After I exhibited something approaching enthusiasm for ‘Is this bottle Corked?‘ a reader suggested that I might like to try this tome, so…

Desert Island Wine, is a paperback of 190 pages, the back page boilerplate starting with:

Who says wine is no laughing matter? No such thing as a wine book to take to the beach? Desert Island Wine will leave you howling on your towel as sand collects between the pages. …

Our first ‘chapter’ is a CNN interview of Dionysus; seemingly more designed to show the author’s knowledge of ancient Greek literature – at least I learnt how to spell Dionysus – well I thought I had until I started to write this!

Chapter 2 is a field-guide to Anthropos oenopotis, a big-nosed wine drinker/taster (what on earth is a winebibber?). We all have our own tastes and nothing here has made me howl on my towel – not yet anyway. I’ll persevere for a while…

The next two ‘chapters’ I couldn’t engage with, so, after 3 weeks where I couldn’t force myself to pick the book up, I leave it here. But don’t just take my opinion – this person apparently liked it:

If I ever find myself on a desert island I would want to arrive with a container of champagne and Miles Lambert-Gócs as my fellow castaway. Miles’ encyclopedic knowledge of wine, his classical erudition and his satirical insights into the absurdities of the contemporary wine world, seasoned with literary parodies and dexterous puns, would enlighten and entertain me until the champagne ran out. Cheers!
Tony Aspler, www.the wineguy.com

Maybe he’s saying he has to be drunk to enjoy it 😉

[I read (some of) this, so you don’t have to!]