Book Review: Red, White and Drunk All Over

[Rebel Rose]

Red, White, and Drunk All Over, by Natalie MacLean, author of the award-winning wine newsletter, Nat Decants

I really tried hard not to finish this book. An odd thing to say, I suppose, but I thought it would be more fun to post some blurbs from the first few chapters, encourage other members to get the book, and then read it together. But like a box of open chocolates, it sucked me in and before I knew it, I had finished the whole thing.

Natalie MacLean won me over completely in chapter one, The Good Earth, as she describes touring the caves and tunnels of Domaine LeFlaive in Puligny-Montrachet with Madame Anne-Claude LeFlaive. No nonsense about swirling aromas and eclectic flavors . . .

“As we pass each dark tunnel and room, I’m like a well-trained rat in a science maze experiment, looking for an upended barrel with a bottle on top of it. At last we get to it: four open bottles and several wineglasses.”

MacLean opens her book with tours of Domaine LeFlaive and lunch with the formidable Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy, “La Tigresse” (whose rambunctious dogs set off the cellar alarms while Madame’s oven smokes up the house.)

Over luncheon, MacLean asks Bize-Leroy how long her Burgundy productions should be aged.

Her face darkens. “Who knows?” she snaps. “Certainly, the critics don’t. How can they predict when to drink my wine, when even I can’t? They’re making it up. C’est terrible! And their descriptions—filled with every silly berry on the planet!”

We both shake our heads grimly over the stupidity of wine writers.

“. . . as the smoke continues to stream from the oven, she pours her 2001 Corton-Charlemagne, a gorgeous chardonnay with concentrated mineral depth and spicy pear notes . . . When my wine is gone, I sniff the empty glass pathetically.”

As MacLean walks us through these legendary vineyards and caves, she stops to explain the basics of wine production and viticulture in terms that readers at any level can happily imbibe. Her sense of humor is honest, refreshing, and self-effacing. It’s like traveling through Europe with a sister who is a passionate wine geek. She pauses to explain each meaning and nuance, while challenging her know-it-all sibling with humorous portraits of legendary winemakers and quirky historical insights.

For instance, MacLean takes us along on her first tour of the caves and tunnels beneath Pommery in Reims, with guide Marianne Barbier . . .

“During the wars, the caves belonging to Pommery and other winemakers became refuges, housing sleeping quarters, hospitals, schools, churches, and even a theater. “Even during the bombing, they continued to pick the grapes because they had to earn a living,” Barbier tells me. “The men had gone off to war, so it was the women and children which crawled out between the vines—many of them died.” She points to a pile of bottles from the early 1940s. “The blood of France is in this wine.”

From Randall Grahm’s eccentricities to death threats against wine critic Robert Parker, MacLean’s storytelling radar focuses on the weird and humorous . . .

“After Parker called [Chateau Cheval Blanc] “a disappointment,” the manager invited him to visit the chateau and retaste the wine. But when Parker entered the front door, the manager’s dog, a fox terrier, attacked the critic—biting his leg hard enough to make it bleed, while the other man stood by and watched. Parker asked for a bandage, the manager instead handed him a copy of the Wine Advocate.”

Undercover operations as a wine store clerk and restaurant sommelier were inspired by her own personal experiences. Once, while traveling alone in Europe, she decided to celebrate her birthday by ordering a special half-bottle of a favorite wine. The $150 half-bottle was corked, ruined, and when she worked up the courage to inquire about that, the sommelier’s response was so brutal, it lead to a feminine meltdown that may have launched one of the most sympathetic wine list and wine service voices writing today.

Natalie MacLean’s writing makes me want to pack a suitcase and order a flight ticket for anywhere she plans to go.

Red, White, and Drunk All Over

[Rebel Rose]

I forgot to add that Natalie is a member here at eGullet, and I am sure she will be pleased to drop in and answer any questions we may have!

Congratulations, Natalie, on the publication of your book. How long did it take you to write it? How did you choose the material and chapters for the book?

[Natalie MacLean]

I forgot to add that Natalie is a member here at eGullet, and I am sure she will be pleased to drop in and answer any questions we may have!

Congratulations, Natalie, on the publication of your book.  How long did it take you to write it?  How did you choose the material and chapters for the book?

←

Hi Mary,

Thanks so much for your great review! I'm delighted that you liked the book. I'm posting from Amsterdam, where I'm supporting the launch of the Dutch edition... it's a beautiful city... I love the way the lights reflect in the canals at night.

How long did it take to write the book? All my life! Kidding, but I did bring everything I've done (and am) to it. From the time I signed the contract with the publishers to publication was two years.

Choosing the material was a matter of following the life cyle of wine from grape to glass. So I began in Burgundy (though I could have started in any number of Old World regions) to talk about where wine started historically and also the beginning the life cycle with the vines... however, this sounds a bit boring now that I read it. Really, I wanted to seek out the most passionate, colorful, obsessed people in the wine industry and in telling their stories, tell the story of wine. So in Burgundy I visited Domaine Romanee-Contee and several others who winemakers are extradorinarily committed to what they do, but they're also opinionated, and I like that for getting a good debate going when it comes to wine.

I also tried to do, rather than just observe. So for example, chapter two is about the harvest. But instead of interviewing a winemaker, I decided to help with the harvest... get my hands dirty (ruin my manicure etc). It helped me understand what goes on at a winery during the critical time of year at a gut level (as I lugged hoses and picked grapes)... here too I sought out a fascinating person: Randall Grahm with Bonny Doon Vineyards in California. He's terrific in terms of his insights and he's provocative.

I tried to find adventures in the wine world and through them learn why we're so crazy about alcoholic grape juice. There's a reason there aren't any orange juice critics...

