Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Monday 14 September 2009

South West France and Châteauneuf-du-Pape: two new books

Harry Karis: The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book
Paul Strang: Vins et Vignerons du Sud-Ouest, Editions du Rouergue


Although Jim's Loire is chiefly dedicated to the Loire, I will also be highlighting recently published books that cover other wine areas. This is because wine book publishing is in such a parlous state – particularly in the UK – that I'm happy to do what little I can to give some publicity and coverage to books with merit that do get published. Increasingly this means the author publishing the book at their own expense. There was a time when this was sneered at as vanity publishing – this is now an outmoded view. Think of Charles Metcalfe and Kathryn McWhirter's book on Portuguese wine and food, Stephen Skelton MW on the vineyards of the British Isles, Peter May's book on Pinotage and the David Moore and Philip Williamson's Wine behind the label and it is clear that a number of the most interesting recent wine books have been self-published.


Harry Karis: The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book, Kavino, 72.95€ with map booklet + delivery, 69€ without booklet + delivery, 488 pages, hbk, col pics and maps
Photos by Phil Karis and forewords by Robert Parker and Michel Blanc
Although I have only recently received Harry Karis' Châteauneuf book, it seems set to become the reference work on the appellation for a number of years. The first section covers the history geography, geology, climate, the vineyard – grape varieties, rootstocks, etc – and wine making. This is followed by 300 pages of profiles of the Châteauneuf producers. The book finishes with vintage charts , wine and food and a visitors' guide.

The book can be ordered from here.



Paul Strang
: Vins et Vignerons du Sud-Ouest, Editions du Rouergue, 29€, 374 pages, col pics, sketch maps
Photos by Jason Shenai
The French version of Paul Strang's new book was published in August, while the English version from The Unversity of California Press is expected in October/November. Paul made his reputation with his meticulously researched Wines of South-West France, which was published in 1994. This new book covers the same region but 15 years on.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paul`s book was top drawer! Hopefully his new revised book will be just as informative.

Bob from Alberta.

Jim's Loire said...

From a quick skim, I think you can be assured Bob that this comes from the same drawer.