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The Road To Burgundy: The Unlikely Story Of An American Making Wine And A New Life In France (2013)

by Ray Walker(Favorite Author)

3.74 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1592408125 (ISBN13: 9781592408122)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Gotham

review 1: Good and interesting story. Fairly well written in first person, fair proofing. The author seemed as if he succeeded in spite of himself. Despite being in "finance", he did not seem to take the basic steps to start a business, such as a business plan (only created it when prompted by his wife??). He doesn't mention any education as something he would consider for such an endeavor. He seems to only have used movies and other pop media to learn French poorly. It is not clear why he did not try to learn French through classes, or wine making through classes, or pursue apprenticing with a domaine. He seemed to always be living for the moment, like a child, without plans or preparations.The end of the book seemed a bit rushed. It seems that he owes the reader an outcome of cert... moreain elements such as his large loan from the individual which he apparently named twice(!) in the book. Maybe some current details about the individuals who helped him, whether he is still in the same house/cave location, what happened with the garage location, name of his wines, etc. The question of if or how he could have done the same track in the U.S. was not mentioned, despite his wife's family living in California, and his family also living in the western U.S., and very fine pinot grapes being available.
review 2: This is a book for anyone who's ever known what he/she has to do in life, and then by golly, sets out and DOES it despite overwhelmingly masochistic odds. Ok, it's also a book for those who enjoy wine. And good food. And travel. I was researching Burgundy while I was reading, which is always a good sign.This book is not for wine snobs. Why not wine snobs? Because this is about the Burgundy side of the wine business. Not the all-praise-be to-the-mighty-Bordeaux. Nope. Burgundy is apparently the blue collar, roll up your shirt sleeves and work your heart out country cousin to the upturned noses, city slicker, chateau-dwellers of Bordeaux. The comparative underdog. And since I'm a sucker for the underdog, I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written book. Full disclosure: I never really thought much about Burgundy until I read this book. All I heard about in wine tastings was Bordeaux, Bordeaux, and more Bordeaux. But then the author brings up an excellent point. What if you don't like Bordeaux? What if you pretend to like it just because everyone else does and that's what you're supposed to do when you drink wine? Thankfully for him (and for the readers), he decides he wants to drink what he likes, he falls in love with the Burgundy style of wine, and decides to chuck it all over in favor of moving to France and starting a vineyard there. So he's either a complete genius or completely certifiable considering the hoops he has to go through as a non-EU passport holder, to get his business started. Aha moments, help from unexpected corners, a sociopathic partner trying to destroy the dream, and yes, a breakthrough success, make this one of the most enjoyable, fast reads I've encountered in a long time. I only wish I could taste his wine. less

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