Bacchus and Me : Adventures in the Wine Cellar
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| Bacchus and Me : Adventures in the Wine Cellar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jay McInerney on wine? Yes, Jay McInerney on wine! The best-selling novelist has turned his command of language and flair for metaphor on the world of wine, providing this sublime collection of untraditional musings on wine and wine culture that is as fit for someone looking for “a nice Chardonnay” as it is for the oenophile.
On champagne: “Is Dom Pérignon worth four bottles of Mo‘t & Chandon? If you are a connoisseur, a lover, a snob, or the owner of a large oceangoing craft, the answer . . . is probably yes.” On the difficulty of picking a wine for a vegetarian meal: “Like boys and girls locked away in same-sex prep schools, most wines yearn for a bit of flesh.” On telling the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux: “If it’s red, French, costs too much, and tastes like the water that’s left in the vase after the flowers have died, it’s probably Burgundy.” On the fungus responsible for the heavenly flavor of the dessert wine called Sauternes: “Not since Baudelaire smoked opium has corruption resulted in such beauty.” Includes new material plus recommendations on the world’s most romantic wines and the best wines to pair with a meal |
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Bright lights: Krug, Latour, Lafite, Montrose. Big cities: Montalcino, Hampstead, Reims, Geyserville. Welcome to Bacchus & Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar, bestselling novelist Jay McInerney's mixed four-case lot of wine essays culled primarily from his output of "Uncorked" pieces written for House & Garden magazine. Reflecting the author's wit and opinion, it's tasty and stylish stuff. And nestled between glossy pages of photos depicting, say, a 396-square-foot TriBeCa loft decorated with a pair of Eames chairs purchased at a Brooklyn swap meet for $45, McInerney's blend of self-deprecation (his "eyebrows raised and jaw dropped" when H&G editors broached his name as wine columnist) and irreverence (on straw-covered Chianti bottles: the "bong component of choice in dorm rooms around the world") is refreshing juice. Unfortunately, as a compilation, it serves more to unmask a Eurocentric name-dropper: the bon-mot-coining D2 dilettante on an expense account who got the gig because he knew the editor. It's distressing, because there's so much to like here: "A Ticket to the Veneto" is a sparkling meld of ego and yeast; questioning whether or not to cellar wine, he concludes, "What could be more all-American than instant gratification?"; and his dead-on description of a Port hangover is quintessential McInerney. But numerous repetitions, imperceptible when published monthly, irritate when separated not by 30 days but 30 pages: Sauvignon Blanc's aroma of "pipi du chat" is funny the first time you read it, less so two essays later; likewise you won't find a single California piece that doesn't contain the words "dude" or "Helen Turley." And while it's admirable to break the mould of stuffy wine writing, McInerney's a bit long in the tastevin to adopt a "Wine Brat" posture comparing, for example, Martinelli Jackass Hill Zin more to "Free Bird" than "Jumpin' Jack Flash," or describing his first sip of Mouton "like hearing Nirvana on Saturday Night Live." Blame it on the editor, or maybe it just depends on how you devour Bacchus & Me. Sipped slowly, McInerney's words taste of the passionate amateur oenophile and skilled raconteur. Gulp 'em down and the finish is of the bestselling bon vivant with a blank check. --Tony Mason
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| 08-20-08 | 2 | (NA) |
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I read "A hedonist in the cellar" first and the reading was so enjoyable that I was looking forward to this one. It turned out that "Bacchus & Me" is not as good...
Not to mention some repetitions between the two books, I think "Bacchus & Me" are more for the novice wheras "A hedonist in the cellar" would be more for already advised hedonists. I was sometimes bored with Bacchus and Me, despite the good writing and the humor sprinkled now and then, and I found the topics not so original (again as opposed and compared to "A hedonist in the cellar". In a Nutshell, I recommend much more McInerney's second book about wine. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-11-30 08:27:57 EST)
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| 08-11-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I personally have not read the book, I gave it to my father for Christmas because he owns a liquor store. He really enjoyed the book and found it an easy read for someone beginning to learn about wine.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-21 07:22:13 EST)
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| 06-19-07 | 4 | 2\3 |
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"Since I have no real training in the official vocabulary of wine tasting--or for that matter, in gardening--you are more likely to find me comparing a wine to a movie, a poem, or a pop song than to an herb or a flower. These are the notes of a passionate amateur, a wordsmith with a wine jones" (p. xxiv).
