Drinking with the Valkyries: Writings on Wine

"A new sort of literary gumption arrived on the scene with Andrew Jefford; a powerful blend of science and poetry. Here is a writer who does his interviews, delves deep into motives and methods, and then lets fly with whatever imagery he finds winging by." - Hugh Johnson (2019) Poet, philosopher, author, radio presenter and journalist, Andrew Jefford lives in France; but buried deep in one wine country what does he miss most about the rest? The answer: "Drinking young port. It's the wine drinker's equivalent of zorbing, wing-walking, base-jumping... you won't fully understand it unless you have tasted it young, in its 'Ride of the Valkyries' stage, when it comes hurtling out of the glass and puts the screamers on you..." Andrew is the ideal companion for anyone wine-curious. In this collection of his essays, opinions and articles he shares his fascinating observations from half a century of discovery. For Andrew, wine should be listened to and admired, wherever it comes from; old-school pretentions turned on their head; style-points disdained; stellar prices dismissed; questions asked... AUTHOR: Andrew Jefford writes and broadcasts about different places on earth, and the foods, drinks and scents connected with them. He has written for most of the UK's wine and food press and has columns in Decanter and World of Fine Wine. Andrew and his family live near Montpellier in France. SELLING POINTS: . A new title from this much-admired wine writer, author of New France . An appealing collection of his essays from Decanter and World of Fine Wine, which will appeal to the wine lover and literary reader alike . Andrew poses and discusses a series of philosophical questions about our relationship with this extraordinary, living wine, made by artisans and large companies alike and enjoyed all over the world . A new direction for wine publishing

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword 11 Preface: Why Wine? 15 Chapter One: Origins 17 Homo Imbibens: !e Work of Patrick McGovern 18 Chapter Two: Some Soils, Some Skies 31 !e Blue Corruptor 32 Earth’s Cream, Skimmed 34 Nuance from Disdain 36 Downhill All the Way 38 Time’s Engine Room: 2010 Langhorne Creek, 40 Reserve Shiraz, Noon Terroir, Tasting and Tonewood 42 Happy Birthday, Breaky Bottom 45 A Sea Interlude: 2015 Picpoul de Pinet, 47 Cuvée Anniversaire, Beauvignac Angela’s Lemon 49 Washed Up on the Shores of Illyria: 52 2015 Teran, Santa Elisabetta, Benvenuti Dr Mistral 54 Liquid Rags in Your Mouth: 2013 Barbaresco, 57 Produttori del Barbaresco A Honeycomb of Light: 2010 Mas del Serral, 59 Pepe Raventós Touchdown in Wine Central 62 Chapter Three: Taste and Tasting 65 Bags, Butter and Biscuits 66 !rough the Mangrove Swamp 69 Taste First, !en Look 71 Tonic Bitterness 73 Tannin and the University of 75 the Vat Yeast: Call Me Dad 77 Journey into Forbidden Territory 79 Freshness Young and Old 83 Old, Big and Quiet 85 !e School of Hard Wines 87 Behind Vinous Eyes 89 Wine Versus Food 91 Palate Fitness 93 Chapter Four: Some Beautiful Wines 97 Jewelled Absence: 2016 Petit Chablis, 98 Les Crioux, William Fèvre Not Quite the White Queen: 100 1999 Corton-Charlemagne, Bonneau du Martray Bathing Without Washing: 2005 Châteauneuf 102 du Pape Blanc, Réservé, Château Rayas Very Like the Cuckoo’s Call: 2005 Rioja, 105 Gran Riserva, La Granja Remelluri Forest Whispers: 2011 Château-Chalon, 107 Vin Jaune, André and Mireille Tissot !e Antidote: 2010 Madiran, Cuvée du Couvent, 110 Domaine Capmartin Some Useless Notes 112 !e Two-Pin Dinner 115 A Rosary of Reasons: 1882 Colheita Port, 117 Ne Oublie, Graham’s Chapter Five: A Tea Break 121 !e Cup that Consoles 122 Chapter Six: Interrogations and Impieties 135 !e Illuminati of the Bottle 136 Disarming the Ma"a 139 Hot and Bothered 141 Drinking with the Valkyries 143 Of Jelly"sh and Guardsmen 145 Wine’s Drab Roses 147 Beyond Best 149 Nature in All Her Glory 153 Auction Fever 155 !e Party’s Over 157 Call in the Plumbers 160 In Praise of Young Wine 162 Wine Is Also a Dream 164 Chapter Seven: Wine Shadows 169 !e Crazed Giant 170 Only Endure 172 Burning Vines 174 Wine’s Transactional Flaw 176 !e Curse of the Vertical 180 Scored Rigid 183 Chapter Eight: Wine In A Life 189 Lucky Us 190 It’s a Tough Job 192 Hill Sages 196 An Evening with the Lilac-Berried Mutant: 198 2008 Gewurztraminer, Herrenweg de Turckheim Vieilles Vignes, Zind-Humbrecht Tears and !reats: 2003 Tokaji Aszú, 201 6 Puttonyos, Disznóko Knowing and Loving 203 !e Ethnologist in the Cellar 206 Up the Steep Hill 209 Mille Fois Morte, Mille Fois Revécue: 211 2008 Chateau Musar Blanc All Quiet: 2016 Bouzeron, de Villaine 213 Lessons from the Laureate 216 Meanings that Nourish: 2003 Château Meyney, 219 Saint-Estèphe, half-bottle Chapter Nine: Against Wine Worldliness 223 Wine and Astonishment 224 Chapter Ten: Three Last Wines 237 !e Startled Hind: 2012 Pouilly-Fumé, 238 Haute Densité, Château de Tracy Unsettled: 2014 Cannonau di Sardegna, 240 Mamuthone, Giuseppe Sedilesu Restoration: 2018 Saint-Mont, La Madeleine 243 de Saint-Mont, Producteurs Plaimont Glossary 247 Chronology 255 Acknowledgements 259 Index 261

