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My guest this week is Kevin Begos, author of “Tasting The Past – The Science of Flavor & The Search for the Origins of Wine.”
“Oenophiles will raise a glass to Begos’s excellent exploration of the science and history of wine, now a $300 billion global market. This mix of memoir and wine education guide is all-around satisfying. He helpfully finishes many chapters with lists of recommend wines.” —Publishers Weekly
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After a chance encounter with an obscure Middle Eastern red, journalist Kevin Begos embarks on a ten-year journey to seek the origins of wine. What he unearths is a whole world of forgotten grapes, each with distinctive tastes and aromas, as well as the archaeologists, geneticists, chemists—even a paleobotanist—who are deciphering wine down to molecules of flavor. We meet a young scientist who sets out to decode the DNA of every single wine grape in the world; a researcher who seeks to discover the wines that Caesar and Cleopatra drank; and an academic who has spent decades analyzing wine remains to pinpoint ancient vineyards. Science illuminates wine in ways no critic can, and it has demolished some of the most sacred dogmas of the industry: for example, well-known French grapes aren’t especially noble.
We travel with Begos along the original wine routes—starting in the Caucasus Mountains, where wine grapes were first domesticated eight thousand years ago; then down to Israel and across the Mediterranean to Greece, Italy, and France; and finally to America where vintners are just now beginning to make distinctive wines from a new generation of local grapes. Imagine the wine grape version of heirloom vegetables or craft beer, or better yet, taste it: Begos offers readers drinking suggestions that go far beyond the endless bottles of Chardonnay and Merlot found in most stores and restaurants.
In this viticultural detective story wine geeks and history lovers alike will discover new tastes and flavors to savor.
Kevin Begos is a former MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow whose stories and research have appeared in major newspapers and other publications, including Scientific American, Harper’s, USA Today, the New York Times, and others. He reviews books for the Associated Press and is a former AP correspondent. Follow Kevin on Facebook & Twitter
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2016 d’Arenberg “The Hermit Crab” McLaren Vale Australia
A wine that really does offer something for a large array of individuals, from someone purely interested in a nice drink to those seeking to explore the nuances of these “alternate” varieties. The Viognier certainly takes center stage on the nose in the guise of stone fruits, candied ginger and florals. In the background for those keen on honing their senses, Marsanne adds slightly more exotic notes of green mango, hay and almond. The palate has a lovely medium bodied weight to it, without any of that oiliness that over ripe Viognier can deliver. Precise acid throughout and a mild pithy texture on the finish ensure freshness and spice to keep the sweetness of the fruit in check. Fruity and spicy yet dry make this an all occasions wine. Wine & Spirits 91/100 @darenbergwine