Feel free to ask more questions. I may be off-line for a few days traveling, but I'll check in again when I get home. Thanks so much for your interest in my book!

Cheers,

Natalie

www.nataliemaclean.com

Nat Decants Wine E-Newsletter

[Rebel Rose]

Thanks for joining us, Natalie. Speaking of "doing," I also really enjoyed the story of your mishaps while disgorging Champagne. Please feel free to answer questions after you have returned and rested up!

How many countries will your book be available in?

Now, I have to ask . . . you're tasting wine during a seminar with Georg Riedel (of Riedel stemware fame), and somehow you manage to find out that he's wearing a suit "made from Italian fabric by a Viennese tailor." How exactly did you find that out? Did you just pipe up between the chardonnay and the cabernet samples and outright ask him? You said he's even planned the wines to be served at his own funeral. I certainly hope at the age of 54 that he's not planning on having that party anytime soon. Do you know which wines they are?

[Felice]

Nathalie,

I have to say that I really enjoyed your book and have even gone back and re-read a few of the chapters. I’ve been trying to learn more about wine, specifically French wine, and have read books like French Wines for Dummies and Andrew Jefford’s The New France. Recently a friend gave me your book as a gift and I quickly devoured the entire thing. I can honestly say that reading your ‘stories’ about wine rather than just the straight facts about terroir and how wine is made has made things sink in for me a lot more. I walked away really feeling like my knowledge had increased and it was a facinating read as well. So merci beaucoup for a wonderful book. Will you be launching the book in Paris as well?

[MaxH]

... in chapter one, The Good Earth, as she describes touring the caves and tunnels of Domaine LeFlaive in Puligny-Montrachet with Madame Anne-Claude LeFlaive.  No nonsense about swirling aromas and eclectic flavors . . .

Yes, there are some very down-to-earth winemakers around Burgundy, and they know their business. The accounts ring true to my experiences there. (I quoted the same LeFlaive here earlier this year, from when she was showing her wines, in This thread.)

While I'm at it, here's another remark from Jeremy Seysses a few days ago. "It's very much a Côte-de-Nuits thing to [sample] the whites after the reds. It's also natural, because many firms there just produce one white."

The business about a sommelier browbeating a customer over a genuinely corked wine is outrageous. (Assuming the customer knew corkiness and was correct in identifying it, a reasonable assumption since many people know the issue.) I will say that most of the capable somms I've run into, and this holds at least as much in France as anywhere else, are very decent people and are basically wine lovers who made a job of it, and they resonate with wine-enthusast diners and like to share the enthusiasm. Of course people are people too.

[JohnL]

A few weeks ago I was perusing the shelves at a Barnes and Noble and

saw your book.

I saw your book.

Given that probably the last thing the world needs right now is another book about wine and the fact that my wife is close to tossing me out--our bookshelves are rife with wine books--I was only moderately interested in your effort.

I opened the book and briefly flipped through it.

The real test for me was how you handled a few somewhat controversial issues. You came through with flying colors and I bought the book.

Even though you are dealing with a rather basic level of wine appreciation, and I have heard most of the anecdotes and am familiar with most of the subjects you address, I do find your approach to be very refreshing.

You basically allow the wine makers to deal with the argy bargy (talk about snake oil salesmen --and women) and then remind readers that it always comes down to what's in the glass before them that counts.

I also enjoyed re visiting familiar territory because of your approach and the nice accessible style--a great read.

congratulations on an effort well done!

ps

I made a deal with my wife--your book goes on the shelf replacing a few Hugh Johnson pocket guides from the seventies.

[Natalie MacLean]

Nathalie,

I have to say that I really enjoyed your book and have even gone back and re-read a few of the chapters.  I’ve been trying to learn more about wine, specifically French wine, and have read books like French Wines for Dummies and Andrew Jefford’s The New France.  Recently a friend gave me your book as a gift and I quickly devoured the entire thing.  I can honestly say that reading your ‘stories’ about wine rather than just the straight facts about terroir and how wine is made has made things sink in for me a lot more.  I walked away really feeling like my knowledge had increased and it was a facinating read as well.  So merci beaucoup for a wonderful book.  Will you be launching the book in Paris as well?

←

Thanks Felice, I'm delighted that you liked the stories! The "learning" is supposed to be hidden in them (just as my mother hid the peas in the mashed potatoes). Haven't sold the book in France yet (usually they wait to see how you do in your own country)... but has been published in Canada, the US, the Netherlands/Holland and the UK.

[Natalie MacLean]

A few weeks ago I was perusing the shelves at a Barnes and Noble and

saw your book.

I saw your book.

Given that probably the last thing the world needs right now is another book about wine and the fact that my wife is close to tossing me out--our bookshelves are rife with wine books--I was only moderately interested in your effort.

I opened the book and briefly flipped through it.

The real test for me was how you handled a few somewhat controversial issues. You came through with flying colors and I bought the book.

Even though you are dealing with a rather basic level of wine appreciation, and I have heard most of the anecdotes and am familiar with most of the subjects you address, I do find your approach to be very refreshing.

You basically allow the wine makers to deal with the argy bargy (talk about snake oil salesmen --and women) and then remind readers that it always comes down to what's in the glass before them that counts.

I also enjoyed re visiting familiar territory because of your approach and the nice accessible style--a great read.

congratulations on an effort well done!

ps

I made a deal with my wife--your book goes on the shelf replacing a few Hugh Johnson pocket guides from the seventies.

←

Thanks John! You make me laugh because when I first thought about this project I said, "The world does not need another wine book!" Well, here we are... it was lots of fun and I hope to go on more adventures...

[Rebel Rose]

Has anyone else had a chance to read Natalie's book yet?