Jay Mcinerney (1955) is not only a bestselling novelist (Bright Lights, Big City; Ransom; Story of My Life; Brightness Falls; The Last of the Savages; The Good Life), he is also an amateur oenephile (a "grape nut") and the wine columnist for House & Garden magazine. In his first compilation of wine essays drawn from his "Uncorked" column, McInerney proves he is "the best wine writer in America" (Salon), writing about his "first love" (Bordeaux), his initial prejudice against California wines ("Ripe, yes. Fruity, yes. So is Baywatch."), his nervous admiration for Helen Turley ("the wine goddess"), the "cult of Condrieu," champagne ("Beautiful Bubbleheads"), Burgundy ("If it's red, French, costs too much, and tastes like the water that's left in the vase after the flowers have died and rotted, it's probably Burgundy."), the most romantic wines, and pairing wine with food. McInerney brings his unique gift of terroir, wit, and opinion to these essays, making his book a must read for anyone who, like me, has a passion for really good wine and really good writing. And for those readers left wanting more wine adventures with McInerney, check out A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine (2006), ISBN: 978-1400044825. G. Merritt (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-18 07:26:53 EST)
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| 02-17-07 | 3 | 0\1 |
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...within the first 15 pages. That is how long it took me to confirm previous posters comments related to the author's uncontrollable tendancy to name-drop. Now, there is no doubt that visionaries like Helen Turley bring much to the wine industry, but repeatedly using their name, along with difficult or impossible to find cult wines/vintages, does little to build faith of the reader. In addition, the writer's devotion to the grape seemed to ring hollow - or at least egocentric at times. For a better read that expresses passion about easier to find varietals and regions, I recommend Love by the Glass, or other writings by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-05 21:04:14 EST)
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| 09-21-05 | 1 | 15\17 |
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As an employee in the wine business, and an everyday drinker, I personally know that I cannot afford purchasing 2nd or 3rd growths on a regular basis, never mind 1st growths and '55 and '28 vintage Chateau d' Yquem. This book, although some chapters were very entertaining, was nothing but a name dropping debacle. Rather than focusing on the everyday enjoyment of wine, the book strived more towards depicting the great parties Jay McInerney has attended and all snobbishness that comes with it, i.e.; a rich man turning down Cristal champagne because it was not Krug, McInerney's fear of getting wine stains on his prada clothes, and the infamous Millenium Party where he and other famous wine and food representatives had the pleasure of trying everything under the banner of luxury. I personally do not know Jancis Robinson or Sommelier Jean-Luc Le Du, and likewise I know at last 30 people who do not know them either; hence, speaking about their parties on almost every chapter (and this is not a long book, 250 pages) does not help me choose an everyday wine. Although I can imagine what an experience it must be to taste such wines, I do not need some name-dropping writer telling me that I can only enjoy wine by taking out my credit card and purchasing Petrus at $5,000 a bottle. I know I can have just as much fun, on an average day, with my girlfriend and a $20 bottle of Guigal's Crozes Hermitage.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-05 21:04:14 EST)
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| 12-09-03 | 5 | 2\5 |
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I'll admit it I bought this collection of wine essays because I liked the title. Also, because there was a blurb in the dust jacket about French and German wine. I began reading the chapters in order of interest, not in the order in the book. After the first essay I was blown away with the descriptions. McInerney doesn't talk about wine like the rest of them. I thought, "this guy writes so well, this is like reading a novel." Then referring to the dust jacket again I discovered he um well has experience in that area too. Despite being fun to read, McInerney packs a lot of information into each essay. This book will not tell you everything you want to know about wine - it isn't an intro to wine collecting or a reference to keep through the ages as you collect wine. It is a collection of unique musings on the wonderful subject of wine. I loved it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-05 21:04:14 EST)
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| 12-08-03 | 5 | 1\3 |
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I'll admit it I bought this collection of wine essays because I liked the title. Also, because there was a blurb in the dust jacket about French and German wine. I began reading the chapters in order of interest, not in the order in the book. After the first essay I was blown away with the descriptions. McInerney doesn't talk about wine like the rest of them. I thought, "this guy writes so well, this is like reading a novel." Then referring to the dust jacket again I discovered he um well has experience in that area too. Despite being fun to read, McInerney packs a lot of information into each essay. This book will not tell you everything you want to know about wine - it isn't an intro to wine collecting or a reference to keep through the ages as you collect wine. It is a collection of unique musings on the wonderful subject of wine. I loved it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:08 EST)
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| 05-01-03 | 3 | 14\15 |
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Jay McInerney was one of the voices of the 1980s, the era known for its conspicuous consumption, self-absorption and decadence. With this book, he seems intent on singing the same song years after the curtain was drawn.
