This post may seem like an afterthought to the decade plus intermittent posts on this blog, but it felt like it would be appropriate to have a bookend on this project and for that bookend to be about books. In fact, I even have meager dreams of turning all of this into a book which will probably be self-published, one copy, and only available on a side table in my house which you may or may not be welcome to depending on who you are. So this is it, as it were…
The storm had now definitely abated, and what thunder there was now grumbled over more distant hills, like a man saying ‘And another thing…’ twenty minutes after admitting he’d lost the argument.
– Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, #4)
Over the years of learning about wine, I have read a number of books if you can believe it on the very topic of wine itself. I would argue that a number of them are even written better than this blog. Again, if you can believe it.
There are 8 books though which I tend to return to from time to time to glean new insights or to reference for myself or before educating others. I think all of them have been referenced in some form or fashion in these posts, but I could be wrong. It would be a lot of work to check and I’m trying to wrap things up.
These books take you through the history of wine in this country (USA), the science of how it works from vine to glass, the science behind how we experience wine (and anything we put in our mouths really), and even how to make it. What is missing from this set is any wine book that takes you through various wine regions in a romantic way, topics on the traditions of wine and its service, those that rank and rate wines and their vintages, and certainly none from the most popular wine critics.
I love that people can find joy in those topics and approaches to wine, but they have never been about the things that fascinate me about wine. I have always found myself adjacent to The Wine Culture™️, and that’s been perfectly fine by me. This is also why I generally give a Deer-in-Headlights look when people ask me to tell them what wines to drink, but launch into an unwanted 3 hour discourse when they ask why they experience something when they are drinking a wine.
If this all sounds like you, then I think you will enjoy these books.
- The Science of Wine From Vine to Glass by Jamie Goode: Perhaps the most notable author here, but this is a comprehensive, but brief and digestible overview of how grapes become wine. This will allow you to ask interesting questions when touring a vineyard and winery.
- Molecular Gastronomy by Hervé This: This book spans well beyond wine, but gets into how we perceive flavor and will help you think differently about cooking which is an integral part of the wine experience.
- Neurogastronomy by Gordon M. Shepherd: I don’t believe this is an officially established discipline at all in practice, but this is a fascinating look at the study of flavor perception and indirectly challenges a number of wine “norms” and “skills” based on what is actually happening with our senses when we taste something.
- The Backyard Vintner by Jim Law: I will warn you that if you are hoping to become a professional winemaker by reading this book, you will be disappointed, but it is such a good resource on how to make wine at home. There are some new tools and tricks out there, so treat this like you just found out your older next door neighbor knows how to make wine and you want them to teach you.
- A History of Wine in America Volumes 1 & 2 by Thomas Pinney: Up to you whether you consider this 1 or 2 books, but volume 1 goes from colonization to prohibition, and volume 2 is post prohibition to “current” day. The books are huge, but the journey is such a fun and entertaining ride the pages fly by.
- Tastebuds and Molecules by François Cartier: I know, I know, two French guys on the list, you’re soooo “counter culture”, Aaron, but hey, this one is about chemistry. Most of “traditional” wine and food pairing has been about flavor matching and this takes that to the molecular level.
- Why You Like the Wines You Like by Tim Hanni: Tim is truly a black sheep in the wine world, and I love him for it. He was one of the first to try to understand the wine consumer and their preferences instead of forcing preferences on them. He was also one of the first Americans to obtain the heralded Master of Wine designation. I interviewed him a long time ago and asked if he would ever write a book because he hadn’t at that point…and this is the one he finally did after that. Yes, I’m going to claim some responsibility for this.
Grab one of these books and grab a glass of wine. Cheers to your wine drinking adventures and so long, thanks for all the grapes.
Aaron Berdofe's Wine and Food Experience 