Wine Reading by Michael Perlis

When I am not drinking wine [and sometimes when I am], I really enjoy reading about it.

Of course, I read a lot of information online, starting with Eve’s Wine 101, and I spend way too much time on the eRobertParker.com message boards.

And, I read the usual publications about wine: Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate, Wine & Spirits, etc.

But, sometimes there is nothing like curling up with a good book.

When I read a wine book, I am usually not looking for scores, ratings and tasting notes. Rather, I am interested in the stories behind the wines and the people in the industry.

Some of the books about wine that I have read recently —

A Moveable Thirst by Rick Kushman and Hank Beal: A very entertaining book about two guys on a mission to hit all the public tasting rooms in Napa. Kind of the anti-Sideways. True stories, likeable characters and the book is a terrific resource for visitors to Napa as well.

Harvests of Joy by Robert Mondavi and The House of Mondavi by Julia Flynn Siler: Two necessarily very different takes on the man who arguably had the greatest influence on the development of the California wine industry.

The Cork Jester’s Guide To Wine and Waiter, There’s a Horse in My Wine by Jennifer “Chotzi” Rosen: Two collections of articles by a very entertaining and informative wine writer.

Gary Vaynerchuk’s 101 Wines by pioneering video blogger Gary Vaynerchuk of winelibrarytv.com. Subtitled as “guaranteed to inspire, delight, and bring thunder to your world”. Enough said.

American Vintage by Paul Lukacs is a very readable history of wine in the United States.

And in The Great Wines of America, Mr. Lukacs makes his case for the top forty wineries of America. You may not agree with his choices, but he makes excellent arguments to support his picks.

Finally, in The Emperor of Wine, Elin McCory writes about the man who is arguably the most influential wine critic in the world — Robert M. Parker, Jr.

There are a lot more wine books out there; in fact, I have several more at home waiting for me to get to them.

Now, when will Eve be writing her book?