Category: Books


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By Caro,

Wine and Literature

Since ancient times wine has been part of human culture. The earliest archaelogical proof of wine made from grapes is in Georgia dating back to around 6000 BCE. That history includes a cultural dimension via art and literature. Wine is featured in the art from palaces to pyramids but as importantly, in literature and poetry. In this article wine writer and wine educator, Caro Feely, look into some of wine’s literary connections.

Wine in Ancient Greek Literature

Many wine quotations are attributed to Homer, a poet who lived in the 9th century BCE, most famous for the Iliad and the Odyssey, epic poems that form the foundation of ancient Greek literature.

He used wine in numerous descriptions, for example ‘the wine-dark sea’ was used five times in the Iliad and twelve times in the Odyssey. This description is the subject of debate among academics who ask questions like: was the sea red with algae? or was their wine blue from mixing it with alkaline water?

My guess is that the answer is simple – he was describing the colour of a dark red sunset reflected on sea.

Wine in Roman Empire Literature

During the reign of the Roman Empire, Ausonius, a Gallo-Roman based in Bordeaux, wrote poetry about wine, in addition to creating Ausone, a famous vineyard in St-Emilion (to see it and other famous chateaux and hear their history and secrets join us on a multi day tour or vineyard walking tour or the St Emilion Grand Cru Day Tour). In one poem, written in the 4th century CE, he admits to being tipsy: ‘It is outrageous that a strictly abstemious reader should sit in judgement on a poet a little drunk.’

I declare as I write this I am not drunk but I am prone to sip a glass of fine wine of an evening. 😉 Moderation rather than abstention is my motto.

Wine in Ancient Chinese Poetry

A Chinese poet of the 8th century CE, who is commonly referred to as Li Bai or Li Po, wrote glorious wine poems. His ‘Drinking Alone Beneath the Moon’ is worth looking up. The language in the best translations is ethereal, like an impressionist painting.

Alone, he pours a glass of wine, then makes a threesome with the moon and his own shadow. They sing and dance, then scatter with a promise to reunite on the far side of the Milky Way. The poem is a delight (and carries a deft message about moderation).

Wine According to Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, devoted many words to wine. He recreated the age-old saying ‘in vino veritas‘ in these words: ‘The wine-cup is the little silver well, Where truth, if truth there be, doth dwell.’

One of his most cited quotes about alcohol -rather than wine specifically- is worth remembering 🙂 ‘[Drink]: it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance.’ ( Macbeth Act II Scene III). Yes moderation is wise as Iago reminds Cassius, who is lamenting his excessive drinking in Othello with the words, ‘Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used.’

Wine in Golden Age Literature

Robert Louis Stevenson, a poet of the 19th century, came up with the famous quote ‘Wine is bottled poetry,’.

Another great writer, Leo Tolstoy, used wine as a metaphor. In Anna Karenina, Anna was ‘drunk with the wine of the rapture she inspired’ in her soon to be lover, the Count.

Wine in Modern Literature

In the 20th century American writer Ernest Hemingway claimed that wine offered more enjoyment than any other sensory product that could be purchased, in his work ‘Death in the Afternoon’. In his memoir, ‘A Moveable Feast’, he reflected that during his time in Europe (mostly in France), drinking wine considered as normal and necessary as eating. 

A friend of Hemingway, Irish writer James Joyce, also spoke of wine in his masterpiece ‘Ulysses’ (follow this link to see Caro’s analysis of the wine references in Ulysses). His main character, Leopold Bloom, experiences a passionate memory after a taste of Burgundy wine (to learn about Burgundy and the other wine regions book a French Wine Adventures Wine Course). It is so erotic that it was one of the reasons the book was banned in the US from 1921 to 1933. 

Conclusion

Pablo Neruda’s ‘Ode to Wine’ is a great point to end this brief excursion into wine literature. In it he calls wine a ‘starry child of earth’, and incites joy, passion and gratitude to nature and mankind, who together create wine. It is this wonderous combination that we celebrate on French Wine Adventures Wine Tours and Courses. We look forward to sharing our passion with you.

Caro Feely, founder and guide at French Wine Adventures is a published author of 6 books, five of which are about wine. For a wine tour with a literary touch get in touch with us.  Find out more about Caro Feely’s acclaimed Vineyard Series – see the books, where to buy them and ISBNs.

French Wine Adventures is specialised in French Wine, Wine Education, Wine Tours in Bordeaux, Organic Wine and Sustainable Tourism.

Discover wine on one of our Multi day Wine ToursVineyard Walking tours or a Wine Course or get in touch for a custom wine tour, course or experience.

We invite you to join our mailing list at the bottom of this page for our latest news and more content like this.

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By Caro,

Wine Book Recommendations - entertaining and educational

Wine Book Recommendations - entertaining and educational

7 Must read books to entertain and expand your wine knowledge

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.

Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure by Bianca Bosker

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.

Red, White, and Drunk All Over by Nathalie MacLean

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

The Battle For Wine And Love  by Alice Feiring

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.

Wine Wars by Mike Veseth

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

Wine and War by Donald Kladstrup and Petie Kladstrup

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.

The Billionaire’s Vinegar: Benjamin Wallace

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.

Grape Expectations: Caro Feely book 1

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.

Conclusion

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 .