Untangled Vine

Ever since I decided to immerse myself in the world of wine, my already lackadaisacal reading habits took a serious hit. The quadrant of my brain ordinarily set aside for literacy for leisure has been overwhelmed by Rioja Vintage reports, and keeping track of how Constellation brands plans to further gentrify all that is good in the world of wine. I think the last book I read was "The DaVinci Code" at seemingly everyone's insistance. Upon finishing, it was deemed an utter waste of my time and the most overrated piece of medium I ever devoted any amount of time to. That said, I have been itching to get back into reading for enjoyments sake, and what did the Chrismukkah Fairy deliver to me this year? That's right, a fictional wine book: Peter Mayle's "A Good Year".

Now, I'd heard of this book, but I never seem to remember to write down what is on my reading list, but my wife Heather, has proven useful yet again, and now it is the function of some sort of dictation machine. I apparently expressed my intrest in this thome out loud, although, I don't recall actually uddering the words. Somehow, she knew, and I spent a very lazy Xmas day devouring this book.

This is a thouroghly enjoyable book that doesn't worry about getting too geeky in it's wine references, but it paints a warm and romantic version of what life as a Provencal Vintner must surely be like. It always keeps it's sense of humor, and with a few fun twists and turns, it is enjoyable enough for the layperson, but perhaps a little more interesting for the oenophiles. This is no "Catcher in the Rye" but it is serviceable escapism, and that is really why we read these things anyways. Certainly recommendable reading...
More exciting is the fact that I've dusted off my old brain, and now plan to get back into the reading swing of things. Next up, the book of "Sideways" by Rex Pickett.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 at 6:44 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.