Full Description
Robert V. Camuto's interest in wine turned into a passion when he moved to France and began digging into local soils and cellars. Corkscrewed recounts Camuto's journey through France's myriad regions—and how the journey brought about a profound change in everything he believed about wine. The world of great wines was once dominated by great Bordeaux châteaux. As those châteaux were bought up by moguls and international corporations, the heart of French winemaking moved into the realm of small producers, whose wines reflect the stunning diversity of regional environment, soil, and culture—terroir. In this book we follow Camuto across France as he works harvesting grapes in Alsace, learns about wine and bombs in Corsica, and eats and drinks his way through the world's greatest bacchanalia in Burgundy. Along the route he discovers a new generation of winemakers who have rejected chemicals, additives, and technologically altered wines. His book charts an odyssey into this new world of French wine, a world of biodynamic winegrowing, herbal treatments, lunar cycles, and grape varieties long ago dismissed as "difficult." A celebration of the diversity that makes French wine more than a mere commodity, Camuto's work is a delightful look beyond the supermarket to the various flavors offered by the true vintners of France.
Contents
Illustrations 000
Acknowledgments 000
Introduction: As the Corkscrew Turns 000
1. Rebel with a Château 000
2. The Wrath of Grapes 000
3. Among the Mayonnaise 000
4. The Madman of Bandol 000
5. A Brother's Blood 000
6. Drinking with Uncles Jacques 000
7. Poop and People in the New French Wine Country 000
8. The Soul of Côte Rôtie 000
9. Remembering Gaillac 000
10. Heaven, Hell, or Burgundy 000
11. The Moon, the Stars, and the Loire 000
12. Where Goes Chatus 000
Appendix: Featured Winemakers 000
