Mike Veseth's Blog, page 40

New Wine Books: Lewin’s Intelligent Guides, Caro Feely’s Half-Full Glass

[image error]Herewith brief reviews of a series of regional wine guides by Benjamin Lewin MW and the newest volume in Caro Feely’s series on her family’s wine and vineyard experiences in France.

Not Your Usual Wine Guide

Benjamin Lewin MW, Guides to Wines & Top Vineyards Series. Vendage Press, various dates.

Benjamin Lewin travels the world analyzing the changing character of wine and writing about it in his many books and columns.  A few years ago he decided to re-purpose some of this research into a ser...

Around the World in Eighty Wines visits Natalie MacLean on Facebook Live

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting with Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest wine review site, on her “Sunday Sipper Club” Facebook Live program.

Here’s a link to the program website, which includes both the video replay and some of the many comments from Natalie’s engaged, informed, and very enthusiastic viewers.

https://www.nataliemaclean.com/blog/mike-veseth-wine-economist-around-the-world-in-80-wines/

As you can tell from the video, Natalie and I had fun talking about my book...

What’s Ahead for Wine Tourism in Mendoza? Lessons from a Rock Opera

[image error]The United Nations World Tourism Organization’s global wine tourism conference in Mendoza, Argentina was full of contrasts as you might expect in a high desert region that is punctuated by isolated vine-filled green oases.  The morning sessions featured conventional conference formats — speakers, panels, Powerpoint slides, dark rooms, coffee breaks (and really good simultaneous translation — thanks for that!). And then …

Hardly Working?

The afternoon and evening session moved out of the confe...

Four Takeaways from the Global Wine Tourism Conference in Mendoza

[image error]Sue and I are back from the second United Nations World Tourism Organization global wine tourism conference in Mendoza, Argentina. It was an intense and interesting few days in a welcoming and dynamic part of the wine world. Here are a few things we think we learned at the conference. More to follow.

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

Mendoza has come a long way as a wine tourist destination and they are justifiably proud of their accomplishments. Unlike Napa Valley, which is next door to cosmopoli...

Book Review: Cracking Croatian Wine

[image error]Cracking Croatian Wine: A Visitor-Friendly Guide, by Dr. Matthew Horkey and Charine Tan, published by Exotic Wine Travel.

The Wine Economist and I (Mrs. Wine Economist) live in a community with a distinct Croatian history, with many Croatian-Americans residents, and a Slavonian American Benevolent Society that dates from 1901. A home nearby regularly flies a Croatian flag. Our city, Tacoma, Washington, and Hvar, Croatia, are sister cities. So Cracking Croatian Wine: A Visitor-Friendly Guide,...

Wine Book Reviews: Kiwi Revolutions and British Columbia Icons

Warren Moran, New Zealand Wine: The Land, the Vines, and the People (Hardie Grant, 2017).

John Schreiner, Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s Best Wineries (Touchwood Editions, 2017).

I’ve always thought that New Zealand and British Columbia have a lot in common. Both are spectacularly beautiful places with warm, welcoming people. The wild areas near Tofino on Vancouver Island remind me a bit of the wild areas on the north coast of New Zealand’s South Island. And both Auckland and Va...

It’s Here! “Around the World in Eighty Wines” Now Available

[image error]I have been waiting for this day for a while! My new book Around the World in Eighty Wines is officially released today in hardback, e-book, and audio book formats.  If you pre-ordered your copy it should arrive very soon. Can’t wait to hear  what you think of it.

Actually, if you pre-ordered on Amazon.com you might already have your copy — those sneaky guys started shipping a few days ago. But the Kindle and audio versions are officially released today. Hooray!

A few early reviews have alrea...

Book Reviews: Lewin on Modern Wine + Alexander’s Wine for Literature Lovers

[image error]I want to draw your attention to two new wine books. They are as different as different can be, but both are valuable additions to your wine bookshelf.

Indispensable Guide to Modern Wine

The first book is Wine Myths & Reality by Benjamin Lewin MW and I think it is more than just valuable — indispensable would be a better word! Technically this is the second edition of a volume that originally appeared in 2010, but in fact the book is completely rewritten. Lewin says that he thought about re-n...

Economic Impact of California Wine Country Wildfires: Preliminary Analysis

[image error]Like most of you I have been intently focused on the wildfires that have swept through the California North Coast wine region and their tragic human impact. It is difficult to accept that such loss of life and property is possible, but the fires and the winds that drive them have been relentless.

I started getting calls from reporters as soon as a wildfire emergency was declared and, like many others, I declined to comment on the economic impacts. Too soon to know, I said, and not the real s...

Publisher’s Weekly & Booklist Review “Around the World in Eighty Wines”

[image error]Sue and I are back from Mendoza and gearing up for the release of my next book in a couple of weeks. Around the World in Eighty Wines draws its inspiration from the people we have met and the wines we’ve tasted as we have circled the globe in recent years. Can’t wait for my copy to arrive!

Publisher’s Weekly provides pre-publication reviews to alert bookstores and libraries about interesting and important new books they might want to purchase. I was pleased with the Publisher’s Weekly review...