A Hedonist in the Cellar

Author: Jay McInerney
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408834774
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Book Description
_______________ 'McInerney's wine judgements are sound, his anecdotes witty, and his literary references impeccable. Not many wine books are good reads; this one is' - New York Times 'A cracking read' - Daily Telegraph 'Personal, enlightening, and above all fun to read' - Michael Broadbent, Master of Wine of Christie's 'Brilliant, witty, comical and often shamelessly candid and provocative' - Robert M. Parker Jr, The Wine Advocate _______________ WINNER OF THE BEST WINE LITERATURE AWARD, GOURMAND WORLD COOKBOOK AWARDS Jay McInerney, internationally celebrated author of Bright Lights, Big City, turns his hand here to his lifelong love affair with wine. Peals of wisdom are offered on the subjects of the best wine for romantics, the parallels between Californian wines and floundering Hollywood stars, the choice of wine for the author's own debauched forty-eighth birthday party, the 'high-testosterone grape' that is Colin Farrell, absinthe, 'the wild green fairy', and what wine is best drunk with chocolate. At the same time McInerney is a genuine connoisseur, taking the reader on a tour through the wine regions of the world and imparting tried and tested advice on grapes and vintages, bouquets, noses and finishes.

Bacchus & Me

Author: Jay McInerney
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0762785489
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 178

Book Description
With acerbic wit, irreverent tone, and bountiful hilarious anecdotes, Jay McInerney writes the first wine book that makes sense to all those dazed by the prevailing, dull technical wine writing. McInerney generously reveals all he's learned on his worldwide journey to understand wine in chapters on reds, whites, dessert wines, champagne, aperitifs, and more. McInerney holds forth in forty-nine essays - with agile humor; an astonishing amount of hard fact, and an ample dose of personal taste - on: how to make your way around a German wine label; what to drink with Thanksgiving turkey; the truth about Zinfandels; why Burgundy is so hard to predict; Napa Valley's finest winemakers; the pleasure of flinty Chablis, the deep satisfaction of port, the glorious potential of Oregon's Pinot Noir; the respectability of RosT; and the most colorful characters in the business. It is actually possible for a reader of Bacchus & Me to take what is learned to the bank, and immediately thereafter to wine shop or restaurant to indulge in the wine of his or her fantasy with the confidence of a sommelier. Bacchus & Me is for everyone interested in learning more about the wines of the world. For both those of broad means and of modest purse, there is intense vicarious pleasure to be found in McInerney's vinous adventures.

The Juice

Author: Jay McInerney
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408833271
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
One of America's best novelists Jay McInerney is also well-known for being a wine connoisseur. Since beginning to drink wine, in emulation of his literary and cultural heroes - which he admits were not only Hemingway and Fitzgerald but also the characters that they gave birth to - the writer's understanding of and fascination with wine has only grown. The Juice gives an insight into a passion and pastime that McInerney believes should be accessible to everyone, from those popping down to the supermarket to those popping down to their wine cellars. Using his trademark flair and expertise, McInerney paints a collage of the almost infinite varieties of wine across the globe, extracting the best and the most affordable from the intimidating selection offered by the modern world. His tour embraces a vast array of countries, moving from such legendary chateaux as Margaux and Latour in France and the revered Friuli and Piedmont regions of Northern Italy to new contenders in the Santa Rita Hills and Paso Robles in the US. Even whilst stretching as far as the vast lands of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, he never abandons the details, exploring the intimate history behind each bottle. With contagious curiosity, McInerney explores the huge world of viticulture, from terroir to biodynamics, and sets out to answer the big questions: whether French should mix with American; why rap stars no longer drink Cristal; why you shouldn't be intimidated by German wine labels; and whether it really is acceptable to drink Pinot Grigio. Far-reaching, deeply knowledgeable and often hilarious, The Juice provides a masterclass in a wide range of grapes and wine styles, as well as the people and places taking such meticulous care over each and every glass. Stretching from the historic past to the often confusing present, McInerney captures the excitement that is felt by millions of people for the expansive world of wine.

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

Author: Pierre Bayard
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1596917148
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 129

Book Description
In this delightfully witty, provocative book, literature professor and psychoanalyst Pierre Bayard argues that not having read a book need not be an impediment to having an interesting conversation about it. (In fact, he says, in certain situations reading the book is the worst thing you could do.) Using examples from such writers as Graham Greene, Oscar Wilde, Montaigne, and Umberto Eco, he describes the varieties of "non-reading"-from books that you've never heard of to books that you've read and forgotten-and offers advice on how to turn a sticky social situation into an occasion for creative brilliance. Practical, funny, and thought-provoking, How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read-which became a favorite of readers everywhere in the hardcover edition-is in the end a love letter to books, offering a whole new perspective on how we read and absorb them.

How It Ended

Author: Jay McInerney
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 140885449X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Book Description
_______________ 'Urban tales of sex, sell-outs, divisions and divorces' - Harper's Bazaar 'Jay McInerney is the type of American novelist to whom English readers instinctively warm ... How It Ended is the work of a fine writer on the top of his form' - Sunday Telegraph 'McInerney rarely lets the reader down and the buzz you get from reading How It Ended will last longer than your usual fix' - Tatler 'Sharp, spare, exquisitely observed writing' - Daily Mail _______________ Sex, excess and urban paranoia... this collection of short stories returns to hallmark McInerney territory Discover a world of sex, excess and urban paranoia where worlds collide, relationships fragment and the dark underbelly of the American dream is exposed. A transgender prostitute accidentally propositions his own father. A senator's serial infidelities leave him in hot water. And two young lovers spend Christmas together high on different drugs. McInerney's characters struggle together in a shifting world where old certainties dissolve and nobody can be sure of where they stand.

