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Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France

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  • Create Date：2021-04-24 11:54:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Kermit Lynch
  • ISBN：0374538530
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Summary

The newly designed twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic volume， brought up-to-date



"Wine is， above all， about pleasure。 Those who make it ponderous make it dull 。 。 。 If you keep an open mind and take each wine on its own terms， there is a world of magic to discover。" So wrote the renowned wine expert Kermit Lynch in the introduction to Adventures on the Wine Route， his ultimate tour of France， especially its wine cellars。 The "magic" of wine is Lynch's subject as he takes the reader on a singular journey through the Loire， Bordeaux， the Languedoc， Provence， northern and southern Rhone， and Burgundy。 In Adventures on the Wine Route， the wine lover will find wisdom without a trace of pretension and hype。 As Victor Hazan wrote， "In Kermit Lynch's small， true， delightful book there is more understanding about what wine really is than in everything else I have read。"

Praise for Lynch and for Adventures on the Wine Route has not ceased since the book's initial publication a quarter century ago。 In 2007， The New York Times called it "one of the finest American books on wine。" And in June 2012， The Wall Street Journal proclaimed it "the best book on the wine business。" Full of vivid portraits of French vintners， memorable evocations of the French countryside， and， of course， vibrant descriptions of French wines， this new edition of Adventures on the Wine Route updates a modern classic for our times。

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Reviews

Oliver Go ，

Please publish your work on NovelStar。 For sure a lot of readers will love your work。 There are also a lot of talented writers in the platform that you might want to work with。

Simon Heape ，

The most wonderful book about wine I’ve had the pleasure to read。 KL’s passion for wine is infectious。 Not a book about unicorn wines but about true wines and especially about the passionate winemakers who create and raise them。 Whilst not a winemaker herself the tales about Lulu Peyraud and Domaine Tempier are worth the book’s price alone！

Chad ，

Such a fun， irreverent romp through the famous and not so famous wine growing regions of France with the Berkeley-based importer Kermit Lynch。 Learned a lot about viniculture， and the ways in which climate change， economic forces， the wine media， and popular culture have influenced centuries-old methods of wine growing and making， mostly for the worse， sometimes for the better。Also learned about the job of a wine importer。 Importers need to constantly hunt for new and high quality brands and eva Such a fun， irreverent romp through the famous and not so famous wine growing regions of France with the Berkeley-based importer Kermit Lynch。 Learned a lot about viniculture， and the ways in which climate change， economic forces， the wine media， and popular culture have influenced centuries-old methods of wine growing and making， mostly for the worse， sometimes for the better。Also learned about the job of a wine importer。 Importers need to constantly hunt for new and high quality brands and evangelize them to their customers。 It's so interesting to read Lynch's perspective on how the market dynamics play out in his business; the better he does his job selling wines from previously unknown producers and regions， the more difficult it becomes for him to maintain his book of business with those same producers because they can generate higher demand and prices from competing importers， assorted middlemen and everyday consumers。 。。。more

David Meyer ，

Not being a wine connoisseur myself， specifics of the book were difficult to relate to and fully embrace， but if you can ignore that （or if you happen to be an expert） the book is a fun journey and look into a world （albeit presumably outdated at this point） most of us will never experience。 The author comes up as obnoxious at times， but that's kind of what you are looking for if you want to see through the eyes of a wine snob。 As an introvert， my biggest struggle was following the book after th Not being a wine connoisseur myself， specifics of the book were difficult to relate to and fully embrace， but if you can ignore that （or if you happen to be an expert） the book is a fun journey and look into a world （albeit presumably outdated at this point） most of us will never experience。 The author comes up as obnoxious at times， but that's kind of what you are looking for if you want to see through the eyes of a wine snob。 As an introvert， my biggest struggle was following the book after the many many times the author returned wine at tastings and restaurants throughout the book。 My mind kept wandering to how much lead paint I would drink in a glass before returning something to the kitchen。 。。。more

