This Christmas, don't give your wine lover the standard issue 750ml. Give him or her another type of mind-expanding experience: books.
There are wine books that are didactic in nature and books that read like novels and books that are novels that incorporate wine, food, culture and a spicy intrigue. Then, there are those books that upset conventional belief and challenge the status quo.
Here are my picks for each category:
"A History of the World in Six Glasses" by Tom Standage, $25 (didactic):
This is not a new book, but it remains the best in its class. Published in 2005 by Walker Publishing Co., this magnificent work of non-fiction speaks of all the vital fluids: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and (arguably) soda, and how each has changed the world and world order.
It is fascinating, marvelously perceptive, tremendously insightful, carefully researched and sets you back on your haunches a few times per chapter. You will never look at liquid, any liquid, the same way again. As the old adage goes, the waters of the world separate us, wine brings us together. But this book delves far deeper than that.
"From this Hill, My Hand, Cynthiana's Wine" by Paul Roberts, $17 (novel/journal):
This also is not a new book. It was published by Resonant Publishing in 1999. I still think it is the best of its class. It is beautifully written, and from the soul.
It chronicles a husband-wife team in the years before the opening of their commercial winery in western Maryland. But it's much more than that.
It chronicles the intelligence of a liberal-arts education channeled constructively into museum work that somehow takes productive root in a living soil and a natural (vs. preserved) environment. It's a delightful read.
Spicy intrigue
Mike Orenduff is the author (publisher: Oak Tree Press), and the books are many: "The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras," "The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein," "The Pot Thief Who Studied Escoffier" and "The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy" (from $12 to $15).
These are murder mysteries with a very "punny," highly intellectual bent. The main character is big on New Mexican Gruet sparkling wine to accompany breakfast burritos, and even bigger on first-class margaritas with salsa and chips to close the day. In between is great plot, snappy dialogue and a lot of interesting Tex-Mex eating that has the mouth parched and the stomach growling within five pages of reading.
You don't have to read them in exact sequence in order to appreciate the fabulously rich cultural anecdotes, wine tidbits and tequila sunrises of New Mexico. And you'll want to read them with Gruet on ice and a batch of margaritas at the ready. This all makes for a heck of a gift basket: four books, a bottle of Gruet and margarita fixin's. Tie it up with a bow!
Re-thinking convention
Benjamin Lewin just came out with a new book entitled "In Search of Pinot Noir" (Vandange Press, $30). The author was the founding editor of the scientific journal Cell.
One is compelled to acknowledge his laser-beam ability of cutting through the dust motes of history in search of truth. His last book "At What Price Bordeaux?" ($23) upset the apple cart with regard to the staid and true.
This new offering will challenge all previously blindly accepted biblical chapters of winedom, no doubt. He "boldly goes where no man has gone before." Perfect for every star man on your list.