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| The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization | 
 enlarge | Author: Alice Feiring
Publisher: Harcourt
Category: Book
List Price: $23.00
Buy New: $7.00
You Save: $16.00 (70%)
New (36) Used (7) from $7.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 208300
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.9
ISBN: 0151012865
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.22
EAN: 9780151012862
ASIN: 0151012865
Publication Date: May 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: excellent condition
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| Customer Reviews:
 David good, Goliath bad May 15, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I love David and Goliath stories, and here's two at once. Independent wine producers making natural wines as David, large corporations making spoofalated wines as Goliath. Short cute female wine critic Alice as David, tall male wine critic Robert as Goliath. A really good story, an easy read, even for someone like me who doesn't drink wine.
Like many great books... May 14, 2008
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
...the secret of "The Battle for Wine and Love" is quite simple: drink wine. In exactly the same sense as Michael Pollan says, eat food.
For both of them, the best flavors, the best sensibilities, the best ways to live, come from eating and drinking simple, unmanipulated food and wine. That comes "from" somewhere. That's made with reverence for tradition (defined as food and drink your grandfather would recognize as food and drink.
Pollan doesn't like his foods augmented and sophisticated with unpronounceable additives. Feiring doesn't like her wines spoofulated. They're both saying the same thing. It's great and simple and profound advice. Advice to live by, and to savor, slowly.
Love and Controversy in The Winery May 13, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have been collecting, drinking and learning about wine since the late 60s. Recently was browsing books to see if there was anything new as far as pairing wine with some of the newer and more exotic cuisines. That I did not find but in browsing stumbled upon "The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization" by Alice Feiring. I had never heard of Alice but the title caught my eye because Robert Parker, who popularized the 100-point wine rating scale, is such a powerful figure in today's wine world. It also probably did not hurt that she is a self-described Jewish, Russian, redhead, wine geek with a finely tuned palate or that her jacket picture radiates a combination of intelligence, mystery, insight and determination. Once started I could not put the book down and read it during one cloudy Saturday afternoon. Since brevity is not the norm for wine books was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned. In a lively 268 pages she takes us behind the scenes for an insiders view of wine making, wines, techniques, producers and some of the controversies raging within the wine world. Intertwined with all the information is a lively and engaging story that makes it easy to digest the mountain of information. Feiring, an accomplished storyteller, combines her personal odyssey in the world of wine with serious and relevant issues that confront today's wine world.
An essential read filled with very memorable stories that will change how you think about wine May 8, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a very important book -- it will stir a lot of emotions, and hopefully we will all be able to keep those emotions in check and have a much needed debate (that is probably asking the impossible).
Think for a moment about food. The stuff you get at the grocery store or at a restaurant....chances are that much of it is not "authentic" food. Is it any surprise that technology and "the market" are doing the same thing with wine? Add into the mix that the market is heavily influenced by the opinions of a select few critics (especially Parker) and we know face wines made by technology and market demand, leaving out authenticity, place, artistry and tradition.
A difficult pill to swallow for those of us that love to ponder the aromatics of a wine, and all of the complexities and nuances of the flavor profile -- and now wake up to find that much of that is chemistry rather than a wonder of nature.....
But the reality is that there are still some gems that are wonders of nature and artistry -- and those are the wines Alice Feiring champions -- they are at least worthy of your consideration. At the end of the day, you can let your palate decide -- but you should know what you are drinking....
All pretty heavy things to ponder, but the book is filled with great stories and a terrific sense of humor and joy for life. The words really are an extension of her voice -- and it is one of those books you don't read, but the story is almost spoke to you (as if that makes any sense).
It is one of the most important books I have read in years....at the end of the day, I may not be in complete agreement with her on all points (I might consider irrigation as negotiable in terms of "natural") -- but her perspective is precious.
 De-Parkerization May 8, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Enjoyed the book so much that I am awaiting the sequel;"How Robert Parker Begged me To join his Staff". This book was a humorous and intelligent ride through Ms. Feirings life and her views on the tainting of wine by technology.
It poses some serious questions in the debate between "natural wine" vs. the New World creations; traditional vs. tech wines. Does it boil down to taste or are we brainwashed by the ratings?
Hopefully the last chapter was left open in anticipation of a follow up. A must buy.
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