In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism
Selected Book Details
- Hardcover
- Author: George M Taber
- Publisher: Scribner
- Release Date: October 2009
- ISBN-10: 1416562435
- ISBN-13: 9781416562436
- List Price: $30.00
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryFrom the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of Judgment of Paris and To Cork or Not To Cork comes a delightful, entertaining, and informative exploration of the thriving world of wine tourism. George M. Taber set out on the wine lover's ultimate dream: a journey to the twelve most beautiful and fascinating wine-producing regions around the globe. In Search of Bacchus chronicles that experience: the gorgeous landscapes, conversations with winemakers, unforgettable meals, must-do activities, and of course, the taste of the wines. Here he offers suggestions for travelers, commentary on trends in the wine world, charming anecdotes, and recommendations of vintages available in the United States, so that oenophiles at home can live vicariously through his travels. From the Napa Valley, where the art of wine tourism was perfected, to the deserts of Argentina, to a thousand-year-old monastery in Tuscany, to the famed châteaux of Bordeaux, Taber discusses the history, architecture, and culture of each destination in fascinating detail. He provides insight into the latest in the technology, politics, and business of wine, and uncovers a host of interesting characters who are major figures in their local wine worlds, including a Chilean arms merchant, a German-born Polish refugee living in South Africa, the dynamic woman who started the Wine Tourism Movement in Italy, and many more. Taber blends his own wine in Portugal, bungy jumps in New Zealand, and goes on a safari in South Africa, all in the attempt to quench his thirst for fine wine and adventure. An accessible blend of wine lore and travel memoir, In Search of Bacchus is another engaging, immersive read from George M. Taber, sure to satisfy wine lovers everywhere. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Fascinating Reading
Rating:
I recently purchased Mr. Taber's new book, In Search of Bacchus and found it a very enjoyable read. I have visited 7 of the 12 wine regions he writes about, and he has documented them well. I particularly like his explanation of each region's wine history. The time and effort he has spent on researching each region shows in the detailed writing. I was also particularly impressed with Mr. Taber's bungy jump at Kawarau Bridge in Central Otago, New Zealand. I have been to that Bridge and I can tell you it is a long way down!
I am heading off to Argentina and Chile and Mr. Taber's book has given me alot of great ideas for the upcoming trip. I thank him for writing it.
Not as good as hoped for
Rating: 
I will state at the beginning of this review that I am not a wine geek. I would not have bought this book ordinarily, but I received it as a gift. That being said, I read Mr. Tabor's first book, "The Judgement of Paris", also about wine and liked it very much. I did not have the same experience with "In Search of Bacchus". Mr. Taber travels around the world visiting various wine regions and explaining the history of the region in regards to wine, and the people who developed that region into a wine destination. This is interesting to a point, but after the sixth or seventh region, they all start to blend together and the chapters are rather repetitive. Each chapter mentions an endless number of pioneers and innovators and entrepreneurs, some of whom are interesting and others who are merely names on the page. Likewise with the wineries themselves. While many of these wineries are in beautiful parts of the world, the description of one winery is much like every other, just as each farm is much like any other. This book is not detailed enough to really use as a planning guide for wine tourism, but I think it will give the wine tourist lots of good ideas as to where to start more in depth research for future trips.
Well researched, well written, a great read if you love wine
Rating:
When George Taber came to visit us in Mendoza while researching this book, we weren't sure what to expect. Lots of journalists and writers had come through looking for the big story of the "New Napa," and most had gone away with only a small part of it. What impressed us about George and his approach to research was the great number of people he talked to from every nook and cranny of the wine community, and the seemingly boundless breadth of his questions and interests.
Now that I have had a chance to read the book (delivered on my Kindle even in Argentina), I see that he applied the same thoroughness to every wine region he visited. I think the format of telling the story of the region, mixed with the personal histories of some of the interesting people who help define the region, all used as backdrop to bring the reader along with the author's personal journey - is exactly the right mix to tackle the sometimes impregnable world of wine.
I have spent a lot of time in a lot of wine regions around the world in the last 5 years. The portrayals of the places I know well are spot on, and now there are several I want to know better. I would hazard a guess that readers will wind up a little envious of George's journey by the end of this book.
Enjoy!
In Search of Bacchus
Rating:
In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism, by Geroge M. Taber, 294 pages, hardcover $30.00.
Geroge Taber's name is already familiar to wine lovers - he was the only journalist present (and he has photos to prove it) at the famed 1976 Paris tasting in which two American wines, Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon in California, won out over the French wines in a blind tasting by French judges that put American wines on the world map. If you've seen the recent movie Bottle Shock, you should know it's very, very loosely based on Geroge's Paris Tasting book. And George is nothing like the sleepy, out of touch journalist depicted in the movie. He's smart, engaging and very well- informed.
George has written two previous books about wine, The Judgement of Paris (about the 1976 tasting) and To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle (in which he somehow managed to make wine bottle stoppers a fascinating and informative read). In search of Bacchus has a selection from To Cork or Not to Cork at the end, if you're interested.
Now retired from his work as a writer and editor for Time Magazine, Geroge has followed up with a third book, In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism. His new work is every bit as well-written, readable and engaging as the two previous ones, and now he takes us on a tour of the world's major wine regions, some famous and some not so.
The book begins with a bit of tourism history, focusing on three early wine tourists: the british philosopher John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, spendthrift and wine lover, and the author Robert Louis Stevenson (who knew?), showing that wine tourism has been around for quite a while (Pompeii had its wine bars too). There's nothing like drinking a wine at the source - in the vineyard and winery in which it came into being, and George does just that. He made a six month journey through the wine world (I wish I had his job), and introduces the reader to Napa Valley, Stellenbosch in South Africa, Mendoza in Argentina, Colchagua Valley in Chile, Margaret River in Australia, Central Otago in New Zealand, the Rioja region in Spain, Portugal's Duoro Valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy, the Rheingau and Middle Mosel in Germany, and a final chapter on Kakheti, Goergia (of the former Soviet Union).
If you're thinking "Great, but can you actually find any of the wines he writes about?" the answer is yes. I saw many familiar labels on my way through the book: Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc, Beaulieu Vineyards, Francis Ford Coppola, Goats Do Roam, Casa Lapostelle, Banfi, J.J. Prum Riesling, and others. George also provedes a listing of the wines at the end of the book, with prices (many of them eminently affordable during recession times). It would be great fun to sample while reading.
George's account is readable, engaging and informative; I would consider it a must-have for anyone considering a wine trip. He makes the important point that while California wine country is loaded with tourists (it's second only to Disney World in that respect, with millions of visitors a year), visits to many of the other regions often include a visit with the winemaker and a less hectic time. Of course, one wine book can't cover every wine tourist spot on the planet; that leaves plenty of room for a sequel.
And if all this weren't enough, George's account of his first bungy jump from a bridge in New Zealand is worth the price of the book.
Here's a look at one of the wines George mentions: 2005 Bored Doe, The Goats Do Roam Wine Company,South Africa, $12.99. This red is a Bordeaux blend of the grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Classic dark fruit from the two Cabernet grapes, earthiness on the nose, deep purple in the glass, it's beginning to develop with flavors of blackcurrant, plum (that's the Merlot talking), hints of perfume from the Petit Verdot, a background of ripe dark fruit on a dry palate with good acidity, well-integrated tannin, balanced alcohol and a pleasing finish. Well worth the price. If you're counting your wine pennies these days, this is a good place to drop a few. Pair with red meats, stews, grilled meat, hard cheeses. 88 pts.
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