An evocative blend of travel memoir and history that will satisfy and guide wine lovers planning their own journeys.
Award-winning wine writer Taber (To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle, 2007, etc.) explores wineries around the world and assesses the development and unique offerings of wine tourism in each region.
The author, a seasoned traveler and oenophile, visited most of the major wine-producing regions in the world, including Napa Valley, where wine tourism was first implemented on a grand scale; the Douro Valley in Portugal and Bordeaux region of France, two of the most richly historical areas in the world of wine; and Kakheti, Georgia, the “last frontier” in wine tourism. Some regions provide more fodder for romantic imaginings than others—the medieval cathedrals set amid the rolling hills of Rioja, Spain; the “unexpected sharpness and deep color saturation” in Central Otago, New Zealand—yet all the destinations possess their own special charm. From exotic wildlife photography in South Africa or listening to symphonies in the Australian bush, to experiencing a cooking class in a Tuscan monastery, Taber demonstrates that there are ample travel opportunities for a wide range of styles, budgets and levels of wine knowledge. Each region is afforded a chapter devoted to the history and development of its tourism, the particular grapes that thrive there and Taber’s recommendations of particular wineries and other attractions that will ensure a memorable trip. Also included are brief vignettes from the author’s travels. While many delightfully capture the essence of each destination, certain shorter, clipped entries may cause readers to thirst for more—a tribute to Taber’s clean, informative and entertaining style.
An evocative blend of travel memoir and history that will satisfy and guide wine lovers planning their own journeys.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4165-6243-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2009
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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