Love affair with wine

A little into the Introduction I stop to pour myself a glass of wine. Already the passionate, honest beauty of Natalie MacLean&rsquos love affair with wine is contagious. Being a complete wine neophyte, reading a book about wine can seem intimidating. But when you are told that a glass of Brunello tastes &ldquolike a sigh at the end of a long day&rdquo you begin to lose your fear of the deep. Red, White andDrunk All Over(Natalie MacLean (Bloomsbury, Rs 750)is amusing, interesting and sensual all at once, without being pretentious.

This collection of stories and experiences from Champagne, Burgundy, California, New York and San Francisco are filled with delicious facts and told with a sense of humour that make it a pleasurable read. MacLean&rsquos travels begin in Burgundy, famous for its &lsquoheartbreak grape&rsquo (Pinot Noir). It&rsquos a journey towards understanding the importance of why wine tastes the way it does and how land, weather and minerals in the soil shape a wine&rsquos character. The French call it terroir.

The difference between Old World vineyards and New World winemakers, their histories and the nuances that make them different and special, are woven into narratives &mdash Italian immigrants leaving for California with the Zinfandel grape the Bonny Doon Vineyard wine called &lsquothe Big House&rsquo because it&rsquos grown near a California State prison the Champagne widows who took over the businesses after losing their husbands to illness or wars. The next time I buy a bottle of wine, I may not remember the best vintage years but these stories will remain and make it special.

MacLean&rsquos magazine articles and website have thousands of followers who look to her to make their wine selections and their relationships with wine more meaningful. Amongst her very long list of awards, she has been named the world&rsquos best &lsquodrink writer&rsquo. MacLean&rsquos writing doesn&rsquot make you cringe with the weight of arcane knowledge or your own lack of information &mdash it&rsquos a must for anyone willing to laugh a little and learn a lot.