A Natural History of Wine, by Ian Tattersall, Rob DeSalle
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A Natural History of Wine, by Ian Tattersall, Rob DeSalle
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An excellent bottle of wine can be the spark that inspires a brainstorming session. Such was the case for Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle, scientists who frequently collaborate on book and museum exhibition projects. When the conversation turned to wine one evening, it almost inevitably led the two—one a palaeoanthropologist, the other a molecular biologist—to begin exploring the many intersections between science and wine. This book presents their fascinating, freewheeling answers to the question “What can science tell us about wine?” And vice versa. Conversational and accessible to everyone, this colorfully illustrated book embraces almost every imaginable area of the sciences, from microbiology and ecology (for an understanding of what creates this complex beverage) to physiology and neurobiology (for insight into the effects of wine on the mind and body). The authors draw on physics, chemistry, biochemistry, evolution, and climatology, and they expand the discussion to include insights from anthropology, primatology, entomology, Neolithic archaeology, and even classical history. The resulting volume is indispensible for anyone who wishes to appreciate wine to its fullest.
A Natural History of Wine, by Ian Tattersall, Rob DeSalle- Amazon Sales Rank: #90224 in Books
- Published on: 2015-11-10
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.75" h x 24.00" w x 5.75" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 264 pages
Review “A Natural History of Wine fills an important gap in our understanding of how the Eurasian grapevine evolved over millions of years to become the wine grape par excellence.”—Patrick E. McGovern, author of Ancient Wine and Uncorking the Past (Patrick E. McGovern)“An afflatus of the freshest air amid the smog of today's wine blather. Cuts through the unctuous astrology of so much oeno-sophism with, thank Dionysos, the balm of fact. A Lucretius for wine epicures.”—William Fitch, Wine Director, Vinegar Hill House (William Fitch)“In this unique and most enjoyable work, the enthusiasm of these two wine-loving scholars is compelling as they examine in depth one of life's greatest pleasures.”—Brian Flanagan, Director of Wine Education at Burgundy Wine Company (Brian Flanagan)“Wine is art. Wine is ritual. Wine is culture. Wine is romance. But in the hands of Tattersall and DeSalle, who are boundlessly curious naturalists, we learn that wine is also science. And that enhanced awareness serves only to magnify your appreciation of this timeless beverage.”—Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist (& Wine Lover), American Museum of Natural History (Neil deGrasse Tyson)“Tattersall and DeSalle have given us an original, in-depth yet accessible book which will excite wine lovers and wine professionals alike with new perspectives on the subject . . . A great addition to the literature.”—Pascaline Lepeltier, Master Sommelier, Rouge Tomate Chelsea (Pascaline Lepeltier)“Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle have written one of the most fascinating wine books ever. Consummate scientist-storytellers, they take us into ‘universes’ of wine that have rarely been explored before. I loved reading this book!”—Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible (Karen MacNeil)“Oh, to have had A Natural History of Wine in my hands when I was embarking on a career in wine! The authors, gifted storytellers both, engagingly lead us through the complexities of such topics as grapevine genetics, the geological and climatic underpinnings of terroir, the biochemistry of fermentation and the like with clear and understandable explanations. Read this book and then read it again. You will be rewarded with a true understanding and appreciation of the science of wine.”—Rory Callahan, Wine & Food Associates (Rory Callahan)“Now here is a text that should be required reading for any serious sommelier. Each chapter is an engaging entity on its own, which reminds me we never stop learning something new.”—Roger Dagorn, Master Sommelier, One Five Hospitality Management (Roger Dagorn)“A Natural History of Wine is modest in size, but not in scope. Co-authors Ian Tattersall, a paleoanthropologist, and Rob DeSalle, a molecular biologist, roam through the natural and social sciences to reveal vistas sure to surprise even well-versed wine buffs.”—Peter Hellman, The Wall Street Journal (Peter Hellman The Wall Street Journal)A Wall Street Journal Best Book for Wine Lovers (Wall Street Journal)“Unlike many exploratory books of its kind, written by wine industry pros dabbling in science, A Natural History is authored by two science guys (a molecular biologist and an anthropologist) who just happen to love wine. The two American Museum of Natural History colleagues take readers on a journey that starts at the world’s oldest winery, goes deep inside the beverage to the molecular level and explains the phenomenon of drunkenness, busting myths along the way.”—Carson Demmond, from Food and Wine’s “Best Wine Books of 2015 (and Who to Give Them to)” (Carson Demmond Food and Wine)“Chemistry. Evolutionary biology. Genetics. This book is an excellent layman's refresher on these diverse topics, and many more, and how they fit into the grand scheme of wine. . . A fact-packed and accessible read that goes a long way toward explaining why and how wine became such an important component in our enjoyment of the natural world.”—Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator (Kim Marcus Wine Spectator)“Was science ever more intoxicating? This sparkling contribution to the science of wine draws on a staggering array of disciplines, from neurobiology to physics”—Nature (Nature 2015-12-17)
From the Author What inspired you to investigate the natural history of wine? We were inspired to do this book when we found ourselves drinking wine as an inspirational aid while writing our last book together, on the evolution of the brain. It occurred to us that wine is a wonderful perspective through which to view almost every area of natural science. Why are humans so enamored of wine? There are plenty of evolutionary scenarios to explain both our ability to metabolize alcohol and our propensity to seek it out. Quite honestly, though, wine itself transcends purely reductionist explanations. It appeals comprehensively to our senses, but it is much more than simply a sensory stimulus. It is a wonderful metaphor for some fundamental aspects of human experience. Do you have a “favorite fact” about any particular wine or vintage? This book is about wine itself, rather than about particular wines, or styles of wine. However, a particular favorite is the “Prephylloxera” bottling from Mount Etna, made from ancient gnarled vines that somehow survived the epidemic that almost destroyed the wine industry in the late nineteenth century. Where is wine going? The chemistry of wine won’t change in the future, and more than likely the genetics of wine won’t either. But as an extension of the human spirit, wine will continue to challenge human creativity in exactly the same way it first did seven or eight thousand years ago.
