For the Love of Wine

My Odyssey Through the World's Most Ancient Wine Culture

Alice Feiring author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Potomac Books Inc

Published:30th Apr '16

Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date

For the Love of Wine cover

In 2011 when Alice Feiring first arrived in Georgia, she felt as if she’d emerged from the magic wardrobe into a world filled with mythical characters making exotic and delicious wine with the low tech of centuries past. She was smitten, and she wasn’t alone. This country on the Black Sea has an unusual effect on people; the most passionate rip off their clothes and drink wines out of horns while the cold-hearted well up with tears and parse emotional toasts. Visiting winemakers fall under Georgia’s spell and bring home qvevris (clay fermentation vessels) while rethinking their own techniques. But as in any good fairy tale, Feiring sensed that danger ran shotgun with the magic. With acclaim and growing international interest come threats in the guise of new wine consultants aimed at making wines more commercial. So Feiring fought back in the only way she knew how—by celebrating Georgia and the men and women who make the wines she loves most, those made naturally with organic viticulture, minimal intervention, and no additives.

From Tbilisi to Batumi, Feiring meets winemakers, bishops, farmers, artists, and silk spinners. She feasts, toasts, and collects recipes. She encounters the thriving qvevri craftspeople of the countryside, wild grape hunters, and even Stalin’s last winemaker—while plumbing the depths of this tiny country’s love for its wines.

For the Love of Wine is Feiring’s emotional tale of a remarkable country and people who have survived religious wars and Soviet occupation, yet managed always to keep hold of its precious wine traditions. Embedded in the narrative is even hope that Georgia has the temerity to confront its latest threat—modernization.

“By the time you’ve picked up this book, Georgian wine will be internationally known—thanks in no small part to Alice Feiring, who has put her passion and pen behind it. What do God, Stalin, and truth have to do with great wine? Follow her on her journeys into a rich and fascinating culture and find out.” —Christine Muhlke, executive editor of Bon Appétit 


“With charm, flair, and deep human compassion Alice Feiring immerses us in the ancient contradictory culture of Georgia. Reading her vivid prose one can almost sniff the orange blossom notes in the wines, savor the eggplant rolls filled with garlicky walnuts, and share epic feasts with a cast of unforgettable characters. How lucky we are to have her as our guide to this fascinating, singular country.”—Anya Von Bremzen, author of The Art of Soviet Cooking

ISBN: 9781612347646

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

208 pages