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.

However, Kori would have chosen Robinson’s How to Taste over this one, as Tasting Pleasure is more of a “glorified autobiography” with info that’s “a little dated since it was published eleven years ago.” I can understand where she’s coming from with that and how the recounting of the many great bottles “offers little value to those of us who have no access to those kinds of wines” (though I personally liked to read about them for that very reason). Kori’s points are valid, and when choosing an author such as Jancis Robinson–who has so many books behind her–one could debate all day long which one to examine. However, as wine bloggers, we have that desire to write on some level, and as someone who desires to write on more levels, I appreciated her version of how she made it happen.

Side note: It did make me wish I had been born in a year prior to one of the worst vintages ever, since wine was not as popular then, and there was less competition!

Mary E on Shelfari also got tired about hearing about the many great wines, but “found Robinson to be well-written in her usual British reserved and self-deprecating style and enjoyed getting the behind-the-scenes view of her wine writing over the years.”

Richard from A Passionate Foodie got his review in just under the wire, which worked out fine. He gives good advice: “Though the book is not a difficult read, it also is not a light read. You do need to pay careful attention as you might miss something through a quick skim. But try reading maybe a chapter at a time, at a leisurely pace, and savor Robinson’s prose.” He seems to really enjoy the comparison between her European and his (our, if you’re also in the U.S.) outlook and how Jancis separates her critic self with her tasting for pleasure and ponders whether bloggers do the same thing. And the chapter on writing about wine speaks to him as much as it did to me. As he puts it so well, “What makes this book most compelling is that Robinson has her own unique voice which draws in the reader into her world, immersing them in her passion for wine. You cannot help but be fascinated by her anecdotes of famous wine personalities. You feel as if you are receiving a history lesson of the modern wine industry, though it is not some dry recitation.”

Cheers to those who participated and to Jancis Robinson for providing inspiration.

Wine Book Club, Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover, Jancis Robinson