ONE
WOMAN'S VINOCATION
Red, White and Drunk All Over
by
Natalie MacLean
(Bloomsbury USA, $24)
Reviewed
by Laurie Hartzell
The
wine industry owes Natalie MacLean big-time. If nothing else,
this accredited sommelier and wine writer’s first book
will inspire readers to run to the closest wine store and pick
up that 2000
Reserve Bordeaux they’ve been pining for. In this
book, chosen “Best Wine Literature Book” at the
Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, MacLean’s passion for
wine and learning is contagious, and her experiences will encourage
even the most hesitant wine lovers to move on up in the world
of wine and try new things.
MacLean’s
investigative exploration of the world of wine is reminiscent
of the grungy journeys of author Eric Schlosser in Fast
Food Nation—only in this case, readers won’t
be afraid of what’s in their favorite beverages. Red,
White, and Drunk All Over is a descriptive account of one
woman’s love for wine and the journey she takes to quench
her desire for information. From the birthplace of Romanée-Conti
in France
to California’s Sonoma
Valley, MacLean explores both the old world of tradition
and the new world of technology. She also meets the faces behind
the vineyards and discovers that they are as varied as the wines
they produce. This tour-de-vino seems to be geared towards neophytes,
covering everything from vineyard history to wine culture to
production techniques. Although the author’s humorous
anecdotes and tribulations will amuse connoisseurs—and,
perhaps, remind them of their own process of “vinocation”—this
book may be too superficial for experts. The author’s
deep connection to wine, the sensual language she uses to describe
it, and her balance of convention with exploration make Red,
White, and Drunk All Over an award-winning stand-out.
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