A Few of My Favorite Wine Books
Read these with wineglass in hand.
Need some reading inspiration? Here are some of my favorite wine-related books! They range from natural wine guides to memoirs to biographies to nonfiction wine stories. There’s something on this list for everyone.
Wine. All the Time.: The Casual Guide to Confident Drinking is the book I read when I was first getting into natural wine, recommended to me by a fellow nerdy wine-loving friend. It completely opened my eyes to the natural wine world! Author Marissa A. Ross is a professional wine writer, but this book is the most casual wine book I’ve ever encountered.
Ross breaks down the natural wine world in a way that is incredibly relatable as if she were your friend chatting to you over coffee. It’s almost like a cheat sheet for entering the natural wine world. She walks readers through reading wine labels, shopping for bottles, and ordering wine at a restaurant all with a healthy dose of humor. I highly recommend this book for people who are new to the natural wine world and want to learn more about it.
Natural Wine for the People: What It Is, Where to Find It, How to Love It is a more technical intro to natty wine by the queen of natural wine herself, Alice Feiring. Natural Wine for the People is definitely approachable, but Feiring’s writing contains the force of over thirty years of working in the natural wine space. She speaks as an authority because she is.
Feiring has written six books on wine, been massively influential in bringing natural wine to the attention of American wine drinkers, advocated for small producers, written about wine for big publications, and reviewed countless many wines on her blog, The Feiring Line. That’s quite the resumé! I find all of Feiring’s books to be fascinating, but this one is perfect for learning more about the world of natural wine.
The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It
The trademark orange wine label may be recognizable the world over, but what do we know about the woman behind the label? Honestly, not much: Vueve Clicquot may have started one of the most successful champagne houses, but she is shrouded in mystery. This biography by Tilar J. Mazzeo sheds some light on the subject.
Mazzeo has thoroughly researched and compiled a riveting biography on the Widow Clicquot. From her early life to her marriage into the wine world to her struggles throughout a war to running a vastly successful wine label as an unmarried woman, Mazzeo weaves a tale of Clicquot’s life that I found hard to put down. Yes, it’s a nonfiction biography, but Veuve Clicquot’s life and business was filled with so many twists and turns that it reads like a novel. I really enjoyed this book and learned so much about not just Veuve Clicquot but the champagne world as a whole.
Dreaming of ditching your day job and pursuing a career in wine? Read this first. This memoir by Bianca Bosker takes readers on an immersive journey into the world of wine professionals. Bosker is on a mission to understand the world of sommeliers, and she quits her day job to dive into her research. You will dive into this subculture with Bosker as she starts an entry-level job in the wine world, learns to taste, and eventually tackles the Master Sommelier exam. Cork Dork is an enlightening behind-the-scenes account of the professional wine world, but it’s also an homage to taste. At the end of the day, learning to taste is what Bosker’s journey is all about and why so many people become wine fanatics.
The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine
Another nonfiction book that reads like a novel, The Billionare’s Vinegar tells the story of a bottle of wine that caused quite the scandal. In 1985, a 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux sold for $156,000 at an auction at Christie’s in London. The seller claimed it was once owned by Thomas Jefferson, that a recent renovation had uncovered Jefferson’s hidden wine cellar in Paris. The book opens with this sale, and readers are immediately whisked away on the subsequent journey of the wine and the people surrounding it. Though you know it’s a con from the start, the story quickly becomes murky and you find yourself doubting whether or not the bottle of wine is a fake after all. Author Benjamin Wallace does a great job of letting this story unfold suspensefully.
Not only did I find the thrilling twists and turns of this wine con to be a good read, but I also enjoyed learning more about the world of expensive wine collectors. The Billionare’s Vinegar offers a peek behind the curtain (which we don’t often get) into this elite world.
Extremely Pale Rosé: A Very French Adventure
You know I had to include a fun read on this list. Extremely Pale Rosé is about as lighthearted as it gets, yet it also takes readers on a vivid tour of French winemaking regions. In what can only be described as a wild goose chase, author Jamie Ivey invites readers along on his quest to find the palest rosé in France.
Along with his wife and a friend, Ivey follows every mention of pale rosé in the country to the winemakers themselves. They investigate every lead, leave no vineyard unvisited, buy gallons of pale rosés, and taste their fair share of wines. They are on a quest to find the palest rosé before the next harvest for they have accidentally entered a bet with a Southern France winemaker whose rosé is notoriously the palest in all the land. If you want to feel like you’re on a sunny, light vacation in the south of France with a dash of suspense and maybe learn a bit about wine, read this one!
I hope you find these wine reads inspiring. Though they’re very different, each one is a great way to nerd out over wine. Let me know what you think & if you have a book I must read, drop me a note below!