Godforsaken Grapes
A Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Underappreciated Wine
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Horvath
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By:
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Jason Wilson
About this listen
There are nearly 1,400 known varieties of wine grapes in the world - from altesse to zierfandler - but 80 percent of the wine we drink is made from only 20 grapes. In Godforsaken Grapes, Jason Wilson looks at how that came to be and embarks on a journey to discover what we miss.
Stemming from his own growing obsession, Wilson moves far beyond the “noble grapes”, hunting down obscure and underappreciated wines from Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, France, Italy, the United States, and beyond. In the process, he looks at why these wines fell out of favor (or never gained it in the first place), what it means to be obscure, and how geopolitics, economics, and fashion have changed what we drink. A combination of travel memoir and epicurean adventure, Godforsaken Grapes is an entertaining love letter to wine.
©2018 Jason Wilson (P)2018 Abrams PressListeners also enjoyed...
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The Brewer's Tale is a beer-filled journey into the past: the story of brewers gone by and one brave writer's quest to bring them - and their ancient, forgotten beers - back to life, one taste at a time. This is the story of the world according to beer, a toast to flavors born of necessity and place - in Belgian monasteries, rundown farmhouses, and the basement nanobrewery next door. So pull up a barstool and raise a glass to 5,000 years of fermented magic.
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Good insights!
- By Michael on 03-08-16
By: William Bostwick
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My Twenty-Five Years in Provence
- Reflections on Then and Now
- By: Peter Mayle
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 4 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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A celebration of 25 years of Provençal living - of lessons learned and changes observed - with his final book, Peter Mayle has crafted a lasting love letter to his adopted home, marked by his signature warmth, wit, and humor.
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The narrator ruins it for me.
- By Flossiesmommy on 07-05-18
By: Peter Mayle
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Napa
- By: James Conaway
- Narrated by: John Morgan
- Length: 20 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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James Conaway's remarkable bestseller delves into the heart of California's lush and verdant Napa Valley, also known as America's Eden. Long the source of succulent grapes and singular wines, this region is also the setting for the remarkable true saga of the personalities behind the winemaking empires. This is the story of Gallos and Mondavis, of fortunes made and lost, of dynasties and destinies.
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Excellent But Marred by Non-Stop Mispronunciations
- By Robert R. on 08-15-13
By: James Conaway
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Shadows in the Vineyard
- The True Story of the Plot to Poison the World's Greatest Wine
- By: Maximillian Potter
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romance-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine. In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romance-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison - a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder - unless he paid a one million euro ransom.
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Eet waz eenteresteeng
- By J. Cadow on 04-25-16
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Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll
- How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits and Wanderers Created a New American Profession
- By: Andrew Friedman
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll transports listeners back in time to witness the remarkable evolution of the American restaurant chef in the 1970s and 1980s. Andrew Friedman goes inside Chez Panisse and other Bay Area restaurants to show how the politically charged backdrop of Berkeley helped spark this new profession; into the historically underrated community of Los Angeles chefs, including a young Wolfgang Puck; and into the clash of cultures between established French chefs in New York City and the American game changers.
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the reader makes the audiobook - unfortunately
- By Lawrie Thicke on 04-20-19
By: Andrew Friedman
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The Road to Burgundy
- The Unlikely Story of an American Making Wine and a New Life in France
- By: Ray Walker
- Narrated by: Sean Crisden
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Ray Walker had a secure career in finance until a wine-tasting vacation ignited a passion that he couldn't stifle. Ray neglected his work, spending hours poring over ancient French winemaking texts, learning the techniques and the language, and daydreaming about vineyards. After Ray experienced his first taste of wine from Burgundy, he could wait no longer. He quit his job and went to France to start a winery - with little money, a limited command of French, and virtually no winemaking experience.
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Inspiring story: I wish he'd learn some humility!
- By Desmond on 12-15-14
By: Ray Walker
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Provence, 1970
- M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste
- By: Luke Barr
- Narrated by: John Rubinstein
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Provence, 1970 is about a singular historic moment. In the winter of that year, more or less coincidentally, the iconic culinary figures James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Richard Olney, Simone Beck, and Judith Jones found themselves together in the South of France. They cooked and ate, talked and argued, about the future of food in America, the meaning of taste, and the limits of snobbery.
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Superb Narration, Engrossing Tale
- By Robert R. on 10-22-13
By: Luke Barr
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Whiskey Distilled
- A Populist Guide to the Water of Life
- By: Heather Greene
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In this lively and authoritative guide, Greene teaches listeners about whiskey and encourages them to make their own evaluations. Peppered with wry anecdotes drawn from her unusual life - and including recipes for delicious cocktails by some of today's most celebrated mixologists - Whiskey Distilled will be enthusiastically greeted by the whiskey curious as well as by journeymen whiskey drinkers thirsty to learn more about their beloved tipple.
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Buy the hard copy, skip the audio!
- By P Boz on 08-20-15
By: Heather Greene
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Wine for Normal People
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- By: Elizabeth Schneider
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Schneider
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a fun but respectful (and very comprehensive) guide to everything you ever wanted to know about wine from the creator and host of the popular podcast Wine for Normal People, described by Imbibe magazine as "a wine podcast for the people". More than 60,000 listeners tune in every month to learn a not-snobby wine vocabulary, how and where to buy wine, how to read a wine label, how to smell, swirl, and taste wine, and so much more!