Kerry ，

This is a gorgeous， lyrical venture into French wines， regions， and personalities--it's full of emotion， observation， and sensory details， as well as a sense of humor and the frustration towards wine traditions fading and the integrity of production degrading。 The sentences are finely tuned， each word chosen for tone and nuance， each scene sublime in its own way。 Even the more irascible characters are lovingly portrayed--and indeed， this work is one of love: love of wine， love of words， love of This is a gorgeous， lyrical venture into French wines， regions， and personalities--it's full of emotion， observation， and sensory details， as well as a sense of humor and the frustration towards wine traditions fading and the integrity of production degrading。 The sentences are finely tuned， each word chosen for tone and nuance， each scene sublime in its own way。 Even the more irascible characters are lovingly portrayed--and indeed， this work is one of love: love of wine， love of words， love of the interaction with those who tempt， tame， or wrestle wine into being， and love of the opportunity to combine everything into a sharable experience。I was sad when this book ended （a rarity these days） and even more disappointed to see that Lynch does not have volumes upon volumes about his adventures in wine。 Though the book was written decades ago， it creates a snapshot in time， elevates great wines and vintners to immortality， and allows the reader to be genuinely enthused about reading more， learning more， and tasting more。 In short， I loved this book from start to finish and every word in between。 。。。more

Cody ，

Super random read。 It was suggested as a "book to read before you die"。 And it totally is。Although the book is about wine， it's really about the winemakers。 Kermit Lynch does a fantastic job of storytelling。 I know nothing about wines， but the stories in this book are worth the read。 Super random read。 It was suggested as a "book to read before you die"。 And it totally is。Although the book is about wine， it's really about the winemakers。 Kermit Lynch does a fantastic job of storytelling。 I know nothing about wines， but the stories in this book are worth the read。 。。。more

Vijay Manwani ，

brilliant。 i am so so jealous and wonder in which sensual domain like wine， open space exists to explore like the author did in this book

Jen ，

Perfect accompaniment to a road trip tasting wine in France。

Kim Gammelgaard ，

5 stars if you like wine only， but really one of the best books on the change of wine making in the 1980'ies， seen from an American professional wine buyers perspective， that gives a remarkable insight to the wine market of both yesteryear， but certainly also with lot of strains towards todays wine world。 Recommended！ 5 stars if you like wine only， but really one of the best books on the change of wine making in the 1980'ies， seen from an American professional wine buyers perspective， that gives a remarkable insight to the wine market of both yesteryear， but certainly also with lot of strains towards todays wine world。 Recommended！ 。。。more

Andrew Hankin ，

This book was both enjoyable and informative。 Following Kermit's life experiences buying wine， the reader is able to travel back in time and delve into the cellars of France。 The reader not only gains an understanding of the different wine regions， but also gains an appreciation for how the wine is made。 Kermit displays the beauty and artistry of France's wine through its diversity， giving each wine it's own personality that should be appreciated。 This book was both enjoyable and informative。 Following Kermit's life experiences buying wine， the reader is able to travel back in time and delve into the cellars of France。 The reader not only gains an understanding of the different wine regions， but also gains an appreciation for how the wine is made。 Kermit displays the beauty and artistry of France's wine through its diversity， giving each wine it's own personality that should be appreciated。 。。。more

Henry ，

An interesting collection of quick and jumbled stories about his adventures or something like them buying wine in France in the 70's and early 80's。 Lots on his takes on what makes a good wine or at least what he likes in a wine。 A fine read but calling it a book is a bit of a stretch。 An interesting collection of quick and jumbled stories about his adventures or something like them buying wine in France in the 70's and early 80's。 Lots on his takes on what makes a good wine or at least what he likes in a wine。 A fine read but calling it a book is a bit of a stretch。 。。。more

Joe ，

Good place to start for natural wine

Mariana Santos ，

Delicious journey with a winer importer cross the most famous French terroirs。 Kermit tells us short anecdotes， concerns about the future of wine and make some predictions back in the 1985。

