Books About Wine from Around the World
Whenever asked about things I enjoy, you can bet that somewhere in the list, these three things are mentioned: reading, traveling, and drinking. In fact, I’m probably at my happiest when I’m able to combine all three: just yesterday I was sitting in a new cozy winery with a glass of Chardonnay, a charcuterie board, and a book that was transporting me and I had the thought “Does life get better than this?” Books and wine and travels just go together.
Unfortunately, my bank account and my liver won’t allow me to always have that moment, so I found another way to combine those three interests–books about the world of wine. I can read about locations and sites around the world while also learning about a drink I love–a drink that has a rich history around the world. Here are ten wine books (and one honorable mention) focused on wine-making in Europe and North America for others that want to explore the world through stories of wine. While most of these are non-fiction, there are also a few fiction books about wine.
(To see all these in one place, visit my Bookshop list of travel books about wine.)
Red, White, and Drunk All Over
Author: Natalie MacLean
Genre: Nonfiction
Places Featured: United States, France
As a wine journalist (seriously, how do I get that job?), Natalie MacLean has traveled the world in pursuit of wine knowledge and she shares those journeys, interviews, and other tips and tricks in this fun and interesting travel book about wine that takes you from the wineries of California to the cellars of Champagne to fancy restaurants to Natalie’s own apartment to learn more about wine. She also helps beginners learn some of the wine-tasting basics and feel more comfortable in the sometimes intimidating world of wine enthusiasts.
*Jen’s Note: This is one of the first travel books about wine I ever read and it’s always stuck with me because it really took me into a whole new world that was so fascinating. (I especially enjoyed the chapter on champagne!)
The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It
Author: Tilar J. Mazzeo
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, Historical
Places Featured: Champagne, France
Veuve Clicquot champagne is known the world over as a symbol of glamour and luxury…but few know that a strong-willed woman with a vision is behind the well-known label. After her husband’s death, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin took control of the business and led the company to success. This book captures her story, the story of this famous drink, and the story of France and one of its most successful products (lucky for us).
Jen’s Note: This was another book about wine I really enjoyed; I felt like I really learned a lot. Check out TBM’s Book Review on The Widow Clicquot.
Wine & War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure
Author: Don and Petie Kladstrup
Genre: Nonfiction, Historical, War & Military
Places Featured: France
There are many stories of tragedy and heroism from World War II, but one that isn’t well-known is the one told in this book about French winemakers attempting to protect their treasured crops and bottles from the German military. It’s a fascinating well-written and well-researched book about a time in history that affected many people in ways we all don’t even know.
The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty
Author: Julia Flynn Siler
Genre: Nonfiction, Historical
Places Featured: California, United States
Mondavi is a name well-known in the American wine industry–this is the story behind that name, that family, and that vineyard tracing the family back to their arrival to the United States and then through generations of passionate and committed winemakers that changed California and the wine industry. It’s an epic family story filled with all of the things you’d expect–drama, rivalry, money, and ambition–and what it means to combine family and business.
Judgment of Paris
Author: George M. Taber
Genre: Nonfiction, Historical
Places Featured: Paris, France
In 1976, the wine world was shaken by a blind taste-testing where a panel of French wine experts chose unknown California wines over France’s best offerings. It’s been almost 50 years and the event is still talked about. In this book, we’re offered a behind-the-scenes look at this momentous occasion, the people behind those winning wines, and what this decision meant for the wine industry in France, the United States and beyond.
The Merlot Murders: A Wine Country Mystery
Author: Ellen Crosby
Genre: Fiction, Crime/Mystery
Places Featured: Virginia, United States
As mentioned, I wanted to be sure to include some fiction books about wine–this is one of those. It’s the first book in a cozy mystery series set in rural Virginia called the Wine Country Mysteries; it’s a fun series that follows Lucy Montgomery as she returns to her family’s vineyard (from France, of course) and works to make the family’s wine business a success…while, unfortunately, often having to deal with the headaches of a small town, a stressful business, and murders. There’s interesting facts about winemaking and Virginia history sprinkled throughout the likable characters and interesting storylines.
Jen’s Note: This is easily one of my favorite series and it’s one I recommend often (find out more in my review of Wine Country Mysteries). As a wine enthusiast who lives in Virginia, I have learned a lot from these books and enjoy visiting wineries in Virginia to see the stories come to life. (The author even has some info on how to visit Lucie’s wine country.)
The Billionaire’s Vinegar
Author: Benjamin Wallace
Genre: Nonfiction, Historical
Places Featured: Monticello, Virginia, United States; Paris, France
In 1985, a 1787 bottle of wine found in a Paris cellar (supposedly once owned by Thomas Jefferson) sold for $156,000. It didn’t take long for questions about this bottle of wine to start circulating, so Benjamin Wallace decided to look for answers to those questions and discover the true story behind this bottle. He travels to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia), London, Paris and more to search through the historical fact and fiction behind this bottle and the wine industry during that time.
Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine
Author: Kerin O’Keefe
Genre: Nonfiction
Places Featured: Piedmont, Italy
Barolo and Barbaresco are two of Italy’s most famous wines…and they grow almost side-by-side in Italy’s Piedmont region, so wine critic Kerin O’Keefe went there to learn more about these grapes, the history of the land, the winemakers, and where these wines are going. Even if those two aren’t among your favorite wines, the book is still interesting and you’ll still learn a lot. The book can be a little dense, but it’s well-written and a must-read if visiting the area (or if you like books about wine.)
The Lost Vintage
Author: Ann Mah
Genre: Fiction, Historical
Places Featured: Burgundy, France
Here is another fictional book about wine and it’s a well-researched one. Kate is studying to become a Master of Wine and heads to her family’s vineyard estate in Burgundy to study and learn from her cousin. Not only does she discover more about wine, but she also discovers a family mystery that has to do with World War II and a missing case of wine. It’s a great novel about wine, family, drama, and history.
Cork Dork: A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live For Taste
Author: Bianca Bosker
Genre: Nonfiction
Places Featured: New York City, California, United Sates
Bianca Bosker is a journalist who decided to learn more about the glass of wine she enjoys…and she wanted to know what makes one wine different from another and why one person might like a certain wine more than another, so she explores a world of sommeliers, wine clubs, and scientists with curiosity, humor, and (thankfully) language we can all understand. The book does focus a lot on sommeliers and you think it’s a topic that would be dry and slow, but Bosker manages to write in a way that keeps the reader wanting to know more.
Honorable Mention Travel Book about Wine:
Adventures on the Wine Route: A Winebuyer’s Tour of France
Author: Kermit Lynch
Genre: Nonfiction
Places Featured: France
Kermit Lynch is KNOWN in the wine world and this book is seen by many as the quintessential wine book, because Lynch takes the reader with him deep into the wine world to meet vintners, see vineyards, and learn about the wines that make France…France. It was first written in 1988, so for the modern traveler, it is more of a historical journey and the subject matter can be dense for an amateur oenophile, but it’s a classic for any wine/France fan.