About the Author Ian Tattersall is curator emeritus in the Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York City. Rob DeSalle is curator of entomology in the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, AMNH.
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Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Something for Everyone, Though Less So for the Absolute Novice By katzarumatok This book really is very good and largely enjoyable to read, but there are a couple of caveats for readers, especially if they're coming to this book as wine-enthusiasts rather than scientists (or both). First, this book is written by two scientists that happen to be wine lovers and not by two wine lovers who happen to be scientists. Yes, there is a difference. There are several chapters that lend themselves to in-depth treatments of the science behind the subject, and it's obvious that the two authors are in their element here. Unfortunately, while their discussions of the chemical structures of sugar and alcohol, the chemistry behind photosynthesis and fermentation and the role of the ventral putamen in pleasure-processing (to name but a few) are interesting at one level, they quickly get lost in minutiae at another. This gets especially bad for anything involving molecules and chemistry, and the final experience for me of reading any of those chapters was a steady shift from really wanting to figure the science out to feeling ignorant and guilty for not paying enough attention during 10th grade Chemistry. I suppose it's possible that I deserve to feel ignorant and guilty, and there is a little part of me that wants to go dust off my Intro to Chem and Bio textbooks (of course I saved them, didn't you?) and review this stuff until I understand what they were talking about, but the reality is I won't actually be doing that, so I'm just left with the guilt and ignorance. Second, they give short shrift to a surprising amount of the history of wine. Yes, the first chapter does try to situate wine in a historical context, but after they get past the Romans they seem to run out of steam, and the next thing you know it's the 19th century. An attention to history reasserts itself in the chapter on Phylloxera as well as here and there throughout the book, but the overall effect is that this is less a history of wine (or even a "natural history" of wine) written for someone new to the subject than a supplement for someone already versed in the broad sweep of that history and looking for some new insights and perspectives. All of that said, this was still a terrific read. Though I slogged through some of the technical stuff, the writing was generally engaging and their approach to a couple of key issues was fresh and interesting (I especially recommend the chapters on Wine and Technology and Climate Change). The book itself is gorgeous, beautifully composed and illustrated. I recommend this book to anyone who already has even a just a little background or experience with wine, as you are sure to get something out of it, and if you hit an overly technical patch, just skip over it. To a wine enthusiast with a science background (especially in chemistry), I recommend the book unreservedly. As a first introduction to wine, though, a different book might be a better place to start.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The story of wine told by an anthropologist and a molecular biologist, much more lively than that may sound like. By lyndonbrecht This is an excellent book, with one qualification: some chapters are heavy on the science, particularly chapter 3, which gets rather arcane in discussing the chemistry. The authors are an anthropologist and a molecular biologist. The writing is consistently good, sometimes rather charming, and largely accessible even with the fairly difficult science sections. It's short enough to read in an afternoon, and if you read it through you'll know a lot more about wine.The first two chapters set up the history of wine--it seems to have started in the South Caucasus about 6,000 years ago, and the authors think in the area of Armenia. There's some interesting history: in pre-dynastic Egypt the king Scorpion 1 was entombed with 700 jars of wine, equivalent to about 4,000 liters, so one hopes he has a had a happy afterlife. A 5th century BCE Greek shipwreck has yielded 10,000 amphorae which is equivalent to 300,000 modern bottles of wine, so it's been a sizable scale trade for a very long time.Chapter 3 is largely the chemistry of wine. Chapter 4 is largely about molecular tracking of various grape cultivars, and is to me the dullest chapter. Chapter 5 is on yeast, and while some of it is technical, I had no idea of the complexities. No yeast, no fermentation. Yeast occurs naturally, and newly colonizes vineyards each spring, and spends the off season so to speak, it the intestines of a wasp; its life cycle is amazing. Chapter 6 overlaps with chapter 5, and discusses interactions, that is the ecology. This should interest anyone interested in ecology, it's far more complex than just grapes growing and then harvested and trampled by barefoot peasants. Chapter 7 looks at the story of phylloxera, and shows it to be a danger still, even to California vineyards.Chapter 8 is perhaps the most interesting, on terroir, the impact of soils and local conditions on wine, which some people think does not exist and others pontificate on. Chapter 9 discusses wine and the human senses, in the matters of wine color, smell and taste, and is interesting in several ways--the science of the eye and tongue discussed here is quite accessible. Chapter 10 discusses wine and inebriation, again a bit on the scientific side but quite readable. Chapter 11 is brief, considering technology and wine. Chapter 12 looks at climate change and "frankenwines." Apparently GMO wines will be dicey given the market depending on matters taste and reputation, but climate change may be a very serious matter.There are a number of helpful figures and graphics.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good read for an experienced wine lover who doesn't mind some science By Ursiform I was attracted to this book because Ian Tattersall is coauthor, and I've enjoyed his books on paleoanthropology. I very much enjoyed the book, although I wouldn't recommend it to someone just getting into wine. Some background in the subject will help you with this book.Each chapter is tied to a wine, but the range of the book is great. History, geography, climate, anthropology, archaeology, chemistry, physiology, and various other disciplines are tied in here. This book is about two very smart, wine-loving scientists pooling their knowledge to better understand wine. The reader is along for the ride; the more you know at the start the easier the ride will be.Ultimately I really enjoyed the book. Just don't go into it expecting an introduction to the subject.
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