Jennyb ，

I like France， and I like wine， and I specifically like all of the wines I've tried that Kermit Lynch has imported。 That said， reading about the heroically good French vintages of the 70s and 80s isn't particularly compelling here in 2020， so I am going to give the rest of this one a pass。 Just not in the mood。 I like France， and I like wine， and I specifically like all of the wines I've tried that Kermit Lynch has imported。 That said， reading about the heroically good French vintages of the 70s and 80s isn't particularly compelling here in 2020， so I am going to give the rest of this one a pass。 Just not in the mood。 。。。more

Andrew ，

Makes me want to leave right now for France and tour the different wine regions。 You can't help imaging yourself wherever kermit goes indulging with your own glass of wine and plate of cheese and you devour each treasure he uncovers。A must-read for anyone interested in wine and the places it comes from。 Wine is about more than cult status or dollar value。 It's about the land it comes from and the people who make it。 Makes me want to leave right now for France and tour the different wine regions。 You can't help imaging yourself wherever kermit goes indulging with your own glass of wine and plate of cheese and you devour each treasure he uncovers。A must-read for anyone interested in wine and the places it comes from。 Wine is about more than cult status or dollar value。 It's about the land it comes from and the people who make it。 。。。more

Ashleyree ，

Referenced in "Wine Girl。" Referenced in "Wine Girl。" 。。。more

frank easterbrook ，

MORE THEN YOU IMAGINEHaving finished Billionaires Vinegar， I noticed this book and glad that I did。 It's more then a book about wine。 It reminds me of the book "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" 。 It's a fantastic story of wine intertwined with relationships around people who have a true passion for wine compared to those who have little regard for what they sell。Educational and fun to read。 Great job Kermit！ MORE THEN YOU IMAGINEHaving finished Billionaires Vinegar， I noticed this book and glad that I did。 It's more then a book about wine。 It reminds me of the book "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" 。 It's a fantastic story of wine intertwined with relationships around people who have a true passion for wine compared to those who have little regard for what they sell。Educational and fun to read。 Great job Kermit！ 。。。more

Nick ，

“It is the modern world and the wine has changed with it。 Today’s average quality is perhaps superior， I’m not sure， but we do not reach the summits that we used to。”

Tejas Sathian ，

This was clearly such an important book about wine at the time of its original publishing， and it stood the test of time and feels so fresh and relevant now。 Lynch's voice is personal， un-assuming， rough around the edges in all of the right ways， and this book reads like an honest account of a pioneering career in wine。 Interestingly， I read it shortly after Rajat Parr's Sommelier's Atlas of Taste， and the two books have parallel structures - organized by region， with personal anecdotes of visit This was clearly such an important book about wine at the time of its original publishing， and it stood the test of time and feels so fresh and relevant now。 Lynch's voice is personal， un-assuming， rough around the edges in all of the right ways， and this book reads like an honest account of a pioneering career in wine。 Interestingly， I read it shortly after Rajat Parr's Sommelier's Atlas of Taste， and the two books have parallel structures - organized by region， with personal anecdotes of visits to winemakers and travelogue style tips mingled with educational knowledge about the winemaking and wines themselves。 The travel advice is the only part of the book that really feels dated - everything else feels perfectly relevant for a modern wine lover， especially when considering how original many of Lynch's insights were during his time。The starting point here is particularly notable， as Lynch emphasizes a lot of what was going wrong with wine in the 70s/80s: press-led tastes for big wines， leading to heavy extraction styles yielding generic tasting high alcohol wines; processes such as chaptalization to meet these tastes; technological change （often coinciding with generational change at wine estates） leading to homogeneous wines; inconsistencies in bottling/shipping techniques leading to risk aversion in the industry。 And Lynch's role in working toward solutions was clear: investing in temperature controlled shipping， persuading winemakers to bottle unfiltered cuvees for him， seeking out and encouraging producers experimenting with less chemical processes， etc。 He often refers to 'natural' and 'living' wines， which is interesting given his timing around the start of some natural wine trends - but also argues against absolutism around things like sulfur dosing。 Understood around the starting point of wines of the time， the trend toward more distinctive and 'natural' wines that resisted homogeneous monotony seems like a great evolution - but also suggests that maybe today's natural wine movement has gone far beyond the point of sensibility。 Lastly， the profiles of many of the vignerons and the transition away from the 'old France' make for interesting studies of character and place - the stories of the Peyraud family of Tempier， and the Bruniers of Vieux Telegraphe， were particularly enjoyable。 Some of Lynch's forebodings for the future proved prescient， while others were happily avoided: his fear that Guigal's success would prove a poisoned chalice for Cote Rotie （disproven by subsequent trends）， his worries over the succession of Gentaz's wines and legacy （mixed）， and his concern over Chauvet's lack of natural Beaujolais heirs （disproven due to Lynch's work with the Gang of Four which is discussed in the afterword）。This was a highly worthwhile read in my wine education and will be a pillar of my wine library for years to come。 。。。more

