How books fueled my passion for wines

For me, it was an anniversary dinner with my wife at a French bistro which sparked an interest in wines. An interest which would soon turn into a consuming passion. Anyone who has treaded this journey would know how engrossing the world of wines can be. And so it was for me too. Sometimes in retrospection I look back to past about ten years to see how it all unfolded.

Initially it was about gaining wine knowledge on social media. Thereafter I started attending various events like wine dinners, socials, wine promotions and wine tastings. As my wine passion grew so did my thirst for knowledge and I did some of best wine courses available in the country. But the one thing that really fueled my passion for wines has been the books on wine which I read.

With Amazon giving an easy access, I went on a spree, reading whatever interesting I could find on wines. Wines have been there since the time of earliest civilizations and have played a prominent role in social, cultural and economic fields and continue to do so even today. During each phase of human journey there have been people who have written about wines and the trend continues even now with so many authors penning their experience with wines.

In a series of posts starting with this one, I would be talking about some of my favorite books on wine, both to share what the book is about and why I found it to be a great read.

Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson – A longish name but the book itself is a gripping one and hooks you from the start. Thomas Jefferson was the fourth President of the United States, and interestingly he is also considered the Father of American Wine.

Fondness for wines led Jefferson to undertake an arduous journey through the wine regions of Burgundy, Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Bordeaux, Provence, crossing the Alps into Italy, travelling along the French and Italian rivieras and even Languedoc on the Canal du Midi and also some German vineyards. And at least one of the hotels he stayed in southern France is still functional and open for stay.

So impressive is his travelogue that it made me plan my own wine tourism in France, whenever it happens, on the same route which Jefferson traversed more than 200 years ago. It is on top of my bucket wish list. And if you also feel the same excitement as me then I recommend that you buy this book written by James M Gabler or borrow it from a library near you.

I also recommend you to check out the treasure of wine books available at the prestigious Academie Du Vin Library at https://academieduvinlibrary.com/ref/560