BOOK REVIEW: Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape – Odd Wines
from Around the World by Peter F. May
Yesterday, I posted a pocketbook on wines and its various
terms to understand them. How about if
we got our hands on a book which described the various names of wine, and
peculiar ones too? We do know that wines are labelled with names such as Crazy
Monkey and Leaping Lizards. This book gives us the tipple on wine names and the
many oddities from history to source.
Within these pages are more than 100 of the oddest wines
ever produced. Some have unusual names, like Fat Bastard Chardonnay and Lazy
Lizard Shiraz. Others feature curious artwork of singing frogs and UFO
invasions. Still others boast unique production features, such as Braille
typography, heat-sensitive ink and lenticular art.
Along with full-colour reproductions of the original labels,
the author shares stories about the origins of the wines and provides helpful
tasting notes. Readers will learn about unusual vineyards (like Cleavage Creek,
which donates its proceeds to breast cancer research) as well as the most
innovative artists working in the wine label medium. Finally, there’s an
appendix of resources that will help you locate these wines – so you can savour
them yourselves.
All in all, this book is a memorable read if only for fun
and rather an intriguing one if you consider these labels as interesting facts
on wines and their labels. I found this book as the best of both worlds in my
opinion and I think you readers out there will too. Grab this book, kick back
with a chilled glass of Riesling and unwind.....
No comments:
Post a Comment