Ostensibly, this is a book about wines -- one of my passions -- and for the first few dozen pages it appears to be just that. There are some interesting and unusual observations about wine on the pages of Bacchus & Me, and Mr. McInerney deserves credit (hence the three stars) for breaking many of the crusty and useless conventions that limit most wine literature. But the more one reads the book, the more one realizes that the chapters are less about wine than about Mr. McInerney himself. He reveals himself as a shameless name dropper, and someone most interested in repeating a half dozen humorous and entertaining observations in a variety of contexts while boasting about his fat expense account and privileged access to bottles of wine that most of us will never even see. The problem is not that these lines are uninteresting or irrelevant -- as an occasional aside they would add to the intriguing take on one of the world's most written-about subjects. But in the frequency in which they appear here they can leave a throbbing in the head like an old bottle of jug wine does, when what we really wanted was one of those fine bottles of Bordeaux Mr. McInerney seems to be in love with. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-05 21:04:14 EST)
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| 04-30-03 | 3 | 11\11 |
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Jay McInerney was one of the voices of the 1980s, the era known for its conspicuous consumption, self-absorption and decadence. With this book, he seems intent on singing the same song years after the curtain was drawn.
Ostensibly, this is a book about wines -- one of my passions -- and for the first few dozen pages it appears to be just that. There are some interesting and unusual observations about wine on the pages of Bacchus & Me, and Mr. McInerney deserves credit (hence the three stars) for breaking many of the crusty and useless conventions that limit most wine literature. But the more one reads the book, the more one realizes that the chapters are less about wine than about Mr. McInerney himself. He reveals himself as a shameless name dropper, and someone most interested in repeating a half dozen humorous and entertaining observations in a variety of contexts while boasting about his fat expense account and privileged access to bottles of wine that most of us will never even see. The problem is not that these lines are uninteresting or irrelevant -- as an occasional aside they would add to the intriguing take on one of the world's most written-about subjects. But in the frequency in which they appear here they can leave a throbbing in the head like an old bottle of jug wine does, when what we really wanted was one of those fine bottles of Bordeaux Mr. McInerney seems to be in love with. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:08 EST)
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| 04-09-03 | 5 | 1\5 |
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This book is the most fun I've experienced, doing something that sounds instinctively wrong... reading about wine!
McInerney is well-versed in the lore and diversity of the wine world and converts his knowledge and experience into an informative, entertaining and engrossing read. I should warn you the content is laden with McInerney's quirky sense of humor - it's not for everyone. For those who don't like smart, intelligent use of humor as metaphor, don't buy this book. For those who can handle wine with a twisted sense of humor, no matter how much you know or don't know about wine you will find value in this book. It is perfect for reading on a trans-atlantic flight (perhaps to France) or on a rainy afternoon at your place at the beach. In fact, you will read this book again and again, it's that magnetic. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-05 21:04:14 EST)
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| 11-02-02 | 3 | 6\6 |
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Would it have been so much trouble to subject McInerney's collection of wine columns to some minor editorial work before publishing them as a book? There's much to like about the individual pieces here, but reading them sequentially becomes kind of annoying.
First off, the repetition is ridiculous. Helen Turley, "the wine goddess," should pay or possibly sue McInerney for mentioning her every third paragraph, and even some jokes get recycled. More frustrating is the lack of context: as this book is squarely pitched to the uneducated wine enthusiast, a little contextualizing would go a long way to making the columns actually useful(as would the occasional sop to those of us not regularly spending over $100 a bottle). And eventually we tire of hearing about the fabulous literary/oenophile dinner parties to which Jay is constantly invited. All that said, the columns are funny and opinionated, and give a nice overview of a wide range of grapes and manufacturers. I'm sure reading one a month would be perfectly satisfying. It's just a shame the publisher was so lazy in assembling this package. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:09 EST)
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| 09-25-02 | 3 | 5\5 |
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When I heard Jay McInerney composed a non-fiction book about wine, I figured he'd finally run out of ideas for his hipster novels. (And maybe he has.) But this book proved to be more entertaining than his last few novels.
