note: I received an ebook copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.]
October 18, 2019
It turns out that I had already read the original writings to about half of this collection but did not bother to check that before I bought the book at Powell’s Bookstore on a recent trip to Portland. No matter. Reading them again was a great reminder of how much I enjoyed them the first time. I was also introduced to a couple of new writers and will now seek out those books.
I love McInerney’s own writing and his effort here at collecting a good cross section of wine writing is commendable. Taste, by Roald Dahl, a mid century piece about a bet over wine gone very wrong, was a fantastic start and set the tone and Terry Theise’s essay, Remistifying Wine, which is a modern day plea to quit trying to make wine easy for people, was a great way to end the book. Revisiting Elin McCoy, Bill Buford, Bianca Bosker, Roger Scruton, Jancis (she of one name), Rex Pickett, Matt Kramer, and the Kladstrups, among many others makes for a really great anthology.
Wine is not just for drinking. It’s also for considering.
I love McInerney’s own writing and his effort here at collecting a good cross section of wine writing is commendable. Taste, by Roald Dahl, a mid century piece about a bet over wine gone very wrong, was a fantastic start and set the tone and Terry Theise’s essay, Remistifying Wine, which is a modern day plea to quit trying to make wine easy for people, was a great way to end the book. Revisiting Elin McCoy, Bill Buford, Bianca Bosker, Roger Scruton, Jancis (she of one name), Rex Pickett, Matt Kramer, and the Kladstrups, among many others makes for a really great anthology.
Wine is not just for drinking. It’s also for considering.
November 25, 2018
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for free in exchange for an honest review.
I mostly loved the selections in this anthology. Even the selections that I liked least, were worth reading.
I learned a lot about wine and confirmed what I had already suspected - wine, whether reading about it, writing about it, or tasting it can become an all-consuming pass time. I may never join the ranks of true oenophiles, but after enjoying the selections in Wine Reads, I can more confidently order a glass of wine and have something interesting to say about it. I am also excited to expand my horizons and drink wines from more countries.
I would definitely recommend Wine Reads for anyone who has even a casual interest in wine and wine culture.
I mostly loved the selections in this anthology. Even the selections that I liked least, were worth reading.
I learned a lot about wine and confirmed what I had already suspected - wine, whether reading about it, writing about it, or tasting it can become an all-consuming pass time. I may never join the ranks of true oenophiles, but after enjoying the selections in Wine Reads, I can more confidently order a glass of wine and have something interesting to say about it. I am also excited to expand my horizons and drink wines from more countries.
I would definitely recommend Wine Reads for anyone who has even a casual interest in wine and wine culture.
August 17, 2018
I'm not a wine drinker per se, but am intrigued by the drink and those who enjoy it. So, naturally, I was drawn to this book! I love these snippets of stories about wine. Short stories are great, in my opinion, for when one needs to fill a short period of time- but it should be filled with stories worth reading. And in this case, could lead to actually reading the stories , books, articles the snippets are from! Anyway, I am enjoying the stories, savoring them, so to speak! I may not finish this book for a long while, but I do enjoy browsing and reading bits here and there! Great book!
I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
May 7, 2019
What I wanted this to do was educate me through essays and stories so that I would be able to make more informed choices when buying wine. More like what SALT FAT ACID HEAT has done for the way I cook. This book is would be better appreciated by those with an above average knowledge of of wine according to region and how the grapes are grown. The Road Dahl story at the beginning is great, though.
This is one of three books I've been reading at the same time, which I don't often do. And all three of these books are nonfiction, which I don't often read.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading for fun, again.
This is one of three books I've been reading at the same time, which I don't often do. And all three of these books are nonfiction, which I don't often read.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading for fun, again.
January 9, 2022
Really enjoyed this literary focus on wine. Each chapter is an extract from another book or wine writing that covers wine adventures. Some of the chapters are from fictional books some are from non fiction books but all are enjoyable. If you love wine you will love the book and drink in all the beautiful wine stories.
February 10, 2023
A great overview of wine writing. If you’re not a wine expert, some is very hard to get through- strong opinions on what is essentially personal preference and highlights from cultures of snobbish wine growers and wine buyer bros. I learned a lot about wine, and also rolled my eyes a lot.
May 9, 2021
Quite enjoyable and educational.
I highly recommend.
I highly recommend.
January 18, 2022
A fun mixed bag of literary essays and excerpts on wine, which is a truly inspirational human invention.
January 3, 2024
Interesting wine related stories.
August 6, 2025
Good read for anyone interested in wine or the art of writing about food and wine.
August 12, 2019
Another book I picked up off the new books shelf at the library, I really didn't have any idea what to expect.
Some of the essays' were great - I will admit that I tended to like the excerpts from novels and short stories - but others were a fascinating glimpse into (sometimes secret) world of wine tasting and judging.
If you like wine, this may be up your ally!
Some of the essays' were great - I will admit that I tended to like the excerpts from novels and short stories - but others were a fascinating glimpse into (sometimes secret) world of wine tasting and judging.
If you like wine, this may be up your ally!
Read
April 1, 2022Skipped quite a few excerpts because I'd read them in their longer form already (Bosker, Taber, Lynch).
August 17, 2018
A collection of short stories and essays where wine has THE starring role. We have a combo of fiction, non-fiction and lots of wine and food references throughout. One of the names/stories that attracted me was Kermit Lynch. I don’t think we have ever had a wine with Kermit Lynch’s name attached that we didn’t like. The book Adventures on the Wine Route was fairly recently acquired so seeing it in this compendium was a bonus.
Remember the movie Sideways? It’s not an academy award winner but if you’d like to see a movie which revolves around wine, this is one, but I have not read the book. that book is referenced here as well. Books like this let me live vicariously with the details about good food and wine. Fun read.
This author has written other books about wine, one I liked was Bacchus and Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar.
More about Jay McInerney
Much Thanks to Netgalley for this book. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for the review.
Remember the movie Sideways? It’s not an academy award winner but if you’d like to see a movie which revolves around wine, this is one, but I have not read the book. that book is referenced here as well. Books like this let me live vicariously with the details about good food and wine. Fun read.
This author has written other books about wine, one I liked was Bacchus and Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar.
More about Jay McInerney
Much Thanks to Netgalley for this book. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for the review.
August 27, 2018
An interesting collection of review and essays from the most famous American wine columnists. This is a nook travel around the globe were the tastes and the aromas linger on the pages of the book. Sublime!
October 26, 2018
I'm not much of a wine drinker but I grew up in Piedmont where wine making is tradition.
It's a fascinating literary excursus on wine, wine making and drinking.
I loved everything in this book and found it both informative and entrhalling.
It's must read if you love wine and can be appreciated by everyone for its wonderful literary pieces.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this ARC
It's a fascinating literary excursus on wine, wine making and drinking.
I loved everything in this book and found it both informative and entrhalling.
It's must read if you love wine and can be appreciated by everyone for its wonderful literary pieces.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this ARC
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews