Paris_ The Collected Traveler - Barrie Kerper [115]
Alexis Lichine’s Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France (Knopf, 1989, fourth edition). Lichine, a former wine exporter, grower, and winemaker (Château Prieuré-Lichine), notes that “from time immemorial, the world’s greatest wines have come from France. Though not large in size, for the diversity and quantity of wine it produces France could be a continent.… There is hardly a corner of the country that does not offer its own distinctive wines and cuisine, history and scenery, in almost equal measure.” Though this wonderful book is out of print, it can still be found and is still very much worth reading for context.
Hachette Atlas of French Wines & Vineyards, edited by Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon (Hachette, 2000). I defer to Robert Parker in his foreword for the best endorsement of this fine book: “This comprehensive book splendidly chronicles and describes the wines of France. It is to be applauded loudly by anyone with a fondness for that country’s diverse and dynamic viticulture.”
Reflections of a Wine Merchant: On a Lifetime in the Vineyards of France and Italy, Neal Rosenthal (North Point, 2008). Rosenthal began working in the wine business in 1978, and with his partner, Kerry Madigan, formed Rosenthal Wine Merchant and Mad Rose Group (madrose.com), an “umbrella for a close-knit group of people who understand that wine is an agricultural product and that in its best and purest form wine must reflect a specific sense of place.” Terroir, then, is of the utmost importance to Rosenthal. He notes on his Web site the two rules that guide Rosenthal Wine Merchant: “Ninety percent of the ultimate wine is created in the vineyard, and the role of the winemaker is to let the wine make itself.” Today Rosenthal’s company represents approximately seventy-five producers, and he shares stories about some of them in this engaging book.
Rosenthal endeared himself to me when I read, “I am curious about the new and different, but I am most at home with the tried and true. Ultimately, my portfolio of growers and their wines reflects my search for wines that are part of classical tradition. As a result, we may be out of the mainstream.” I feel the same way about the wines I prefer. I also like his answer to this interview question on WineLibrary.com: “What advice would you give a novice wine drinker to help him or her deepen his/her appreciation of wine?” Rosenthal’s advice is to “find a wonderful, passionate, generous retail merchant who is willing to share his/her knowledge. Then, most important of all, be a curious consumer.” Rosenthal Wine Merchant represents producers throughout France, and profiles of them are available on the Mad Rose Web site.
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure, Don and Petie Kladstrup (Broadway, 2001). Journalists Don and Petie Kladstrup made a fascinating discovery while working on a story about the French government’s plan to dig a tunnel through the Loire Valley for the high-speed TGV train network. In the course of their interview with Vouvray vintner Gaston Huet, who opposed the plan, the Kladstrups learned “one of the most amazing stories we have ever heard, a story about courage, loneliness, despair and, in the end, how a tiny bit of wine helped Huet and his fellow POWs survive five years of imprisonment.” The writers met other winemakers and heard other stories, and quickly realized that they deserved to be shared and remembered in a book. Some readers may not be aware that the Germans drew the demarcation line between France’s occupied and unoccupied zones quite deliberately: