New Book Explores Wine's
Historic Role in Society

          By Fred Delkin

     Be you a 'wine geek' or only a sometime imbiber of the fermented grape, you will enjoy a new treatise penned by a father/son team.  "The Psychology of Wine...truth & beauty by the glass" is a scholarly but entertaining review of wine's impact upon our history.  Authors Evan and Brian Mitchell, natives of Sydney, Australia, write a thorough exploration of wine's "complex, subtle and enduring" role.  You may think that the book's claim that "wine more than anything else reflects what it means to be human," is a far reach, but after reading the 28 chapters and 200 pages of this just-released tome you may agree.

Ernest Hemingway's statement that "wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and...offers a greater range for enjoyment...than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing" could be the preface to this book.  Son Evan is an academic achiever who served as a sommelier in fine dining establishments.  Father Brian earned a PhD in Psychology and spent several years in clinical practice before establishing an international consultancy in performance management. Both deserve honors for their mastery of the English language and the humor it can convey to the average reader.

For instance, can you choose which Academy award-winning movie would best suit the wine you're about to drink..."The Godfather, Rocky, Lord of the Rings, Fargo, The Third Man, or Chinatown."  What is the future for wine with "an emerging generation...knowing what it wants while not wanting to know anything else?"  "Was the first accidental winemaker responsible for creating civilization?" "How is it that in sharing wine we can bring someone with us into our past, or accompany them into theirs?"  These are a sample of the psychological approach to their subject that these authors embrace.

They build their theses around their personal wine adventures.  They also collaborate to present an amusing and what we deem as accurate guide to wine varietals.  They chide California winemakers for creating overly-oaked Chardonnay.  They laud Austria for producing Gruner Veltliner, "the current fave of sommeliers everywhere."  They recognize the vast difference between rich Alsatian and Oregon Pinot Gris and the weak character of Italian Pinot Grigio.  Pinot Noir can be "like sticking your face into a lavender bush, a jar of plum jam, a handful of
fresh mushrooms and a cowpat...and yet overwhelming in its elegance."

Equally descriptive treatments are given to Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Caberneet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Zinfandel, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Tempranillo...and they caution that these are profiles not seen on any label.

"Wine inspires the thoughts of poets and novelists and their metaphors abound in the language of wine."  

Analyses of the beverage are too often laden with a surplus of adjectives.  Not so with these authors, who break wine description into delightful tales of personal experience to which anyone can relate.

In summary, this book offers equal measures of information and entertainment.  It is published by the Praeger division of ABC-CLIO, LLC, a conglomerate based in Santa Barbara, CA that trades in both academic and general interest topics that are issued in both print and digital formats.  

© 2009 Oregon Magazine