Monday 30 May 2016

94. Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape: Odd Wines from Around the World by Peter F. May


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.....

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