Tasting Pleasure : Confessions of a Wine Lover

by Robinson, Jancis (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780140270013
• ISBN10: 0140270019
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-05-01
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)

Summary

Even the French admit that Jancis Robinson is the "undisputed mistress of the kingdom of wine" ( Le Figaro). Internationally renowned for her work in both television and print, she is the editor of the bestselling Oxford Companion to Wine and has won more than two dozen major awards around the world. Tasting Pleasure is her compelling account of a passion that began while studying at Oxford University. Writing with Julia Child's authority, Elizabeth David's intelligence, and M.F.K. Fisher's verve, Robinson takes us on a journey through the world's finest cellars, most beautiful vineyards, and best restaurants. As she explores the universe of the grape--from Bordeaux to Australia and South Africa to California--we meet scores of colorful, wine-loving characters, including Philippe de Rothschild, Julian Barnes, Francis Ford Coppola, and Julio Gallo. There are many books about producing and rating wine; this one is about enjoying it. Witty, revealing, and knowledgeable, in Tasting Pleasure Jancis Robinson has distilled twenty years in the wine world into a hugely entertaining read.

Author Biography

Even the French admit that Jancis Robinson is the "undisputed mistress of the kingdom of wine" (Le Figaro). Internationally renowned for her work in both television and print, she is the editor of the bestselling Oxford Companion to Wine and has won more than two dozen major awards around the world. Tasting Pleasure is her compelling account of a passion that began while she studied at Oxford University. Writing with Julia Child's authority, Elizabeth David's intelligence, and M. F. K. Fisher's verve, Robinson takes us on a journey through the world's finest cellars, most beautiful vineyards, and best restaurants. As she explores the universe of the grape--from Bordeaux to Australia and South Africa to California--we meet scores of wine-loving characters, including Philippe de Rothschild, Julian Barnes, Francis Ford Coppola, and Ernest Gallo. There are many books about producing and rating wine; this one is about enjoying it. In Tasting Pleasure Jancis Robinson has distilled twenty years in the wine world into a hugely entertaining read.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. v
A Tale of Two Wine Producers	p. 1
Liquid Magic--Birth of a Wine Lover	p. 16
Becoming a Wine Writer	p. 32
Early Days--Wine-Sodden Nights	p. 43
The Old Wine Trade	p. 55
Blind Tasting	p. 68
First Steps Abroad	p. 75
The Thirsty Tour Operator	p. 85
My Very Own Imprint	p. 103
Casting Adrift	p. 112
A New World of Wine	p. 119
Lurching Toward Respectability	p. 133
Wine on the Box	p. 151
Marathon Tastings, and a 1787	p. 167
Mastering Wine	p. 186
Distractions	p. 204
The Wine Revolution, and My Cellar	p. 214
A Stake in the Motherland	p. 234
Discovering France's Stomach	p. 252
Some Very Special Bottles	p. 265
The Ball and Chain Cast Off	p. 284
Half Centuries	p. 308
On Writing About Wine	p. 318
Vin Fin	p. 331
Index	p. 335
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