Description

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The much-anticipated first book by one of the most highly regarded women in the world of wine, the French-born, US-based star sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier.

"A masterpiece that offers a deep dive into the world of wine. It's a testament to its author's passion, expertise and commitment to sustainable practices." Robert Parker Wine Advocate

"One Thousand Vines is a rare feat: an original book about wine. Few wine books draw on a deeper well of research than this one, but it is Lepeltier's fierce intelligence, and her sensitivity to wine's new quest for sustainability and renewal, which make One Thousand Vines a compelling publication for our times." Andrew Jefford

"Thoughtful, well-researched, wide-ranging ... it's the most intelligent wine book I've read for a long while." Margaret Rand

Does terroir really matter? What are the origins of wine and food pairings? Has professional wine tasting led to a uniformity of taste? Are we killing vines by the way we cultivate them? Is it paradoxical to talk about natural wines? How do economics influence wine styles?

One Thousand Vines isn't an encyclopedia or atlas but it answers all the important questions about wine and offers the reader keys to understand the links between the bottle and the producers, terroirs and vineyards which give birth to it. With a refreshingly unique approach, star sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier offers those curious about wine not only the answers but also the tools to understand it by oneself.

The book contains three parts - Reading the Vines, Reading the Landscapes and Reading the Wines - each broken down into chapters and shorter sub-chapters. The reader is invited to dive in as they wish: by reading from start to finish, or by picking out topics of interest, creating their own paths, connecting dots and discovering new perspectives.

In imparting the most up-to-date knowledge in the fields of botany, geography, history, sensory analysis, anthropology and gastronomy, One Thousand Vines challenges preconceived ideas about the vine and its wine. It explains where we are now, how we got here, and shows us a way forward - in how grapes will be grown, made into wine and sold and in how to taste and enjoy wine.
 

About the Author

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Pascaline Lepeltier is probably the most decorated female sommelier on the planet. She grew up in the Loire Valley, and left an academic career in philosophy to enter the world of wine at a young age. After winning numerous awards and accolades in France, she moved to New York in 2009 to open the US outpost of the famed Michelin-star restaurant Rouge Tomate, where she proceeded to build what many consider the best and most exciting wine list this country has ever seen, hailed by Eric Asimov in the New York Times as 'world-class, with exquisite taste'.

She became a leader in the natural wine movement (though that's only part of her scope of work) and was heralded one of the "New Prophets of Wine" by TimeOut, and a "Natural Wine Evangelist" by Ray Isle in Food &Wine. She then joined the wine-focused restaurant in Tribeca, first called Racine's and recently renamed Chambers, where she is building a similarly diverse and exquisite list. She is one of only 25 or so women to have been certified a Master Sommelier, and was the first woman to be named Meilleur Sommelier de France and also Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF). Pascaline has written for various prominent wine guides and books in France – including La Revue du Vin de France, The World of Fine Wine, Art of Eating and Wine & Spirits – and is a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Wine.