How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto
Wine fanatics, or those angling for entry to the world of wine, will find comfort in New York Times chief wine critic Asimov’s down-to-earth discussion of loving wine. His approach welcomes all, untangling the preposterous hype around wine scores, blind tastings, and memorizing grape varietals, aspects that supposedly separate the masters from the rest. But readers expecting some handy checklist should look elsewhere. Asimov wants to challenge readers. Answers do come, though, while he considers his own unlikely path from casual drinker to the powerful industry voice he has become. And while much of his story strays from wine, what’s really special here is that Asimov’s argument not only makes so much sense but that he doesn’t take the easy way out, letting wine drinkers off the hook to drink whatever simply tastes good. He values any opinion, as long as it comes with thoughtful reasoning. Moreover, what he argues is most essential for a relationship with wine, and what’s most refreshing to read, is an approach free of anxiety and open to love. --Casey Bayer