In this article published author, wine writer and wine educator, Caro Feely, provides a list of must read books for those learning about wine and keen to broaden their wine knowledge. Caro is co-owner of Chateau Feely, an organic vineyard in France.
I recently promised to provide a wine book reading list to our WSET students – to read beyond their WSET text books and provide a wider understanding of wine – wine books that entertain and also educate.
These are my top picks of books that offer learning but with a light touch.
* Note – these links are connected to my amazon affiliate account – if you buy through them I get a tiny kickback – a small contribution to the cost of operating this website- thank you for your support if you do. Alternatively I encourage you to buy from your local bookshop.
My favourite wine book in recent times. Bianca Bosker tells of her quest to become a sommelier and her tasting experiences – among others – in a high flying circle of New York sommeliers.
What you’ll learn – details about tasting, about wine and the underworld of restaurants and sommeliers. It is very entertaining and well written.
Find Cork Dork on amazon here Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste
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A voyage of stories about wine both old and new; some very amusing.
What you’ll learn – details about wine regions that Nathalie visits and wine tasting written in a very easy style.
Find this wonderful excursion on amazon at Red, White, and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass
A mix of anecdotes and interesting people in the wine world with a good dose of why natural wine is good by author and sometime New York Times Wine Writer, Alice Feiring. My partner Sean Feely, the winemaker and winegrower at Chateau Feely also enjoyed this book.
What you’ll learn – details about the world of wine from the perspective of Feiring’s passion, natural wine.
Find this great natural wine adventure on amazon at The Battle For Wine And Love.
Mike Veseth is a writer and economist. His books offer anecdotes and entertainment but also a lot of economics and business understanding for the wine sector.
What you’ll learn: economics of wine and business of wine through case studies.
Find Mike’s first book, the one I’m recommending as part of this list, at amazon here Wine Wars: The Curse of the Blue Nun, the Miracle of Two Buck Chuck, and the Revenge of the Terroirists and then also consider Mike’s two more recent books that offer good background reading Money, Taste, and Wine: It’s Complicated!
and Around the World in Eighty Wines: Exploring Wine One Country at a Time
This book is charts what happened in some of the most prestigious wine regions including Bordeaux and Champagne during World War II, a horrific moment in Europe’s history.
What you’ll learn: what happened in the world of wine during world war II and how that history these regions.
Find this book on wine history on amazon at Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure.
An investigative journalist delves into the world of auctions for fine wines… this is a page-turning exposé based on a true story of the biggest wine fraudster.
What you’ll learn: this is a serious page turner that reads like a spy novel but in the process you’ll learn about the world of fine wine and also pick up a little about the regions associated with those wines.
Find this rocking high stakes wine auction at The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine.
My list would not be complete without a book about winegrowing. Shameless self promotion in recommending the first book in the memoir series about starting our organic vineyard in France.
What you’ll learn: what goes into running a vineyard and small boutique wine business, life in France and organic winegrowing.
Grape Expectations: A Family’s Vineyard Adventure in France (Caro Feely Vineyard Series Book 1). The series offers a truthful account of what its like running a vineyard and wine business and life on a vineyard.
If you move onto the second in the series ‘Saving our Skins’ you’ll learn more about the subjects above but also about biodynamics, the third in the series ‘Vineyard Confessions’ covers natural winemaking and menopause, and the fourth and final book ‘Cultivating Change’ has a core theme of climate change’s impact on winegrowers.
These seven books offer a great insight into the world of wine that goes beyond the WSET or Sommelier text books. I’ll be creating another list of wine biographies and of vineyard books shortly so join our mailing list at the bottom of this page to receive our seasonal newsletter, wine school, events, wine pairing, recipes and more info on this topic.
If you are into literature and wine then see our article on wine and literature and this article on where wine features in Joyce’s Ulysses.
For more wine related enterainment see our recommendations of 5 best wine films for fun and education.
If you are interested in learning more about wine take a look at our online wine school page, come and do a multi day course or multi day tour .