Linda ，

Kermit's great appreciation for the wines of France illuminate this account of his buyer's journeys。 Kermit's great appreciation for the wines of France illuminate this account of his buyer's journeys。 。。。more

Mary Kate ，

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about wine in general， but particularly French wine through Lynch’s stories of the land’s characters。 This book definitely inspired what will be a serious attempt to learn more about French wines。

Les Reynolds ，

Quirky， opinionated， full of delightful stories and insights。 Many of his opinions on filtering and natural wine were ahead of their time。

Justin Rohrman ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A fun， quick read。 This was a good overview of the wine regions of France。 More important to me however， it was a reminder that with some bottles， you are supporting real farming families rather than an anonymous corporation。

Alberto ，

More entertaining than educational - absolutely not a bad thing - it is a book for a reader who already has a solid understanding of wine。 Credit to Mr Lynch for expressing strong non-consensual views on subjects such as natural winemaking， filtration， oak fermentation， which turned out to be right and before the industry got there。 The book can also be used as a colourful travel guide across most French wine regions。

Jean Bolan ，

Very interesting。 A classic wine book， but old now。

Jackson Tejeda ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Super knowledgable。 If you want to learn more about wine， this might not be the book to start with but you should read it along the way。 Very informative and it really helps to add people and stories to the wines and regions I've been hearing about。 Pretty pretentious but Kermit has phenomenal taste。 Super knowledgable。 If you want to learn more about wine， this might not be the book to start with but you should read it along the way。 Very informative and it really helps to add people and stories to the wines and regions I've been hearing about。 Pretty pretentious but Kermit has phenomenal taste。 。。。more

Fiona O'Reilly ，

A must read for wine lovers & Kermit was ahead of his time in the mid 80s but in retrospect foresees the Natural wine Minimal intervention revolution。 Very readable & not very technical

