The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World
by Lawrence Osborne
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What is taste? Is it individual or imposed on us from the outside? Why are so many of us so intimidated when presented with the wine list at a restaurant? In The Accidental Connoisseur, journalist Lawrence Osborne takes off on a personal voyage through a little-known world in pursuit of some answers. Weaving together a fantastic cast of eccentrics and obsessives, industry magnates and small farmers, the author explores the way technological change, opinionated critics, consumer trends, show more wheelers and dealers, trade wars, and mass market tastes have made the elixir we drink today entirely different from the wine drunk by our grandparents. In his search for wine that is a true expression of the place that produced it, Osborne takes the reader from the high-tech present to the primitive past. From a lavish lunch with wine tsar Robert Mondavi to the cellars of Marquis Piero Antinori in Florence, from the tasting rooms of Chateau Lafite to the humble vineyards of northern Lazio, Osborne winds his way through Renaissance palaces, 27 million wineries, tin shacks and garages, opulent restaurants, world-famous chais and vineyards, renowned villages and obscure landscapes, as well as the great cities which are the temples of wine consumption: New York, San Francisco, Paris, Florence, and Rome. On the way, we will be shown the vast tapestry of this much-desired, little-understood drink: who produces it and why, who consumes it, who critiques it? Enchanting, delightful, entertaining, and, above all, down to earth, this is a wine book like no other. show lessTags
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Lawrence Osborne is one of my favorite alcoholic writers. I don’t know whether that says more about him or me. I expressed some concern about his well-being when The Wet and the Dry came out but The Accidental Connoisseur was first published in 2004. Osborne travels about the wine world investigating growing methods, fermentation, business models and history. Because it’s been sixteen years, trends, fads and business conditions have changed but it remains a very solid look at the industry. The most delightful part is Osborne’s strenuous efforts to refine his palate over and over again while absorbing everything sophisticated oenophiles have to say as they wax poetic about the virtues of the grape.
Osborne's perspective is a very refreshing antidote to the blather that comprises so much of current writing about wine. In his interviews with wine makers, he captured the wide range of views on both the craft and the business.
A fun read for winos and non-winos alike. Very enjoyable.
Lawrence Osborne learns about wine by taking a journey through the wine world. And, in the process, we learn a bit about wine, too.
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GREAT wine writing is extraordinarily rare. Ovid, A. J. Liebling, Marcus Aurelius -- that about does it (depending where you stand on Rabelais). Enough only for one of those famous thin books like ''The Battlefield Victories of Charles de Gaulle'' or ''The Joy of Irish Sex.'' Lawrence Osborne is undaunted, however; he sets out to make ''Great Wine Writing'' a good deal thicker.
Osborne, a show more journalist whose previous books include ''Paris Dreambook'' and ''American Normal,'' embarks on an oeno-odyssey through several major regions of wine production (Napa, Bordeaux, Piedmont) and others not so celebrated (Languedoc, Lazio, Puglia). He drinks heartily with wine producers in each place. He presents himself as a wine naïf, brought up in a wine-hostile environment (the Home Counties of England). His quest is to discover what good taste in wine really means, and whether he has any himself. show less
Osborne, a show more journalist whose previous books include ''Paris Dreambook'' and ''American Normal,'' embarks on an oeno-odyssey through several major regions of wine production (Napa, Bordeaux, Piedmont) and others not so celebrated (Languedoc, Lazio, Puglia). He drinks heartily with wine producers in each place. He presents himself as a wine naïf, brought up in a wine-hostile environment (the Home Counties of England). His quest is to discover what good taste in wine really means, and whether he has any himself. show less
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114 works; 38 members
Author Information
23+ Works 2,190 Members
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2004
- Important places
- Napa Valley, California, USA
- Blurbers
- Asher, Gerald; Lynch, Kermit; Harrison, Jim; Hazan, Victor
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Food & Cooking, Travel, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 641.22 — Applied Science & Technology Home economics & family management Food, Cooking & Recipes / Meals, Picnics Drinks Wine
- LCC
- TP548 .O655 — Technology Chemical technology Chemical technology Fermentation industries. Beverages. Alcohol
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 281
- Popularity
- 113,887
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.69)
- Languages
- English, Portuguese (Portugal)
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 3
