Wine Outlook

The fourth round-up post of the Wine Book Club will not be a long one, and for that, I can’t help feeling a little guilty. Since, I had to switch blogs midstream and was rather depressed over the circumstances at the time, I didn’t promote WBC 4 as much as I could/should have. It is what it is, though, and I will do my best to pass along the reviews of Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover by Jancis Robinson.

The blogger who created this project— Dr. Debs from Good Wine Under $20— seemed to enjoy the read as much as I did, having wanted to take it off the shelf for some time now. My choice gave her the impetus she needed. She found herself drawn to the writing style and “was quickly caught up in the story of how she developed from a wine novice to a wine expert.” Dr. Debs was struck, as I was, at how Jancis is very clear about the subjectivity of taste (whether it be our own palates, the time the bottle is consumed, or the food and company which tag along) and “her humility concerning what she still doesn’t know about wine.” That is why Jancis doesn’t beleive in assigning scores, which I think is refreshing to wine bloggers jaded by an onslaught of numbers.

Dr. Debs also appreciate the interesting and amusing glimpses we get into the wine world and says that by the finish, “it is almost impossible not to like her enormously and respect her deeply” for what she has accomplished as a woman in the business, and I’d say–in general. Though I think Deb hits the proverbial nail when she notes, “it is where Robinson talks about writing about wine that she is at her absolute best in what is a marvelous all-around book” and the very reason I chose it.

Kori from Wine Peeps could relate to Jancis’s belief in tasting blind as much as possible and also in the fact that wine should be enjoyed without costing an arm and possibly a leg. Kori points out that “Her philosophy dovetails nicely with our philosophy here at Wine Peeps: We believe that it is not good enough just to find good wine but to find good wine at a fair price.” She also points out one of my favorite lines, as well: I don’t want to manage my cellar. I want to drink it. A lovely sentiment indeed.
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Wine Book Club, Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover

Welcome to the 4th installment of the Wine Book Club, created by the prolific and profound Dr. Debs, as an extension of Wine Blogging Wednesday, itself an invention of Lenn Thompson— a pioneer in wine blogging.

The first time I read Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover, and the reason I chose it for WBC 4: I could not put it down. I lapped up the words of my favorite wine writer like drinking an icy beer on a hot day. It didn’t hurt that I read the book in the middle of last summer, by a lake, with a cooler of beers nearby. (Yes, there was wine, too.)

The fact that my biggest concerns during the camping trip were what to cook for dinner and how to get a real shower made Jancis Robinson’s adventures that much easier to get caught up in. I found her a kindred spirit in how she began her career into wine without much background. When she wrote of her first job that “The pay was no great shakes but, hey, who’s counting when a lifetime in wine trade beckons (as thousands of wine trade employees have reasoned before and since),” I had to write I feel that in the margin. The plonk she drank, I could also relate to. On the other hand, I loved reading about wines that she was lucky enough to taste, so that I could live vicariously through her, sniffing Thomas Jefferson’s famous bottle, or the parades of Bordeaux from the same vintage with the Penning-Roswells and Broadbents. Or the grand tastings, some blind, put on by the likes of Hardy Rodenstock or Madame Lalou. And of course, I felt especially chummy when she couldn’t read her own tasting notes or left them on a bus due to too much consumption, a problem I’ve had once or twice.

However, this re-read found me with many more concerns than the last time: (more…)

One last reminder to report back on your feelings about Tasting Pleasure by Jancis Robinson tomorrow. Though, to be honest, due to my much-needed vacation that begins tomorrow evening, I probably won’t get around to the round-up until next week. You can leave the link to the post here, or use the contact me button over there to your right.

Happy reading…

Wine Book Club 4, Jancis Robinson, Tasting Pleasure

I’m quite happy to announce that I will be hosting the fourth edition of the Wine Book Club here at Behind the Vines, er, Wine Outlook. Dr. Debs came up with this idea back in December, as a way to help us keep our new year’s resolutions about reading more wine books, a kind of companion piece to Wine Blogging Wednesday created by Lenn Thompson. A dozen or so of us offered to host, and when I sent in my e-mail, I didn’t have to think twice about who my focused writer would be. Therefore, the book we’ll be reading for the next couple months—if you choose to participate—is Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover by the imitable Jancis Robinson.

I read this book on the drive to/from and on free moments during an extended camping trip last summer, and can’t wait to revisit this easy, informative read. With all the Ruth Reichl I’ve been reading lately, I feel a bit as if I’ve been cheating on my Jancis. I have always enjoyed her work, whether as editor, writer, or instructor but haven’t spent any time with her in a while. Therefore, I’m holding out the Wine Book Club as my bouquet of flowers.

Join me in the journey and report your reactions Tuesday, August 26. You can either leave the link in the comments on this post or you can send it to me directly by clicking on the contact me box to the right, putting Wine Book Club in the subject line.

In the meantime, Michelle from My Wine Education will be our Spin the Bottle reviewer of Natalie MacLean’s Red, White, and Drunk All Over sometime late July/early August.

Happy reading!