Vino Business
The Cloudy World of French Wine
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"This sharp critique of French winemakers, and Bordeaux's Saint Emilion region in particular, caused quite a stir when it was published in France in 2014" (Publishers Weekly).
Already provoking debate and garnering significant attention across France and within the wine world, Vino Business is a "truly eye-opening exposé" of the dark side of French wine by acclaimed investigative journalist Isabelle Saporta (Booklist).
In recent decades, Bordeaux has come under the influence of large-scale international investors. Unafraid to name names, Saporta sheds a harsh light on how this influence has corrupted the region's centuries-old traditions of winemaking excellence. She uncovers how the classification system was manipulated in 2012 to ensure that the wines of Saint-Émilion—Bordeaux's most prestigious appellation—were certified premier grand cru classé A. Giving extra points to a chateaux for the size of its parking lot, the quality of the wine itself counts for only thirty percent of that coveted rank.
In other chapters, Saporta investigates issues of wine labeling and pesticides, and draws comparisons to Champagne, Burgundy, and the rest of the wine world. "This fast-paced, provocative read" is a cri de coeur for the lost values of traditional winemaking (Dave DeSimone, Pittsburgh Tribune Review).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This sharp critique of French winemakers, and Bordeaux's Saint Emilion region in particular, caused quite a stir when it was published in France in 2014, and it even resulted in a defamation lawsuit from Hubert de Bo ard, one of the vintners mentioned in this dishy expos . Saporta (The Black Book of Agriculture) doesn't pull any punches, portraying an industry rife with enormous egos and long histories of trying to become even more profitable, tradition be damned. The most glaring embodiment of this is in the shifting classification of vineyards in order to raise their profiles and prices, as well as to attract the attention of the highly lucrative and fast-growing Chinese market. Prominent producers once focused on quality and tradition are now said to display a cavalier attitude toward pesticides and chemical residues in wines, regardless of their effects on taste and quality. Saporta is not afraid to name names and highlight the ramifications of a few elites' backroom machinations on smaller producers, as well as on France's beloved wine industry as a whole. Saporta's precision in identifying her targets and laying out supporting evidence adds drama to an already-melodramatic saga, and teetotalers and oenophiles alike will find it hard to resist.
