Book Reports

Book reports by Bob Foster,
Edited and reprinted with the kind permission of "California Grapevine"

A Life Uncorked

Hugh Johnson
University of California Press, Berkeley; 2006

I have always believed that Hugh Johnson is the wine writer of our era. With the publication of this fabulous work, I feel there can be no possible dispute of this belief. The work is superb, by far the best wine book I’ve reviewed in years.

Johnson begins with questions most often asked of him by fans, such as, “How did you get into wine?” Johnson recounts how one night, while studying in his room at Cambridge, his roommate held out two glasses of wine; both were Burgundies. One had been made from a vineyard on one side of the road, the other on the other side of the road. Johnson noticed considerable differences between the two and wondered, ‘Why?’ Thus began his fascination with wine.

Johnson next introduces the reader to his cellar at his home in Great Saling, England, which dates back to the 1600's.

Johnson shows the reader each part of the cellar, using the contents as a starting point for his discussions. In so doing he covers not only the major events in his life, but also the wines of a region or style, and his experiences, all described with wit and clever observations. Even his comments on the profuse color photographs that fill this work are entertaining. In one, someone in a white lab coat is holding a class of wine. Johnson cautions us, “Don’t be fooled by the white coat. The scientific-looking person is not tasting but drinking; there is far too much wine in the glass.”

The first part of the book is a lengthy section called Prospects. This covers much of the early development of Johnson’s career and his philosophy about wine. Then follow four major sections covering red, white, sparkling and dessert wines. Again and again, Johnson’s insights are deep and accurate. For example, he observes that to appreciate wine, “You don’t have to swallow an encyclopedia, but you do have to pay attention.” He notes the paradox that we taste wine by itself, but normally consume it with food. “Wine for me is essentially what I drink while eating which is not at all the case for my children’s generation. I can only respect their capacity for wine unmixed with solid matter. If they want wine which itself tastes more solid, if that’s the word, I can hardly be surprised.” He recognizes something many wine reviewers miss: “It is easy for someone who drinks for a living to become detached from the realities of a budget.” If only the California winemakers and American wine critics could take this lesson to heart. New release California cabernets at more than $100 a bottle are far removed from the economic realities most Americans face.

Johnson is concerned that wine is changing, and not for the better. As he makes clear, the drive to attain high scores from American wine critic Robert Parker is changing wine around the globe. Wines are becoming massive in size and flavors devoid of both balance and any sense of place. He notes that often he will try a massive wine and be able to consume only a sip. “The bottles that get this summary treatment are the ones they call ‘blockbusters.’ My block is too precious to me; I taste them, but one glass is plenty.” Johnson is worried because, for decades, wine was a matter of “…harmless fashion. In American hands it feels more like a moral crusade. Robert Parker deals in absolutes and castigates those he sees as backsliders.” Johnson believes there are four critical aspects of a wine: fruit, terroir and the maker’s mark of character. “But the great wine works in four dimensions, and the fourth is time.” The implication is clear. The new universal style wine with gobs of fruit, massive extract and higher alcohol levels will not age.

Johnson’s passions are for German wines and Bordeaux. His interest is reflected in the length of each of their sections in the book. For a period of time Johnson was on the board of directors for Chateau Latour. Reading the benefits and responsibilities that came with that job is fascinating. Johnson goes into great detail about the land he owns in France and his attempts to make top quality wine. This section proves, yet again, that making good wine is very difficult. This is a fact often lost on wine critics or wine drinkers.

Having heaped all this praise on Johnson and his work, I do have three small reservations. While the book tells us much about Hugh Johnson and his work, there are only brief mentions of his wife and children. I was hoping for a bit more of a glance behind the public person. Secondly, Johnson repeatedly refers to his monumental work Wine published in 1966 as his “first” book. But serious book collectors know that his first book was a small piece he wrote under contract with Hedges and Butler in 1965 called, The Best of the Vineyards is the Cellar. When asked about this, Johnson has said he didn’t consider it to be one of his books because it was produced as a commercial work for a particular company. That may be so, but I would have liked just the tiniest mention of this rare volume.

Nevertheless, this book is top notch. Printed on thick paper, filled with color photographs, wonderful stories from Johnson’s life and keen observations about where wine has been and where it seems to be going, this book is an absolute must-buy for any wine lover. Its detailed index covers not only the text but also the photographs.

Very Highly Recommended

The World’s Greatest Wine Estates, A Modern Perspective

Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Simon and Schuster, N Y; 2005

The first things you notice about this book are its massive size and lavish production values. The book measures 11 inches by 9 inches, weighs almost six pounds, and is filled with stunning color photographs, which include crisp label reproductions. The design and layout are impressive. But, its size prohibits the reader from easily curling up with it in an armchair. It demands a sturdy desk and careful attention.

Parker begins with a curious chapter in which he outlines the criteria he used in selecting the wineries included in this work. Parts of the introduction seem more a defense of his views, rather than an explanation. For instance, repeated charges, in recent years, that a quest for high Parker scores has caused many wineries to alter their style in order to produce a wine in a certain, all too common style to win a high score Parker counters as a “fallacious assertion.” Devotees of Parker will find it a rallying cry, while detractors will find it self-serving. Parker also falls victim to what I call the “wine writer’s syndrome.” Instead of just evaluating a wine, Parker and many others seem driven to be diagnosticians and, without any technical background, lecture winemakers on what they should have done to improve their wine.

In the core of the book Parker presents detailed profiles of more than 150 of such wine producers around the globe. Each entry includes a short block of such technical data as e-mail address, web site location and visitor policy. Then follows a fairly lengthy profile of the winery, its owners, the techniques and “upbringing.” Next are a the tasting notes, including numerical scores. While most tasting notes have been seen before, either in Parker’s newsletter or on his web site, Parker’s exploration of several winemaking controversies is quite interesting.

In the back of the book a small section outlines those producers Parker believes will be “future stars.”

I suspect the debate over this book will center on who is included and who was excluded. For example, Parker includes Mondavi and Dunn in California. While they certainly had pivotal roles early on, it has been many a year since I have had a wine from either of these producers that I thought was outstanding. They seem outside the realm of the other Greatest Wine Estates.

While there is a wealth of information here, there is no index. Should you wish to learn which great producers have used the noted enologist Michel Rolland or Emile Peynaud, you must start digging. There is simply no way to ascertain where information is buried within this massive work. Yet, this is the first Parker book I can recall with no index. Normally, his books have a detailed index to assist the reader. The book is so lavish in other areas—it does have a glossary, I am quite surprised they scrimped on an index. However, in the glossary I was struck by Parker’s omission of the controversial wine term brettanomyces. His failure to perceive or dislike this off-odor has long been a sticking point between Parker and some of his critics. However, instead of confronting the issue, he ignores it. In any event, Parker has provided a wealth of material, lavishly presented, on some of the world’s top wine producers.

Highly Recommended

Understanding Wine Technology; The Science of Wine Explained

David Bird
The Wine Appreciation Guild, South San Francisco, CA; 2005

Some wine buffs wish to go beyond tasting a wine and learn about the science behind the wine. Until now there was a gap. Most wine books explain how wine is made in very general terms. On the other end of the spectrum are detailed scientific textbooks authored by university professors that take a substantial background in chemistry and physics to understand.

The author of this book is both a chemist and a Master of Wine. He bridges the gap by producing a work that gives detailed descriptions of the many steps in wine-making, but written in a way a non-scientist can readily understand. The best possible compliment for this book is on its back cover, where Hugh Johnson notes that this is one of the few reference books on winemaking he keeps nearby when writing.

Very Highly Recommended