Cosy up with a glass of your favourite wine and one of these films for entertainment. In this selection you will find fun wine movies. In a future post, I’ll cover wine documentaries.
The Provençal vineyard scenery alone makes this romantic comedy drama starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott, worth watching.
It was shot at Château La Canorgue, an organic vineyard near Bonnieux in the Luberon. I recommend stopping in to buy wine if you are in the area. You’ll see the tasting room/ wine shop and the water feature that serves as a swimming pool in the film but not the chateau. The owner, Jean-Pierre Margan, told us he was forced to put large ‘private property’ signs around the chateau, which is his home, to stop film fans from barging in. We loved their Viognier.
In conclusion, a big thumbs up. Plus, it’s a Rom Com and I love Rom Coms.
Sideways is a wine lover’s cult classic that derides Merlot and deifies Pinot Noir. Watch it for a good story and a great laugh; and keep an eye out for the irony at the end. After lambasting Merlot throughout the film, the iconic bottle the lead character keeps referring to, and drinks at the end, a Cheval Blanc 1961, is in fact a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from St Emilion (for personalised and in-depth wine tours of St Emilion and Bordeaux get in touch with us).
Pinotgate – a surprising fall out from the movie Sideways
After the success of Sideways, sales of Merlot-based wines in the USA dropped (some articles suggested they decreased by a third) and Pinot Noir sales rose. But vineyards take years to grow. The world’s stock of Pinot Noir vineyards could not have changed overnight the way the consumption statistics did.
Around 18 million bottles sold as ‘Pinot Noir’ were not Pinot Noir. They were, ironically, a blend of Merlot and Shiraz (or Syrah, as Shiraz is called in France). French investigators became suspicious when they saw that the wine merchant concerned was buying Pinot noir wine at 40 percent less than the going rate, in quantities that exceeded the historical production level of the Languedoc Roussillon region. Twelve people were convicted.
This is a family story about three siblings reconnecting after their father’s death and struggling with the decision of what to do with their family vineyard. While the sentimental multi plot storyline wanders, the film captures the vibe of Burgundy and the annual cycle in the vineyard. If you are thinking of visiting Burgundy contact our friend Emily at Paris Wine Girl for an authentic experience https://pariswinegirl.fr/wine-tours-in-beaune/ .
Bottle Shock tells the true story of Jim Barrett, a city professional who follows his passion to go wine farming, a bit like Sean and I (Caro Feely) did, the story told in my book Grape Expectations. He purchased a vineyard in Napa Valley before it became famous.
A Paris-based wine-shop owner (who later became a famous English wine journalist), the late Steven Spurrier (played by the late Alan Rickman), organises a competition between French and Californian wines to raise the prestige of his shop and his new line of international wines. Spurrier goes to Napa and meets Barrett, who wants nothing to do with the competition. Barrett’s son Bo slips Spurrier a few bottles. Spurrier enters the Chardonnay into his ‘Judgement of Paris’ competition.
When I asked the real Steven Spurrier what he thought of the film, he said ‘More bullshit, than Bottle Shock.’ The base story is true but with a good dose of Hollywood. For an insider version of events, read George Taber’s (the only journalist who attended the tasting) book ‘The Judgement of Paris’. For more wine book recommendations see https://www.frenchwineadventures.com/7-must-read-wine-books-to-broaden-your-wine-education/ .
A romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, and Jean Reno, three actors I appreciate. It includes passion, unexpected twists, and a background wine story. Did I say I love Rom Coms? 😉 … and I love wine, so this is a thumbs up.
I conclude with two more film suggestions, not about wine, but about France and food, ‘Ratatouille’ (2007) and ‘The 100 Foot Journey’ (2014) – and they both have a touch of romance and comedy ;).
Here’s to fine wine and great entertainment. Cheers.
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For more wine related entertainment read Caro Feely’s acclaimed Vineyard Series – see the books, where to buy them and ISBNs