Wines of the New South Africa

Author: Tim James
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520260236
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Book Description
Sought after by European aristocrats and a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte, the sweet wines of Constantia in the Cape Colony were considered to be among the worldÕs best during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa began to re-emerge onto the international wine scene. Tim James, an expert on South African wines, takes the reader on an information-packed tour of the region, showing us how and why the unique combination of terroir and climate, together with dramatic improvements in winemaking techniques, result in wines that are once again winning accolades. James describes important grape varieties and wine stylesÑfrom delicate sparkling, to rich fortified, and everything in betweenÑincluding the varietal blends that produce some of the finest Cape wines. Anchoring his narrative in a rich historical context, James discusses all the major wine regions, from Cederberg to Walker Bay, complete with profiles of more than 150 of the countryÕs finest producers.

Bright, Precious Days

Author: Jay McInerney
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 1101948019
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 417

Book Description
From the best-selling author of Bright Lights, Big City: a sexy, vibrant, cross-generational New York story--a literary and commercial triumph of the highest order. Even decades after their arrival, Corrine and Russell Calloway still feel as if they’re living the dream that drew them to New York City in the first place: book parties or art openings one night and high-society events the next; jobs they care about (and in fact love); twin children whose birth was truly miraculous; a loft in TriBeCa and summers in the Hamptons. But all of this comes at a fiendish cost. Russell, an independent publisher, has superb cultural credentials yet minimal cash flow; as he navigates a business that requires, beyond astute literary judgment, constant financial improvisation, he encounters an audacious, potentially game-changing—or ruinous—opportunity. Meanwhile, instead of chasing personal gain in this incredibly wealthy city, Corrine devotes herself to helping feed its hungry poor, and she and her husband soon discover they’re being priced out of the newly fashionable neighborhood they’ve called home for most of their adult lives, with their son and daughter caught in the balance. Then Corrine’s world is turned upside down when the man with whom she’d had an ill-fated affair in the wake of 9/11 suddenly reappears. As the novel unfolds across a period of stupendous change—including Obama’s historic election and the global economic collapse he inherited—the Calloways will find themselves and their marriage tested more severely than they ever could have imagined.

Been Doon So Long

Author: Randall Grahm
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520259564
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
"Raise your glass to Randall Grahm. Long may he tickle our fancy."—Kermit Lynch, author of Adventures on the Wine Route “Long a fan of Bonny Doon, it cheered me to find Randall Grahm's writing just as irreverent and delicious as his approach to wine.”—Kathleen Flinn, author of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry “Randall Grahm is the Willy Wonka of the wine world, and Been Doon So Long is intelligent, insightful, and mischievous. It's a work of genius.”—Jamie Goode, author of The Science of Wine "If Donald Barthelme had studied philosophy and oenology he might have written like Randall Grahm. He's a provocateur, a punster, a philosopher, and jester. As entertaining as Grahm is, he also manages to edify, ultimately surprising us with contrarian common sense and a flamboyant defense of tradition."—Jay McInerney, author of Bacchus and Me and A Hedonist in the Cellar

Brightness Falls

Author: Jay McInerney
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408854473
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 527

Book Description
Corrine Calloway is a young stockbroker on Wall Street, her husband Russell an underpaid but ambitious publishing editor. The happily married couple head into New York's 1980s gold rush where prospects and money seem to be flying everywhere, and the best and the brightest vie with the worst and most craven for riches, fame and the love of beautiful people. But the Calloways soon find out that what goes up must come crashing down, both on Wall Street and at home. Brightness Falls captures lives-in-the-making: men and women confronting their sudden middle-age with wit and low behaviour, fear and confusion, and, just occasionally, a little honesty and decency.

Au Revoir to All That

Author: Michael Steinberger
Publisher: Anchor Canada
ISBN: 0385673264
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Book Description
A rich, lively book about the upheaval in French gastronomy, set against the backdrop of France’s diminished fortunes as a nation. France is in a rut, and so is French cuisine. Twenty-five years ago it was hard to have a bad meal there; today it’s difficult to find a good one. An unmistakable whiff of decline emanates from its kitchens, and many believe that London, Spain, and New York are more exciting places to eat. Parisian bistros and brasseries are disappearing at an alarming rate; large segments of France’s wine industry are in crisis; many artisanal products are threatened with extinction. But astonishingly, business is good for McDonald’s: France has become its second-most profitable market in the world. How this happened and what is being done to revive the gastronomic arts in France are the questions at the heart of this book. Steinberger meets top chefs, winemakers, farmers, bakers, and other artisans, interviews the head of McDonald’s Europe, marches down a Paris boulevard with "alter-globalization" activist José Bové, and breaks bread with the editorial director of the very powerful and secretive Michelin Guide. The result is a striking portrait of a cuisine and a country in transition.