Qorkz Book Club - Godforsaken Grapes

Godforsaken Grapes by Jason Wilson, Harry N. Abrams, publisher, April 24, 2018.

Having been in the wine blogging biz (for lack of a better term) for about a decade, I was aware of the rant by Robert Parker that was the underlying event that led to this book. In the chummy confines of wine bloggery it was met as an assault. Mr. Parker had managed to make an attack on natural wine (wines that are produced with no interference from the producer such as sulfites, yeast innoculations or filtering), low alcohol wine and then those wines produced from what he referred to as “godforsaken grapes”.

What is a “godforsaken grape”? Think about it this way, most American wine drinkers have only tasted about 20 or so varietals, most of those related to French noble grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc. The reality is that there are over 1,300 wine grape varieties world wide. In Parkers world, anything he doesn’t think matters doesn’t. And worse? Shouldn’t.

This book looks at some of those grapes in places off the beaten path and the efforts being made to keep them alive. Ultimately, this story is for wine geeks who love the stories about discovery of this weird fruit, the geography of where to find them and why they are so diverse and the incredibly varied vocabulary needed to keep up with it all.

I will admit that I binged this book in two sessions while driving to see my daughter for a belated birthday/Superbowl get together. It is an easy listen, particularly if you have an adventurous palate that has tried more than 20 wine varietals. I think I have tasted about 250 at this point.

As for Parker’s assertion:

"...they would have you believe some godforsaken grapes that, in hundreds and hundreds of years of viticulture, wine consumption, etc., have never gotten traction because they are rarely of interest (such as Trousseau, Savagnin, Grand Noir, Negrette, Lignan Blanc, Peloursin, Auban, Calet, Fongoneu and Blaufrankisch) can produce wines (in truth, rarely palatable unless lost in a larger blend) that consumers should be beating a path to buy and drink.

Are these grapes terrible? NO. In some cases they have been isolated, are ancient or picky. Sometimes they have been crowded out of the market place by the grapes of more powerful people (I’m looking at you Eleanor of Aquitaine!) Or crushed by disease such as phylloxera. They are becoming increasingly rare in a world that is eager to make fortunes in the wine industry by kowtowing to critics like Parker and for consumers who have decided that Cabernet Sauvignon is the only thing worth drinking.

Do I like a big Cab? Sure. All the time? Not so much. Nothing makes me sadder than seeing a Greek Chardonnay, a grape that Socrates would never have tasted because that grape just didn’t come from there. I like to consider a connection to Homer’s “Wine dark sea,” when I drink Greek wine because it is history, climate, location, agriculture and viticulture in a bottle.

Here’s the thing. Drink what you like. Ultimately, if the Greek Chardonnay makes you happy? Στην υγειά σας! Enjoy it and I will keep my opinions (largely) to myself. But in return, let me enjoy the history and geography that comes with my godforsaken grapes. I might even share.

Qorkz Book Club - Wine & War

We have learned so much about WWII and the Nazis over the years but this was an eye-opener for me.  While achieving the goal of conquering an old enemy, the Nazi regime had a separate goal of stripping France of its wealth and treasures.  Much attention has been paid to art looted from conquered lands, but there was more involved.  They wanted France's wine.

This book looks at the stories of how the French worked to rebuild their viticultural heritage after years of war and infestation only to be faced with occupation by the Germans and their rapacious desire for French wine.  Various regions were put under the control of administrators known as Weinführers whose job was to collect the highest quality wines from their charges.  

The experiences of the various wine regions depended on the individual in charge but was also dependant on whether the Germans could claim the a region as part of a traditional German realm.  For instance, Alsace, which speaks a more Germanic dialect and had been part of Prussia in the past had their men conscripted into the German army.  The Alsatians, however, considered themselves French and where constantly at odds with their occupiers in ways that other Frenchmen didn't experience.

I highly recommend this book for people who love wine, history and France.