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The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World by Lawrence Osborne
jess_mango's review against another edition
3.0
GoodReads Summer Reading Challenge 2018 task: Read a book about drinks or drinking
Though I prefer mixed drinks, I do sometimes drink wine. I am by no means a wine expert though. This book had some interesting factoids about wine in it and I found it fascinating how there is very much a science to how American vineyards make wine. The book had bits of humor and irreverence throughout (for example, the author referred to the wine in a Catholic mass as "Our Lord's hemoglobin".
Though I prefer mixed drinks, I do sometimes drink wine. I am by no means a wine expert though. This book had some interesting factoids about wine in it and I found it fascinating how there is very much a science to how American vineyards make wine. The book had bits of humor and irreverence throughout (for example, the author referred to the wine in a Catholic mass as "Our Lord's hemoglobin".
remlezar's review against another edition
3.0
This was quite the mixed bag for me. I think the best way to review this will be a pros and cons list.
PROS:
-Some wonderful moments where the author delves into the regional history of wine. I enjoyed these moments very much.
-The interviews with the more eccentric winemakers are a treat.
-Luckily, a good amount of the book contains either one or both of the above.
CONS:
-The author himself is... hard to like. The idea of this book seems to be to have a guy who doesn't consider himself to be a connoisseur exploring the wine world. In other words, someone who is humble and without pretension figuring this thing out along with the reader. Unfortunately, he comes off to me as stuck up, judgmental, and somewhat cruel. For someone who supposedly doesn't trust his own taste, he sure does have plenty of negative things to say about lots of wine. He also seems to really hate Americans, or, at least, the influence America has had on wine. He casually grinds that ax a lot.
-Oh my god please stop talking about Robert Parker. I'd really like to read a book about wine that didn't spend such a significant amount of time talking about this dude. I get that he has been an important figure in the wine world, but I'm about tired of hearing aaalllll about him, especially from people who claim to want to move on from Parker style wines. How long has it been, now, since the wine world started claiming that it was moving away from Parker style wines, and towards drinks with more balance and elegance? If this is true, why can't people stop talking about him?
-I think this book could have used a more well defined guiding principal or thesis. It was regularly difficult to want to keep reading, because the book really didn't seem to have all that much to say.
-I think Osburne just wanted to write a sequel to Kermit Lynch's "Adventures on the Wine Route," which is a noble undertaking, but he lacks the knowledge and isn't as charming as Lynch. I learned from Lynch when I read "Adventures." Osborne didn't have nearly as much of value to say.
To put my thoughts into stars, this was a four star book when someone other than Osborne was talking, or when Osborne was writing about history. He was wonderful at that. The rest of the book, unfortunately, was a two star book - mostly frustrating, annoying, and kind of hard to get through. We'll meet in the middle and go with three out of five.
And I'm finally free to read something else.
PROS:
-Some wonderful moments where the author delves into the regional history of wine. I enjoyed these moments very much.
-The interviews with the more eccentric winemakers are a treat.
-Luckily, a good amount of the book contains either one or both of the above.
CONS:
-The author himself is... hard to like. The idea of this book seems to be to have a guy who doesn't consider himself to be a connoisseur exploring the wine world. In other words, someone who is humble and without pretension figuring this thing out along with the reader. Unfortunately, he comes off to me as stuck up, judgmental, and somewhat cruel. For someone who supposedly doesn't trust his own taste, he sure does have plenty of negative things to say about lots of wine. He also seems to really hate Americans, or, at least, the influence America has had on wine. He casually grinds that ax a lot.
-Oh my god please stop talking about Robert Parker. I'd really like to read a book about wine that didn't spend such a significant amount of time talking about this dude. I get that he has been an important figure in the wine world, but I'm about tired of hearing aaalllll about him, especially from people who claim to want to move on from Parker style wines. How long has it been, now, since the wine world started claiming that it was moving away from Parker style wines, and towards drinks with more balance and elegance? If this is true, why can't people stop talking about him?
-I think this book could have used a more well defined guiding principal or thesis. It was regularly difficult to want to keep reading, because the book really didn't seem to have all that much to say.
-I think Osburne just wanted to write a sequel to Kermit Lynch's "Adventures on the Wine Route," which is a noble undertaking, but he lacks the knowledge and isn't as charming as Lynch. I learned from Lynch when I read "Adventures." Osborne didn't have nearly as much of value to say.
To put my thoughts into stars, this was a four star book when someone other than Osborne was talking, or when Osborne was writing about history. He was wonderful at that. The rest of the book, unfortunately, was a two star book - mostly frustrating, annoying, and kind of hard to get through. We'll meet in the middle and go with three out of five.
And I'm finally free to read something else.
sjmaxa's review against another edition
4.0
I learned a lot about wine but not sure how much I'll retain much next time I visit the wine shop... This book is more about witty anecdotes with both known personalities like Robert Mondavi and unknown "garage vineyards" in California, France and Italy. I really enjoyed Osborne's pursuit of the definition of 'terroir' and explanations of the technical advancements in wine making.
smemmott's review against another edition
3.0
I read this because it happened to be available while I was traveling. I found it entertaining even though I'm not very knowledgeable about wine. Osborne is not interested in educating readers about wine, instead he tries to express the flavor of the wine world (or bits of it, in France and Italy.)
knski's review against another edition
4.0
This is markedly different from the glossy wine books, wine catalogs, or wine appreciation literature - it is none of these. This is mostly the account of the author's travels as he experiences first-hand, vine plantations and wine making. He has some interesting market insights too. The book makes an interesting read to me as an accidental consumer of wine.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
3.0
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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