false 2445099 1 <p>As a young child in Naples, Sergio Esposito learned to appreciate the deep relationship between food and wine. Sitting at his kitchen table, he watched his mother, father, aunts, and uncles as they paired local dishes with simple country wines. So it seemed inevitable that the boy who savored thimblefuls of Sangiovese mixed with water would grow up to become America&#8217;s foremost authority of Italian wines. When his family immigrated to America, they were welcomed by their well-meaning relatives with a bland, uninspired meal, and his mother would soon discover that it was not easy to find the ingredients she needed to create authentic Italian dishes. Clearly, America&#8217;s palate was in need of a makeover, and as a young man Sergio was inspired to open Italian Wine Merchants, a shop dedicated to bringing the most authentic Italian wines to America. <br><br><i>Passion on the Vine </i>is Sergio&#8217;s evocative memoir of his journey from Italy to America and his frequent trips back to his homeland, some with his growing family in tow. He takes you to the cold hills of Friuli, the world-famous cellars of Piedmont, the sweeping estates of Tuscany, the windy beaches of Le Marche, and the lush fields of Campania. Along the way he introduces a cast of remarkable characters, not the least of which are his own mother and father&#8212;at times exasperating but always endearing. You&#8217;ll also meet the man who introduced Italy's wine and gastronomic heritage to the world; a ballroom-dancing winemaker who bases his farming on the rhythm of the moon; and an obsessive prince who destroys his vineyards before his death so that his grapes will never be used incorrectly. <br><br>A very personal celebration of food, wine and family that no one will be able to resist, <i>Passion on the Vine</i> is quite simply the most beautiful love letter to Italy you will ever have the pleasure of reading.</p> 2452293 22 4 2008 Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy total:33|5:5|4:15|3:9|2:4|1:0| 33 120 101 19 0 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Dec 10 04:13:17 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 04:13:49 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 18:03:10 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 18:13:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Oct 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 14:13:24 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 14:14:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jul 28 15:22:59 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 28 15:25:11 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 17:01:13 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 17:02:09 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Dec 28 08:08:54 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 08:10:18 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sun Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 03 09:15:09 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 07 07:44:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 24 22:08:51 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 16:37:21 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Jan 15 13:36:14 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 13:59:05 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 13:36:14 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Thu Jul 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 20:48:58 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 24 19:34:47 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Sep 17 06:31:04 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 17 06:47:14 -0700 2008 2 0 false false Wed Jun 04 07:48:30 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 10 07:39:07 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Fri May 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat May 31 09:17:43 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 11:22:26 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Fri May 09 08:45:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 30 06:56:14 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Oct 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 08 07:17:15 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 23 10:28:48 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sun Aug 03 02:24:21 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 03 02:24:46 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Jul 28 14:13:14 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 14:13:51 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed May 13 12:56:12 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 13:00:23 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jan 21 18:46:41 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 18:46:41 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 04 03:11:38 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 03:11:38 -0800 2009