TITLE:
Secrets of
the Wine Whisperer
AUTHOR:
The Wine Whisperer – Jerry
GreenfieldPRICE: $17.95
PUBLISHER: Creative Book Publishers International
FORMAT: Trade Paperback
PAGES: 313
ISBN: 978-0-9818222-5-9
PUB. DATE: June 15, 2014
DIST: Creative Projects International Ltd.
Purchase at www.thewine-whisperer.com and Amazon.com
The Wine Whisperer Loves Wine Out Loud
Reviewed by Jan Kaplan
Reviewed by Jan Kaplan
Marketing expert and wine guru Jerry Greenfield offers a
riotous memoir of an ordinary couple’s seduction into the world of fine
wine. Even if you have only a passing
interest in the subject, Mr. Greenfield’s recollections and “secrets” will make
for a delightful read.
Secrets of the Wine
Whisperer is subtitled “How I Learned to Drink Wine and Found Ecstasy, Joy,
Peace, Happiness, Life, and Salvation.”
And indeed, the author carefully traces the journey taken by him and his
wife as they educated their palates, discovered how to find those “bargain
bottles,” and learned to understand how the juice in the bottle connects with
the cultures and places that produce it.
He also details (with some regret) their impulse to spend
beyond their means as they pursue their travels to faraway winegrowing regions,
three-day tasting events that cost thousands of dollars, and the compulsion to
build a refrigerated wine cellar in their home.
Then, there was the necessity to accumulate all the accessories that go
along with fine wine collecting and tasting:
corkscrews of every description, hilariously fragile glassware in a
different shape for each variety of wine, special soap to wash the glasses, and
so it goes.
There’s another regret, as well…though it’s humorously
told. As Greenfield and his wife Debi
became more deeply immersed, relationships with their friends started to change.
He writes, “I felt worse every time I thought about
it, in a conscience bothering sort of way, but we had, over the past year or so,
basically eliminated from our social lives anyone who didn’t enjoy wine. Shame
on us, but, in our defense, we weren’t really aware that it was happening. Since wine lovers enjoy sharing, it was
disappointing to open something nice and relatively elevated in price for some
dinner companions who didn’t understand it, appreciate it, or who (heaven
forbid) wanted to put a few ice cubes in it. We’d built our circle of friends outward from
people who shared the passion and gradually drifted away from people who
didn’t.”
The author’s humor is a special joy of the book. While Greenfield knows that he and his wife
have gotten in way over their heads, he views their situation with just the
right touch of clever irony and self-deprecation.
Mr. Greenfield makes sure we understand that he is not a
sommelier or any kind of wine professional, though his self-education in the
subject led him to the position of Wine Director of a major charity wine
event. He writes in the wondering voice
of an ordinary person who discovered an interest that became a passion, and
finally an obsession. He captures the
journey through the world of winemaking with clever wit, quirky anecdotes, and
unique meanderings. Secrets is a must read, whether you’re
interested in beginning a similar journey, or already an accomplished wine
aficionado.
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