Acclaimed importer and wine guru Terry Theise, long known for his top-notch portfolio and his illustrious writing, now offers this opinionated, idiosyncratic, and beautifully written testament to wine. What constitutes beauty in wine, and how do we appreciate it? What role does wine play in a soulful, sensual life? Can wines of place survive in a world of globalized styles and 100-point scoring systems? In his highly approachable style, Theise describes how wine can be a portal to aesthetic, emotional, even mystical experience—and he frankly asserts that these experiences are most likely to be inspired by wines from artisan producers.
Terry Theise, winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional, is an importer of boutique wines from Germany, Austria, and Champagne. His articles have appeared in The World of Fine Wine magazine. He was Wine & Spirits magazine’s Man of the Year in 2001 and Food and Wine magazine’s Importer of the Year in 2006.
Table of Contents
Preface to the Paperback Edition Introduction ONE Befriending Your Palate TWO What Matters (and What Doesn’t) in Wine THREE Remystifying Wine FOUR The Three Humors FIVE Pressing Hot Buttons SIX Of Places and Grapes SEVEN Wine from Outside EIGHT Wines That Mattered: Or, “The Dog Ate My Point Scores” Acknowledgments
What People are Saying About This
From the Publisher
"A consequential book, rich in ideas and powerful in feeling."—New York Times
"I read it almost in one gulp: he writes beautifully, uninhibitedly... almost, one might say, drunkenly... a man after my own heart."—-Hugh Johnson
"Wise and funny, committed and sincere, but never dogmatic. . . .A passionate defense of the importance of wine."—The World of Fine Wine
"Theise first demystifies how to experience wine, then remystifies it by reinstating pleasure as what it's all about." STARRED REVIEW—Library Journal
"It's not even wine that Theise is really tackling. It's aesthetics. As such he skillfully reminds us of wine's timeless place in culture."—Sf Chronicle