About the Author :
Andrew Jefford writes and broadcasts about different places on earth, and the foods, drinks and scents connected with them. He has written for most of the UK's wine and food press and has columns in Decanter and World of Fine Wine. Andrew and his family live near Montpellier in France. “One of my favorite wine journalists, and a guy who is up in the top echelon with Matt Kramer and Jancis Robinson….Andrew Jefford, has an exceptionally fair and balanced piece on the free Decanter magazine website called….”Wither Tasting Notes”….most people would think this goes to the heart and soul of many wine magazines, blogs, etc. but he ,as he usually does, analyzes it in a rational way, something often missing in winespeak. BTW, his books, which I have consistently recommended, are another of his strengths. So heads-up.” Robert Parker

Review :
"An entrancing companion for wine lovers. Celebratory, discerning writing with all the variety and unexpectedness of the wines explored." - Michèle Roberts, Author and Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia "This book is about feeling, tasting and describing the beauty of wine, as well as understanding the intensity of emotion that wine can engender." - Decanter Magazine "…indispensible book in which the formidable strengths of this writer are on full display." - Terry Theise "So precise and dancing, so chiseled and so free, as complex and delicious as your favorite bottle of wine, you will enjoy the world of wine differently after reading through Jefford’s words." - Pascaline Lepeltier, Instagram "Reading through Drinking with the Valkyries — the title refers to the experience of drinking young vintage port — it struck me that Jefford is a throwback to a less specialised age." - The Critic "But while Jefford’s lyrical, almost literary language is his calling card, I’ve long found the most impressive element of his writing to be the rigour." - Club O Enologique "Jefford’s essays are like that glass of wine at day’s end — restorative, uplifting and enlightening. You may want to read another before putting down the bottle — I mean, the book." - Washington Post "…the standout read has to be the recently published Drinking With The Valkyries, the writings, thoughts, and wine philosophy of Andrew Jefford." - The Irish Sun "I open Jefford’s books to skim through and find myself drawn in." - The Telegraph "He writes so beautifully." - Kylie Minogue, The Guardian "If there was a single wine book that Tam would beg wine lovers to buy in 2022, it would be this one." - Tamlyn Currin "Andrew Jefford is the wine writer’s wine writer. To read his words is to be drawn far away from the everyday world of professional wine-tasting." - Falstaff "His prose is poised and purposeful, each word carefully considered yet never weighed down by pointed effort. He is a rarity in the world of wine: a writer whose (main) topic happens to be wine." - Fine+Rare "Jefford consistently unearths and illuminates ways of looking at wine that continually deepen my appreciation and passion for the subject. I can assure you, if you love wine, this book will do the same for you." - vinography "… devoted to the pleasure of wine, the experiences and all the reasons you are interested in the subject." - Yorkshire Post "This current volume is a collection of essays culled from the period 2007 to 2022 and it is safe to say that Jefford hasn't lost his touch." - Sommelier India "Jefford consistently unearths and illuminates ways of looking at wine that continually deepen my appreciation and passion for the subject. I can assure you, if you love wine, this book will do the same for you." - vinography "… devoted to the pleasure of wine, the experiences and all the reasons you are interested in the subject." - Yorkshire Post "In a candid and wide-ranging interview to mark the publication of his superb new book Drinking with the Valkyries, WFW contributing editor Andrew Jefford looks back over his distinguished career, opening up about the art and craft of (wine) writing, his abiding love of wine, and his hopes and fears for its future." - The World of Fine Wine "This is, instead, all about eloquent, open-minded, and generously inclusive wine appreciation: We’re all invited, and reminded how much there is to enjoy." - Wine Conversation "One of the great pleasures of Andrew's writing, and of this volume, is the great variety of pace, dynamics, tempo, and tone between his pieces." - The World of Fine Wine