Red, White and Drunk All Over - Book Endorsements

I am deeply grateful to the leaders in the food and wine industry who have supported my book with their endorsement. A toast to them!

 

There's everything here: old stories and new, an enquiring mind and bags of enthusiasm.

- Hugh Johnson, author of The World Atlas of Wine and The Oxford Companion to Wine

 

Beginning in fabled Burgundy and ending with a dinner in New York with novelist and wine writer Jay McInerney, Natalie MacLean writes about wine with a sensuous obsession.  Hop-scotching from wine region to winery to wine boutique, interviewing everyone in the world of wine from winemakers to purveyors to critics, Red, White and Drunk All Over is an eclectic compendium about everything concerning wine.  Never pedantic, but always erudite and eminently readable—and often laugh-out-loud funny—MacLean's book is a terrific beginning for the new wine connoisseur.  Here one will find advice and information on everything from cellaring to proper stemware, how to order wine in a restaurant, differentiations of grape varieties and regions, the myths of winespeak, and much more; in other words, a great jumping-off point for more serious exploration if one becomes so inclined.  After reading this book, the wine neophyte is likely to, so enthusiastic about her love for the grape is McLean.

- Rex Pickett, author of Sideways

 

The ideal way to deepen one's appreciation of wine would be to taste and discuss with the people who make the stuff.  Natalie MacLean does just that, and reports her adventures in a style as accessible as your favorite pop song.  There are revelations galore, and the Randall Graham conversation especially should be printed across the sky.

- Kermit Lynch, author of Adventures Along the Wine Route

 

Teetotalers, beware!  Natalie MacLean's book is such an engaging and delightful read that it's bound to make a wine lover out of everyone who picks it up.  We found the entertaining and instructive stories of how wine is made, evaluated, and enjoyed -- featuring some of the wine world's biggest personalities -- almost as delicious as drinking one of our favorite bottles with dinner.  This book is an absolute gem.

- Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, James Beard Award-winning authors of Becoming a Chef, Culinary Artistry and What to Drink with What You Eat

 

Many have walked down the path of vinous storytelling before Natalie MacLean, but until Red, White, and Drunk All Over, I'm not sure I've ever seen someone so sensibly or surreptitiously provide a starch-free education in wine.  In the guise of a heart- and body-warming memoir, we get to learn what she learns while she's learning it. Why, you'd almost be under the impression that she wasn't actually teaching! And beyond being a terrific writer, she's fun company.

- Danny Meyer, co-author of The Union Square Cafe Cookbook and author of Setting the Table

 

Who better than Natalie MacLean to lead us through the world of wine? She takes us to the best vineyards and the deepest cellars, knows how to spot the eccentric geniuses and charms them as she charms us, with self-deprecating, irreverent prose and steely objectivity. Above all, she reminds us that behind the oenology and the marketing hype, wine is a warm and sensual treasure, to be drunk—and written about—with love.

- James Chatto, wine editor, Food & Drink, restaurant columnist, Toronto Life

 

MacLean is an exuberant guide to common and uncommon realms of the wine world. I found her enthusiasm not only for her subject, but also for the people who commit their lives to it, impossible to resist and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

- Michael Ruhlman, author of The Soul of a Chef, The Reach of a Chef, Charcuterie and co-author of The French Laundry Cookbook

 

Unlike so many wine guides, this one is an adventure story.  Natalie MacLean takes us along as she navigates the sometimes treacherous wine landscape, from vineyard to wine store to restaurant to her own kitchen, putting it all in perspective and even putting a wine snob or two in their place.  We finish the journey far more confident—and with a craving for great wine.

- Edward Deitch, Wine Critic, NBC and MSNBC.com

 

From Robert Parker to Jay McInerney; burgundy to zinfandel, Natalie MacLean wears her heart on her sleeve as she journeys into the minds and mysteries of wine personalities around the world. While on the trail, she pauses to step into her own fantasies by taking a brief whirl at wine retailing by day and dispensing advice as a sommelier at night. Full of vinous insight, this is a great read for the wine savvy, the thirsty adventurer, the gossip hounds and those who want to understand the world of wine from a more human aspect.

- Lucy Waverman, food editor, Food & Drink and food columnist, The Globe & Mail

 

Natalie has taken a brilliant approach to this book. It is highly entertaining, full of great stories that reveal the people, the places and the things that matter most about wine. You will learn just about everything you need to know without even realizing it. A must read for beginners and experts alike.

- John Szabo, Master Sommelier

 

A galloping read, which educates, entertains and amuses... [Natalie] is the George Plimpton of wine writers; she shares insights from her "day in the life of" a vineyard worker, a winemaker, a wine sales person and a sommelier.  Exciting tidbits also include insider report of the feud between well known wine experts.

- Ann Noble, professor of viticulture, University of California, Davis and creator of the Wine Aroma Wheel

 

Natalie MacLean is a true original. She combines her vast knowledge of wine with a keen eye for a good story and great wit. I raise my glass to her.

- Bonnie Stern, author of eleven national-bestselling cookbooks, including Bonnie Stern's Essentials of Home Cooking and food columnist for The National Post

 

When Natalie Maclean takes you on a journey to meet the most interesting people in the world of wine, be prepared to learn everything there is to know about wine, while gleefully abandoning your inhibitions.

- Louisa Thomas Hargrave, Director, Stony Brook University Center for Wine, Food and Culture and author of The Vineyard: A Memoir

 

Red, White and Drunk All Over is an engaging and very accessible guide to the world of wine. Natalie MacLean takes on the dual role of drinking companion and advisor as we travel with her to individual vineyards and wineries in France and California .  Along the way we meet, and then quickly develop personal feelings for, the growers, the wine-makers, the vines themselves, and the wines they produce.

- Naomi Duguid, co-author of Mangoes & Curry Leaves, Home Baking; Hot Sour Salty Sweet

 

Natalie MacLean imparts much knowledge and history of wine without ever preaching to us. Rather, we are drawn into a fascinating historical essay. Woven into the history we are also introduced to the debate driven world of wine today. The whole package is punctuated with insights that are placed easily within the grasp of people interested in wine at any level. All of this is accomplished without simplifying anything.  I think this is the strength of her work. So much research and thought goes into her presentation. Ms. MacLean equips her readers with enough information to come to their own conclusions on subjects that are at once so diverse and yet entwined within the realm of gastronomy. All of this is delivered in a tone that is inviting and that betrays the passion and love that she has for her subject.

- Jamie Kennedy, owner, Jamie Kennedy Restaurant and Wine Bar, author of Jamie Kennedy's Seasons