Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from Kermit Lynch Wine Brochur
- Book Review,
by Kermit Lynch
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Though this collection of essays, gleaned from Lynch’s wine sales brochures from 1974 to 2003, seems at first glance to be little more than wine propaganda, the industry expert’s humorously written descriptions will educate as much as they entertain. Originally written to bolster sales at Lynch’s now legendary wine import shop in Berkeley, Calif., the essays reproduced here serve as an easy-to-imbibe master class for aficionados of French wines. And few writers—even Gourmet’s venerable wine scribe Gerald Asher—can do as princely a job enlisting mere words to describe wine with such precision. Lynch is just as comfortable articulating the "resiny rosemary-like fragrance" of an Auguste Clape Cornas as he is a 1984 Gilbert Alquier Faugères with a "deep purple color, complex aroma and a good chewy quality." And lest readers think that good wine must be expensive, there’s the 1997 Madiran, which leaves a "big, round, powerful impression on the palate" but not on the wallet. Lynch divides his time between France and California, and the "wine people" he profiles on both sides of the Atlantic are one of the collection’s greatest discoveries. Of the merry vintners at Château de Perron, the author writes: "Why do I always have the impression that I have interrupted them at play?... And what kind of smile is that on her face? I’d call it mischievous...." Much wine writing today is infused with a pompous, exclusionary air; not so with Lynch’s casual but informative compendium. These witty writings—sometimes sweet and sometimes dry—are a fitting paean to the author’s lifelong obsession, and the richly photographed tome should be required reading for devotees of nature’s poetry in a bottle.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
One of the world’s most revered wine merchants and importers, Kermit Lynch changed the way Americans drink wine and the way the French make it. His retail shop in Berkeley, California, is a legendary mecca for people who enjoy good wine. Lynch is also a greatly admired writer on the subject. His monthly brochure has been the medium for expressing his philosophy since the early seventies, offering readers not only a wine education, but entry into moldy old cellars and glittering three-star restaurants. It is full of passion, principle, and humor, and peopled by a cast of characters like Patricia Wells, Richard Olney, Lulu Peyraud, Jim Harrison, and many more. In INSPIRING THIRST, Lynch presents under one cover the best of his engaging, highly personal (sometimes cantankerous) accounts of winemakers and their rare potions. Illustrated by the photographs of Gail Skoff, here is a thirst-inspiring treat for wine lovers.
From the Publisher
* An anthology of wine writing from one of the world’s most revered wine merchants and importers, selected from more than 30 years of his monthly brochure (national circulation 25,000), and illustrated by the photographs of Gail Skoff. * Kermit Lynch’s first book, Adventures Along the Wine Route, is in its 11th printing and won the Veuve Cliquot Wine Book of the Year Award. Hugh Johnson said "I am simply thrilled by it. I am bowled over by his blend of poetry and candour." Alice Waters said it "has given wine a new dimension for me." * Kermit Lynch’s wines are available across the United States.
About the Author
KERMIT LYNCH has been named Wine Professional of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and has won the French Chevalier de l’Ordre de Merite Agricole award. He lives in Berkeley, California.
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