Around the World in Eighty Wines

Inspired by Jules Verne's classic adventure tale, celebrated editor-in-chief of The Wine Economist Mike Veseth takes his readers Around the World in Eighty Wines.The journey starts in London, Phileas Fogg's home base, and follows Fogg's itinerary to France and Italy before veering off in search of compelling wine stories in Syria, Georgia, and Lebanon. Every glass of wine tells a story, and so each of the eighty wines must tell an important tale. We head back across Northern Africa to Algeria, once the world's leading wine exporter, before hopping across the sea to Spain and Portugal. We follow Portuguese trade routes to Madeira and then South Africa with a short detour to taste Kenya's most famous Pinot Noir. Kenya? Pinot Noir? Really!The route loops around, visiting Bali, Thailand, and India before heading north to China to visit Shangri-La. Shangri-La? Does that even exist? It does, and there is wine there. Then it is off to Australia, with a detour in Tasmania, which is so cool that it is hot. The stars of the Southern Cross (and the title of a familiar song) guide us to New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina. We ride a wine train in California and rendezvous with Planet Riesling in Seattle before getting into fast cars for a race across North America, collecting more wine as we go. Pause for lunch in Virginia to honor Thomas Jefferson, then it's time to jet back to London to tally our wines and see what we have learned.Why these particular places? What are the eighty wines and what do they reveal? And what is the surprise plot twist that guarantees a happy ending for every wine lover? Come with us on a journey of discovery that will inspire, inform, and entertain anyone who loves travel, adventure, or wine.

Part I: From London to Beirut1 London: The Challenge Is Made and the Journey Begins 2 France: Which Bottle? Which Wine? 3 Italy: Batali's Impossibility Theorem 4 Syria, Lebanon, and Georgia: The Wine Wars Part II: Rounding the Cape5 Spain: El Clásico 6 Portugal: Any Porto in a Storm 7 Out of Africa 8 India and Beyond: New Latitudes, New Attitudes Part III: High and Low9 Shangri-La 10 Australia: The Library and the Museum 11 Tasmania: Cool Is Hot 12 Southern Cross Part IV: Sour Grapes?13 Napa Valley Wine Train 14 A Riesling Rendezvous 15 Cannonball Run 16 Back to London: Victory or Defeat? Notes The Wine List Acknowledgments Selected Bibliography Index About the Author