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posted by Mark T
at 16 Dec 2009, 2:10
in In Search of Bacchus Reviews

In Search of Bacchus Reviews

10 Oct 2009 | 1 comments. | 607 views

Some reviews for "In Search of Bacchus" book

* Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism.
The world's great vineyards do more than simply export their bottlings. Many of them actively encourage visitors and host them royally, not just for the mere tasting of their output, but as a way to establish bonds of loyalty through personal contact. Taber surveys a number of the world's great wine regions, recording his own experiences as a guest in numerous wine cellars. His tour of Napa Valley in California reveals how the area's fame has transformed it both for good and for ill. For many Americans who appreciate the relative bargains of wines from Australia and New Zealand, Taber's tours of these regions will add multiple dimensions to their quotidian quaffs. Taber balances winery tours with other travel opportunities in the region, even to daring bungee jumping. Taber excels at making wine history compelling, explaining events and profiling personalities to appeal to both novice and adept wine drinkers.
- Mark Knoblau

* An evocative blend of travel
Taber, George M. IN SEARCH OF BACCHUS: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism Award-winning wine writer Taber (To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle, 2007, etc.) explores wineries around the world and assesses the development and unique offerings of wine tourism in each region. The author, a seasoned traveler and oenophile, visited most of the major wine-producing regions in the world, including Napa Valley, where wine tourism was first implemented on a grand scale; the Douro Valley in Portugal and Bordeaux region of France, two of the most richly historical areas in the world of wine; and Kakheti, Georgia, the "last frontier" in wine tourism. Some regions provide more fodder for romantic imaginings than others-the medieval cathedrals set amid the rolling hills of Rioja, Spain; the "unexpected sharpness and deep color saturation" in Central Otago, New Zealand-yet all the destinations possess their own special charm. From exotic wildlife photography in South Africa or listening to symphonies in the Australian bush, to experiencing a cooking class in a Tuscan monastery, Taber demonstrates that there are ample travel opportunities for a wide range of styles, budgets and levels of wine knowledge. Each region is afforded a chapter devoted to the history and development of its tourism, the particular grapes that thrive there and Taber's recommendations of particular wineries and other attractions that will ensure a memorable trip. Also included are brief vignettes from the author's travels. While many delightfully capture the essence of each destination, certain shorter, clipped entries may cause readers to thirst for more-a tribute to Taber's clean, informative and entertaining style. An evocative blend of travel memoir and history that will satisfy and guide wine lovers planning their own journeys.
- Kirkus Clippings

* Harriet's Iconoclast Newsletter
I can't sign off without telling you about the new book by George Taber, the author of the acclaimed "Judgment of Paris". "In Search of Bacchus" is not coming out until early October. I know that I am reviewing this a bit on the early side, but I have a few reasons for doing so....First of all, the book is great fun and very informative. The subtitle, by the way, is "Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism". Taber travels for six months to wine regions of the world...from Napa Valley to Australia, South Africa, Spain, France and ends up at what Taber calls 'the last frontier' in Georgia....not Georgia, USA but Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains. (As an aside, when I was a student in the USSR oh so many years ago, when we weren't being served vodka, we were served Georgian wine....at the time, the butt of many a joke. Not anymore!). Taber's story is interesting on many levels. He gives us a history of wine pioneers, including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, a brief review of the development of the wine industry in Napa Valley...and then he hits the road for an enlightening and entertaining tour. For lovers of wine and lovers of travel, this book is a must. For us at Iconoclast Books this publication is particularly exciting because our very own Kara Watson is the editor! We are all so proud of her. (Kara left us for the big city about four years ago....Our oh so clever and beloved Darren, who we desperately miss, followed her to New York and they are getting married any minute now!) FELICITATION!
- Harriet Parker-Bass

* Wine tourism, on safari or from the armchair
In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism" (Scribner, 287 pages, $30), by George M. Taber: Thirty-three years ago, George M. Taber set the world of wine on fire with a four-paragraph dispatch about a tasting in France that compared the work of French vintners with those of their counterparts in California. The California wines won, and winemaking in the New World has never been the same.

Taber wrote a book about the experience, "Judgment of Paris," followed by a second book, "To Cork or Not to Cork," on the history and controversy of wine corks.

Now, he's turned his sights on wine tourism, examining 12 regions on six continents in his new book, "In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism." He begins in familiar territory, California's Napa Valley, and winds his way through Chile, Italy and New Zealand, among others, before arriving finally at the former Soviet state of Georgia.

Taber eschews flowery descriptions of each wine's bouquet and clarity for criticism of the actual wine-tourism experience. Are the roads navigable? Are the wineries close together or miles apart? Do wineries charge for a tasting? The experience is nearly as important as the wines themselves.

He laments the opulence of some California winemakers and their attempts at mixing restaurants, gift shops and a tasting room, but celebrates the game reserve that combines South Africa's finest wines with a safari.