Otis Chandler ，

A bit old， but a great overview and tour through French wines。 Fascinating to see that even then the wines that tasted best were not the big names， but the ones who were doing it "the old way" and not using huge modern technology that filtered the wine。 But this of course doesn't scale so less and less of these are around。 One fascinating thing to me was how much Kermit railed against the big， bold， strong reds。 Because those are my favorites！ "in those days the California palate （mine included） A bit old， but a great overview and tour through French wines。 Fascinating to see that even then the wines that tasted best were not the big names， but the ones who were doing it "the old way" and not using huge modern technology that filtered the wine。 But this of course doesn't scale so less and less of these are around。 One fascinating thing to me was how much Kermit railed against the big， bold， strong reds。 Because those are my favorites！ "in those days the California palate （mine included） demanded big mouth-filling wines at the expense of any other virtues， including authenticity。"But he points out time and time again that a good wine should pair with what it will be eaten with。 And this means one can drink a wide variety of wines， depending on what is being eaten。 This， along with many of the examples he gives has helped push my thinking a little about what wines to buy。"A wine can only be judged as it relates to the environment in which it is served。 The Chardonnay that looks best in the context of a comparative tasting is not likely to win next to a platter of fresh oysters。 I began to notice that most of the blind-tasting champions in my own cellar remained untouched， because I had no desire to drink them。 Just as they had overwhelmed the other wines to win a blind tasting， they overwhelm practically any cuisine。 Drink with Stilton？ lamb fat？ enchiladas？"Another interesting bit was the examples he gave about how much shipping and storage matters。 He would give examples of shipping wine via ordinary methods that arrived flat， and how it only tasted the same if shipping correctly。 "The difference between a wine shipped at cellar temperature and one shipped in a standard container is not subtle。 One is alive， the other cooked。 I can taste the difference。 And one never knows exactly how much the wine will suffer， because the climate en route cannot be predicted。 It might arrive dumb like those first de Montilles， or it might arrive dead。 By reefer the shipping costs are higher， but the wine is not damaged。"Another bit I loved learning about was how much the terroir affects the taste of the grapes。 Not just the soil either， but how much sunlight， and even things like nearby plants like sage， rosemary， lavender， thyme - he gave a great example of how one wine one year suddenly stopped tasting like blackberries， and he asked the vintner what happened， and learned that the wineries neighbor had removed some blackberry bushes that bordered their properties。 Fascinating。"There is only one possible explanation for this mysterious transfer of aromatic quality from one type of vegetation to another。 Bees！ The bees gather nectar from blossoms—in this case， wild-currant blossoms—then they alight on the grape blossoms， their little legs fuzzy with pollen from the currants。"Wines it mentions to try: * Meursault: white and mineral * Domaine Tempier: best reds in Provence * Domaine de la Gautière: just outside the border of Côtes du Rhône but just as good * Northern Rhone: There are but a handful， including some of France’s noblest: Saint-Péray， Cornas， Saint-Joseph， Hermitage， Crozes-Hermitage， Condrieu， Château Grillet， and Côte Rôtie * Cote Rotie: A Côte Rôtie is by no means light stuff; it is a substantial wine， but what is unusual is this saplike quality combined with a certain finesse， a certain delicacy。 Top it off with that amazing perfume of Syrah fruit grown in this special terroir and you have a wine set apart from all others。 Anyone can make a heavy， oaky wine。 All you need is a new barrel and sugary （or sugared） grape juice。 But a Côte Rôtie that tastes like Côte Rôtie can come only from the terroir of the roasted slope and from the traditional vinification developed over the centuries in the cellars of Ampuis。 * Bergundy: Savigny or Pernand， a Mercurey or Rully。 Volnay or Pommard， Chambolle or Nuits。 * Today， from all the appellations of the northern Rhône that produce white wine， there is only one sure thing year in and year out， and that is the quality of the Chave Hermitage blanc"Wine is， above all， pleasure。 Those who would make it ponderous make it dull。 People talk about the mystery of wine， yet most don’t want anything to do with mystery。 They want it all there in one sniff， one taste。 If you keep an open mind and take each wine on its own terms， there is a world of magic to discover。" 。。。more

Liam J ，

Well written， easy to read。 The issues raised are still valid in the wine world， even though the book was written 30 years ago。

Brad ，

This is as much a travel book as a book about wine。 But if you're interested in wine or the wine industry， this is mandatory reading。 I admit I wasn't expecting much other than just information but Kermit Lynch is as good at this as he is at selecting wines。 If you think the wine world is too pretentious， read this book and be reminded why you liked wine in the first place。 This is as much a travel book as a book about wine。 But if you're interested in wine or the wine industry， this is mandatory reading。 I admit I wasn't expecting much other than just information but Kermit Lynch is as good at this as he is at selecting wines。 If you think the wine world is too pretentious， read this book and be reminded why you liked wine in the first place。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0