Holy. F*cking. SH&T!!!
It’s been roughly a year and a half since I’ve remembered to been able to do an actual, proper roundup of wine product reviews on this website. To say that I’ve been overdue would be, or course, a gross understatement… And yet, that hasn’t kept PR people from sending me wine-related samples that I cannot safely imbibe.
So, here are a few of those said items that caught my attention in “recent” weeks!
Zalto Denk’Art Balance Wine Glass, $160 (set of 2)
I am stickler about stemware, but not because I buy into the (largely unproven) claims about different stemware being better for different varietal wines. Having said that, Zalto bills their somewhat-pricey Denk’Art Balance offering as being best suited to fuller-bodied whites, and I can say with experience that rich Chardonnay does taste pretty damned good coming out of these thin, delicately crafted, and stylish glasses. These are higher-end, and I wouldn’t recommend them for anyone with small kids or cats. Otherwise, they are a great choice if you’re looking for a set of classy, general-purpose wine glasses.
One Thousand Vines: A New Way to Understand Wine, Pascaline Lepeltier, $55
I cannot profess to know influential sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier well, only having met her a few times. However, I can say that she gave the impression of being thorough, pleasant, intellectual, and very focused—which is precisely how her book One Thousand Vines comes across in tone. To wit, here’s an excerpt that tackles the much-debated topic of Minerality in wine, that will summarize what to expect from this book better than I could ever explain it myself:
“Since they are neither solubilized nor in usable ionic form, minerals in the bedrock are not immediately available to the vine’s roots. Microbiota, soil pH and the clay-humus complex therefore play a key role in the bioavailability of these elements, with the latter acting as a kind of repository, storing and redistributing the minerals. It operates principally by complexolysis, a chemical reaction in which mineral is taken from rocks exposed to weathering.”
If that felt confusing, take heart: my undergrad degree was in English Literature, and that topic of that paragraph is one that I have had great interest in over the years, and I still had to dust off some mental machinery to fully comprehend it. One Thousand Vines is an interesting, gorgeous book, but it is absolutely NOT for beginners (and I’m not sure it lives up to its subtitle, though I think it should be forgiven for that).
White Wine: The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties & Styles, Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, $35
Disclaimer: I consider the authors of White Wine, Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen (a.k.a. The World Wine Guys) to be friends. And I am probably still slightly perturbed at them for never mentioning my book when it came out during the COVID lockdown. Anyway… This is a fun book with a lighter tone that belies how useful it can be for white wine lovers. Hell, they even included dry Furmint!
And, maybe more importantly, this book was released at the right time, despite wine’s declining fortunes globally. That’s because white wine sales have actually been a bit of a slight bright spot in recent years, particularly on-premise. This is a great pick for the white wine lovers in your life.
Rosé Revolution, Rasmus Emborg and Jens Honoré, $45
Rosé Revolution, on the other hand, is a book release whose timing probably couldn’t have been worse. This book beautifully and lovingly captures/highlights some of the world’s best producers of the style, and I found myself nodding along in agreement with most the inclusions. Unfortunately, even the recent darling of the global wine sales market is now slumping, and so this fine book may not get its due for a few more years (or maybe ever).
Which is a shame, because this is a stylish addition to any wine lover’s book arsenal (damn, that idea feels a bit anachronistic, doesn’t it?), especially those who love a good pink.
Cheers!