Readers get a blend of old-fashioned business and travel journalism with an if-you-go entry at the end of each chapter. The problem in these recessionary times is readers are less likely to take Taber's advice literally and hit the globe-trotting wine trail. But they'll still learn how the wine got from the vine to their table.

He also has suggestions for the "armchair traveler," with an appendix on what wines are widely available in the U.S. from the 12 regions he explores, and here he's more realistic: Most of these wines can be had for $30 or less.

One surprising find is how recently some countries came to winemaking — Argentina didn't get started in earnest until 1998 — and how individual players were instrumental in getting operations in countries like Chile and South Africa from domestic distribution to producing internationally recognized vintages.

The winemakers are diverse, from the Chilean who once supplied cluster bombs to the Iraqis, to Charles Back of South Africa's Fairview Wines, whose wines include Goats do Roam, Goat Door and Bored Doe. (Get it? The French winemakers behind Cotes du Rhone, Cote d'Or and Bordeaux did, and they weren't happy.)

"Charles Back never heard a pun about goats he didn't like," Taber writes.

Taber's purpose in writing this book may be best described by Francis Ford Coppola, the film director and owner of Napa Valley winery Rubicon Estate.

"It's like meeting a politician and shaking his hand," Coppola says. "You always feel later that you have a personal relationship with him. If you've been to a winery and walked through the vineyard, you feel it's yours and you order its wines."

Readers may not walk the rows at the Douro Valley's Quinta do Portal or Bordeaux's Chateau Haut-Brion, but Taber's newest book is solid journalism: who, what, when, where and, oh yeah, how much?

- NIGEL DUARA

* In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism
In his most recent book, the engaging and informative In Search of Bacchus, American journalist and author George Taber evokes the history of a dozen wine regions around the world while capturing the spirit of wine tourism.

This is not a conventional wine travel book, with details to help plan a trip, but is rather meant to inspire a trip in the first place. Taber starts with the stories of three pioneering wine tourists-English philosopher John Locke, American president Thomas Jefferson and Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson-who were inspired enough by wine to seek out firsthand experience of its production. Then Taber recounts his own wine tourism: the six months he recently spent traveling to wine regions around the world, from California's Napa Valley to the remote province of Kakheti, in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, with stops in South Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Germany along the way.

As he weaves in engaging personal stories, Taber's experiences lend the book a travel memoir feel. But more impressive is his ability to encapsulate the history of these wine regions and of their wine tourism, particularly in light of their political, economic, social and geographical challenges. It makes for a very informative trip around the wine world. What becomes clear from Taber's account is that the success of wine tourism is as much about the architecture, art, restaurants, hotels, events, adventures, personalities and tasting opportunities as it is about the wine itself.

For the most part, Taber focuses on well-known producers in the different regions; names familiar to wine lovers include Robert Mondavi, Casa Lapostolle, Leeuwin Estate, Banfi, Château Lynch-Bages and J.J. Prüm. For the armchair traveler, he lists the wines that he's tasted along the way in an appendix.

Taber's previous wine books include Judgment of Paris, about the famous 1976 tasting, and To Cork or Not to Cork, a thorough examination of wine closures. As in his previous work, Taber proves that he understands wine lovers and their passion. In Search of Bacchus makes a good case for tourism as a way for us to connect more deeply to wine.
- MaryAnn Worobiec

* Seeking guidance: 'In Search of Bacchus'

In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism" by George M. Taber (Scribner, $30, 320 pages)

Nowadays wine and travel are intertwined, but it wasn't always that way. Not long ago the idea of wine tourism was far-fetched.

In this elegant book, Taber explores 12 of the most beautiful wine-producing regions in the world: Napa Valley; Stellenbosch, South Africa; Mendoza, Argentina; Colchagua Valley, Chile; Margaret River, Australia; Central Otago in New Zealand's South Island, the southernmost wine making region in the world; Rioja, Spain; Douro Valley, Portugal; Tuscany, Italy; Bordeaux, France; Rheingau and Middle Mosel, Germany; and Kakheti, Georgia, on the southern side of the Caucasus Mountains, which Taber calls the last frontier. He describes the landscapes, converses with the winemakers and tastes the wines.

Part practical guide and part armchair tour, Taber also offers suggestions on trends in the industry and skilled commentary on various vintages. Anecdotes and historical background enliven the text.

Taber discusses the early days of Napa Valley, in the late 1960s, when it was "best known as the home of the State Mental Hospital" rather than as a haven for wine enthusiasts.

Bordeaux, considered the wine capital of the world, covers more than 300,000 acres and features 57 wine regions. Taber points out, however, that just 20 years ago the city of Bordeaux was run down and dirty. Since then it has gone through such a remarkable transformation that it has become a World Heritage site.
- June Sawyers, Chicago Tribune