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When they want 5 star wine knowledge but ur 22 y/o
- By Alexia L. on 05-06-21
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Restaurant Man
- By: Joe Bastianich
- Narrated by: Joe Bastianich
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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How does a nice Italian boy from Queens turn his passion for food and wine into a nationwide empire? In his intrepid, irreverent, and terrifically entertaining memoir, Restaurant Man, Joe Bastianich charts his remarkable culinary journey from his parents’ neighborhood eatery to becoming one of the country’s most successful restaurateurs, along with his superstar chef partners: his mother, Lidia Bastianich, and Mario Batali.
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If you liked Kitchen Confidential you'll...
- By J.D. McPherson on 02-19-16
By: Joe Bastianich
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Paris to the Moon
- By: Adam Gopnik
- Narrated by: Adam Gopnik
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
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Paris. The name alone conjures images of chestnut-lined boulevards, sidewalk cafés, breathtaking façades around every corner: in short, an exquisite romanticism that has captured the American imagination for as long as there have been Americans.
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Wish this wasn't abridged!!
- By Sarah D. on 03-25-17
By: Adam Gopnik
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Almost French
- By: Sarah Turnbull
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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After backpacking her way around Europe journalist Sarah Turnbull is ready to embark on one last adventure before heading home to Sydney. A chance meeting with a charming Frenchman in Bucharest changes her travel plans forever. Acting on impulse, she agrees to visit Fredric in Paris for a week. Put a very French Frenchman together with a strong-willed Australian girl and the result is some spectacular - and often hilarious - cultural clashes.
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Almost Terrific
- By Elizabeth on 02-05-13
By: Sarah Turnbull
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Waiter to the Rich and Shameless
- Confessions of a Five Star Beverly Hills Server
- By: Paul Hartford
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
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Waiter to the Rich and Shameless is not just a peek into the secretive inner workings of a legendary five-star restaurant; it is not just a celebrity tell-all or a scathing corporate analysis. It is a top-tier waiter's personal coming-of-age story, an intimate look into the complicated challenges of serving in the country's most elite, Hollywood-centric dining room while fighting to maintain a sense of self and purpose.
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Not what I imagined
- By Autumn Larkin on 02-17-17
By: Paul Hartford
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What listeners say about Godforsaken Grapes
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-28-21
great lesson about wines may never see
loved it. the journey in this book was amazing and I may never taste these wines but his love for them makes this an incredible book. Thanks.
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- Kate
- 12-27-18
An entertaining and informative listen
I'm in the wine business and I love books about wine, but a lot of times they are just not made for listening. They can be super dry--much better to read on the page. Godforsaken Grapes is definitely the exception to that. The narrator is wonderful, text is entertaining, and it is highly listenable. Learned a lot, but also just enjoyed the personal stories and the humorous flow of the book. Highly recommend!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Brigida
- 05-12-19
Excellent! Entertaining and informative.
I loved listing to this book! I’m a Certified Somm and have advanced certification with the WSET. I’m a bit of a nerd so I loved that I learned so many fun facts and got to hear the names of grapes that I’ve barely even read about. I could really appreciate the authors journey of discovery and totally enjoyed the humor that he brought to what could have been a very dry subject. I laughed so hard that I was glad no one in traffic seemed to be paying attention to me! Highly recommend this book!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Cdeaza
- 02-05-22
Unknown
This was or is great book it show me is not all about the big name or brand is about the Journey you take when trying the unknown grapes and wine the its out there waiting teach you something new even like he say in one part of the book 📖 that he would try some new wine 🍷 but he would feel bad when he didn't find it good or Appealing To his taste or Expectations but if didn't try it he wouldn't never know.
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- Buretto
- 12-05-18
Useful for a casual wine taster
I bought this book as a resource for investigating new wine regions for travels with my father, who is closer to being the true connoisseur. I think the book provided some good ideas for further study. The author has a personable style, though his reliance for pop culture references seems a strained effort to establish common man bona fides. And there are a lot of references to hipster sommeliers, seemingly without awareness of his own hipster-ish tendencies. But all in all, a likable trip through wines and vineyards, and assurances that you needn't be overly impressed by wine snobbery.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Nicholas J Franceski
- 09-15-19
Solid wine book
Solid wine book exploring some of the more unknown grapes of the world. Engaging delivery keeps you listening.
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- Speed Britt
- 04-25-21
Great Journey, Entertaining and Personal
Packed with information. Text is presented with a lot of humor. A good start on the subject of obscure wines with placed in the context of wine marketing and trends.
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- Debra Chaffins
- 11-01-20
Non-mainstream grapes and their wines
What an interesting listen! Now I know how all these foreign names sound, but I’m not sure I could spell them. I’m going to get the hard copy of this book so I can write down some of the wonderful grapes, vintages, and regions I’d like to get wine from. Very enjoyable, interesting stories and views.
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- Kevin Connors
- 05-03-20
Wine Nerd Heaven
I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to several of my friends and colleagues. It’s geared towards wine enthusiasts who are looking to expand their palates, so I’m guessing casual wine drinkers would start yawning as soon as things like Chesselas come up. However, these ‘Godforsaken Grapes’ make some of the most fascinating wines you will ever drink. It’s just as much of a story about the unique places where these varietals hail from as it is about the wines themselves. If you dare to go off the beaten path and you will find some true gems. This book may not be for everyone, but I found it very entertaining and informative.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Karen C. Piantek
- 04-30-21
This book was written for me
I love odd wine grapes, and Wilson covered most of my favorites. Plus I added a few to my must-try list.
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1 person found this helpful