French wine
Subtitle: an illustrated miscellany
By: Bernard Pivot of the Académie Goncojurt ; translated from the French by David Radzinowicz ; series edited by Jean-Claude Simëon and Ghislaine Bavoillot
Contributors: Radzinowicz, David, translator
Edition: English-language edition.
Publisher: Plon & Flammarion
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Paris
Language: eng
Number of pages: 249
ISBN-13: 9782080201546
Subjects: Miscellanea; Wine and wine making
Work titles: Dictionnaire amoureaux du vin, version illustrée
Description: This handsome volume pays homage to the humble grape's revered nectar. This truly exceptional miscellany of anecdotes, facts, quotable quotes, and interesting stories celebrates wine in all its guises: from the origin of the toast (to prevent being poisoned at a dinner, it was customary for guests to tip part of their drink into their companion's glass) to the exact number of references to wine in the Bible (441) to the debate over whether Dom Perignon discovered bubbles, effectively inventing champagne, or simply started the tradition of blending the grapes in the drink he described as "like drinking stars." With references to world-class vineyards and favored grape varieties, the author covers the topic in a fascinating pastiche. Through quotes illustrating how traditions persist, such as Napoleon's "You drink champagne in victory, and you need it in defeat," this exquisitely produced volume is the perfect gift for the wine aficionado or bon vivant.
Notes: "This book is an abridged and illustrated edition of the original work published in French by Éditions Plon in 2006"--Colophon.

"Originally published in French as Dictionnaire amoureaux du vin, version illustrée © Plon & Flammarion, S.A., Paris, 2013"--Colophon.

English translated from French.
Table of contents: title: Preface: bread and wine; title: To your (Very good) health!; title: Wines of Alsace; title: Wine and love; title: Aromas and bouquets; title: Divinities and the vine; title: Beaujolais; title: Bordeaux; title: Corked; title: Burgundy; title: Charles Bukowski; title: Down in the cellar; title: Champagne; title: Chardonnay; title: Châteauneuf-du-Pape; title: The classification of 1855; title: Blind tasting; title: God and wine; title: Dom Pérignon; title: Label art; title: Haut-Brion; title: Persian bards; title: Drunkeness; title: Krug; title: Languedoc-Roussillon; title: The Loire Valley; title: Red wines of the Médoc; title: Communion wine; title: Vintages; title: Monks and winemaking; title: Enologists; title: Pétrus; title: Pinot noir; title: Provence; title: Grapes; title: Winegrowers' rivalry; title: Romanée-Conti; title: Saint Vincent; title: Wine and sex; title: Sommeliers; title: Brotherhood of the Knights of the Tasting Cup; title: Corkscrews; title: Barrels; title: Grape-picking; title: Veuve clicquot; title: Château d'Yquem; title: Zinc.