The Library Vault

Welcome to the New Year! We are either excited and still proactively working on our resolutions, or we are among the “antiresolutionist.” Either way, if you are looking to get into wine and don’t know where to start – then here it is. Simply drink! Visit your local ‘packy’ and start buying the ten dollar bottle. Once the bottle is opened, smell it. Smell it from the bottle, smell the cork, then smell it from the glass. People tend to forget that smell and taste go hand-and-hand. Take notes, begin a wine journal. What aromas are sensed? Sometimes they are the strangest scents, but they make sense. (Ha!)

Then comes taste. Take small sips, don’t be a glutton. Swirl the glass, let the wine open and breathe some air. We need to breathe; so does wine. Let the wine touch all different parts of your mouth – from the roof of your mouth, your tongue, to the sides of your cheeks. It may seem funny and bit off – but there over thousands of taste buds. Use them, explore. Note the taste. The amount that can be learned from just these actions of smelling and taste is a good first step into wine. 

To then go further, read the label. Understand the labels, most of them tell a story and some don’t. When you delve further into the realm of wine, you will understand. One final suggestion is learning grapes and where they typically grown, geographically. The rest will fall into place. If you are looking for books to tell a great story about wine, but will help you learn a thing or two, then continue reading. 

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France 

by Kermit Lynch

Who is Kermit Lynch? In simple terms: a wine seller, importer, and distributor of French and Italian wines; however, Lynch is much more. First, he is a Pioneer to the Old World of wines – who has showcased to the world, truly amazing bottles. Lynch is an innovator and revolutionized the wine industry with intricate technologies. I could delve deep into the wondrous acts of Kermit Lynch, but I think he humbly explains that in his book.

The Wine Route travels through the wine cellars of France. The reader experiences the astonishing grapes that are produced in the regions of Loire, Bordeaux, Langedoc, Provence, Rhone and the Cote d’Or. Yes, as a reader, you will learn a thing or two about French wines. The book itself could be a travel guide. It is not redundant, but prolific. Its purpose is to inform. The language captivates and is truly a pleasure to read. I highly suggest Kermit Lynch’s educational book about his own experience in the desire to search for excellence. As the reader, you will embody these same desires. Well, that is what happened to me. The following suggested reading is about a young woman who delves hard and fast into the wine world to become a certified sommelier. 

Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters and Rouge Scientists who Taught me to Live for Taste 

by Bianca Booker

Cork Dork, the title rings true. If the desire is there to try quantifiable wines from all over the globe, then you will also become a dork. Some people think of snobbery and pretentiousness when they think of the wine industry. But most people who truly love wine, simply love to taste. The subheading for Booker’s book is what drew me in, “Taught me to Live for Taste.” Taste is an impeccable sense, which can be put on the back burner when in the industry. Bianca Booker refocuses on taste in her own expressive journey. 

A little backstory, Bianca Booker begins her journey as a professional journalist who went down the path of vino, and never looked back. Bianca’s experience does not have to be everyone’s. To become a sommelier is a grueling process. To be able to smell a wine, take a small sip and be able to identify the grape, region, year, down the exact location is extremely strenuous. Yes, Bianca can accomplish those tasks, it is impressive, but it is not why this is a great book for the novice wine consumer. It gives insight to what is takes to become a certified somm, but it also conveys that anyone can do it, including women. I personally loved Bianca’s journey because she illuminates in her writing the wondrous components to the world of wine. Sometimes that truth is sharing a bottle of wine with people you care about and exposing them to something magical.

Please enjoy these informative books; they each are noteworthy journeys. As a reader, you will feel like you are right with them — be it in a cellar in the countryside of Provence drinking Domaine Tempier or attending a wine tasting in New York City with the best Burgundy in town. Either way, it explores how fun and explorative the wine industry can truly be. It all centers around taste. Now, go enjoy and explore what your tastebuds have to offer.