As far as a wine guide, you could certainly find others that are not only more comprehensive, but a bit more detailed (his dislike of certain wines not only seemed obvious, but labored.) The up side to this book is it's entertainment value. Most wine guides are (for lack of a better word) dry. They become tedious to read which is why most of us never finish them. You will likely finish this one, and learn a few thinsg on the way. Don't expect to become a master vintner, but do expect a few laughs. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:09 EST)
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| 05-23-02 | 2 | 3\5 |
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Jay McInerney's collected magazine articles on wine, while entertaining, suffer from dilettantism and namedropping. With so many serious wine regions and vintners in the world today, persons with both a global, and a broad temporal perspective on wine are extremely rare. While McInerney never claims to have such encyclopedic knowledge, neither does he refrain from making sweeping conclusions that are, I think, often erroneous. He is at his best in these pieces uncovering some oft-forgotten region or maker, but these moments are routinely spoiled by his obsession with a very small handful of personalities and with luxury goods that have no relationship whatever to wine. As another reviewer has noted, there must be a dozen or more genuflections to Helen Turley-- one would think that she was the alpha and omega of California winemaking. The loving detail with which he describes the clothes of French or Italian vintners is just silly and irrelevant. My other pet peeves with the book are the nonsensical obsession with high end wines (really, do we need McInerney to tell us that some 60-year old first growth Bordeaux was nice? wouldn't the ink be better spent on wines that are actually affordable and delicious, as so many are these days?), and the shameful disregard of the many meritorious California sparkling wines. At the end of the book, one is left with the impression that wine, for McInerney, is just another status symbol, and not an integral part of dining.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:09 EST)
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| 04-26-02 | 5 | 2\2 |
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My wife and I found the book so entertaining that we could hardly put it down. We alternately read every chapter to eachother out loud for fear of the other getting to laugh first.
We particularly enjoyed the authors wit and amusing parallels. Hopefully the book will also be published in German so we can give it to all our non English speaking friends. (Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:09 EST)
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| 03-16-02 | 2 | 12\17 |
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listen: irreverence is one thing, but just blundering around with a few dangerous pieces of knowledge, blurting out the same tritenesses about wine is a(whole)nother. mcinerney tries to accomplish with numerous disclaimers the same thing that anthony bourdain so fails to in kitchen confidential; that is, he wants to say "hey, this is just me talking. i don't know much, but i'm irreverent and handy with prose" and so on. it's a losing gambit. the actual nuggets of knowledge in bacchus & me can be summed up as follows: helen turley good, la grande dame good, california chardonnay flabby and overpowering. other than that, i now know that mcinerney has garden parties, wears prada loafers, and has been given a job--writing about wine while learing about it--that many others would gladly kill him for. i was left feeling one thing after reading this book: why not me? good christ, i'd have done a better job.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:09 EST)
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| 03-10-02 | 5 | 1\3 |
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As a beginner in wine, living in the Niagara Grape region, I felt ill at ease even asking for a certain wine at the local store, trying to describe my wife's upscale preferences without pulling her handwritten note from my pocket. McInerney helped me with romance with his romantically enclined interludes in his books in the 1980s when my soon-to-be wife, Jennifer, and I met, and now he has helped me again, telling the good red from the bad. After reading and loving Bright Lights, Big City; Story of My Life, and Brightness Falls, I was disappointed by Model Behavior. Now, I really like Jay in nonfiction. His most recent piece, "White Man at the Door," about Mississippi bluesmen T-Model Ford and R.L. Burnside, in The New Yorker was a delightful read and a startling look behind the scenes at Fat Possum Records, a blues entrepreneurial startup so hip that Richard Gere and Uma Thurman are fans. McInerney may be turning into the Joseph Mitchell of our age--his ear for language and the wanderings of those at odds with the world are stellar! Hopefully a book of McInerney essays is pending.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-07-05 18:43:09 EST)
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