An entertaining introduction to Bordeaux, though little of it is new. (23 illustrations, 1 map)
Wall Street Journal wine columnist Echikson explores the return of quality to Bordeaux over the past 20 years, as well as the economic flat-lining that will put a check on the recovery.
Although his satisfying portrait of the Bordeaux wine industry in the late 20th century concentrates on a few producers, brokers, and merchants, it nonetheless provides an overview of what is happening in the region as a whole. What looked like “another painful lesson in globalization, the latest chapter in France’s ongoing and mostly losing struggle to balance its artisan traditions with the unyielding demands of the marketplace,” produced an interesting twist. A good number of producers decided to cut back on quantity, no longer making “the vine piss wine” and taking a more severe approach to the selection of grapes. This was most evident in the work of the garagistes, whose social battles with the mandarins are chronicled in sprightly fashion by Echikson, as is the whole depressing ballyhoo at Chateau d’Yquem. The author considers Robert Parker’s impact on the area-wide move toward a denser wine, which infuriates many of the 10,000 producers who understand the existential mandate of terroir to be the delivery of variety, not homogenization. He brings his background in economics smartly to bear on challenges to bureaucratic regulation, the rise of cooperatives, and the overpricing of bottles (particularly those that get the Parker nod); when the stock market tanked, Echikson notes, so did the Bordeaux bubble. The most original materials here are the close portraits, in broad cross-section, of a few Bordeaux winemakers, including the profoundly artisanal garagiste Michel Gracia, arriviste Yves Vatelot at Chateau Lascombes, and Chateau d’Yquem’s difficult feudal paternalist, Count Alexandre de Lur-Saluces. Echikson's sleeve across the pedigreed windpipe of undeserving premier crus is a welcome reminder to seek quality, not fancy names.
An entertaining introduction to Bordeaux, though little of it is new. (23 illustrations, 1 map)Pub Date: May 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-393-05162-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
Then again, as one popular saying goes, common sense is not common–perhaps that one should have been included here.
“Pertinent truths” meant to inspire writers in search of deeper meaning in their words.
In the political frenzy of an election year, the ability to captivate with a soundbite proves ever necessary. And while presidential candidates have speechwriters aplenty to help mesmerize the masses, the rest of us don’t have it so easy. And so a whole industry has been built upon the supposition that many of us often suffer from a crippling case of writer’s block when trying to wax poetic. Greeting cards that do the talking for us–“I love you,” “Hang in there, champ” or “You’re the best”–fill drugstore aisles. Paperbacks filled with Pablo Neruda poems fly off bookstore shelves around Valentine’s Day. And then there’s that niche filled with the Dr. Phil McGraws of the world, the inspirational genre formulating phrases to make our inner selves sing. Gordon considers himself in that league. Here, his “inspiring, witty and motivating words,” coupled with illustrations, are offered to help unclog that word-pumping artery, or better yet, soothe what ails you and make you think. It sounds a bit Chicken Soup for the Soul-ish, but it’s not exactly. There are words that do make you ponder: “Aim to be rich–poverty is more expensive,” for example. One can hardly argue with some of the revelations in these pages. “Read the signs carefully,” one of the sayings goes, tactfully partnered with a picture of a warning sign that reads: Primates (monkeys) are highly intelligent and are capable of inflicting serious injury when teased or harassed. Indeed, that is a sign worth reading. Mind-blowing, life-altering, thought-provoking even? No–most of this is a simple matter of common sense, something surely one’s grandmother often uttered when imparting good old-fashioned wisdom.
Then again, as one popular saying goes, common sense is not common–perhaps that one should have been included here.Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4257-5673-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Charming but somewhat wearying chronicle of a life well lived.
This collection of autobiographical scenes is equal parts family history, travelogue and romance.
Eric Youngquist brings readers another assorted group of pieces on his family’s life and travels following 2006’s A Simpler Time. The book is divided neatly into two sections: Rita’s writings, assembled by Eric after her death, fill the first and his follow. Rita’s letters, diary entries and photographs suggest a privileged youth and recount her life before Eric. The material offers a unique snapshot of growing up in a bygone era, while passages detailing the couple’s courtship are sweetly nostalgic testaments to the strength of their 45 years together. Readers, however, might find it difficult to push through the non-narrative structure of Rita’s writing, especially overly thorough biographical sketches of her ancestors. The second part of the book is much more accessible, charting the couple’s course through Wisconsin, Norway and upstate New York over several years. Eric came from an immigrant family and was indoctrinated with that most American of ideals–through education one can better their social standing. He was a diligent scholar and his natural drive fueled an ascent in academia and the foreign service, which dictated the family’s travels. Eric’s sentimentality and attention to detail are the bedrock of this book, and they shine through on every page: paternal meditation on his two young sons, fond memories of his oral foreign service exam or fashion observations from the streets of Oslo. His writing is unfailingly sweet-natured and conscientious, but his penchant for all-inclusive details will tire some readers and lose others altogether. While his love for Rita is nothing short of awe-inspiring, this overwhelming devotion often impairs his narrative judgment; he seems blind to the obvious tedium that some of Rita’s missives provoke. But readers who are doubtful that true love exists or that one dedicated man can make a difference will be winningly persuaded by Think Kind Thoughts.
Charming but somewhat wearying chronicle of a life well lived.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-0929146065
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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