Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 14

Book Reviews
erhouse wine producer before
abandoning the vines when the
country gained independence in
1962. Told with energy and riveting
detail, it's a fascinating-and
sobering-tale that touches on
issues of politics, race relations,
economics and environmental
sustainability that remain integral
to the conversation around
wine today. -T.Q.T.
The Blood of the Colony: Wine and
the Rise and Fall of French Algeria
BY OWEN WHITE (HARVARD
UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2021; $40)
Points
South
Bubbles
All the Time
W
E MAY NOT BE OUT OF
the woods yet, but
we're close enough that
a glass of bubbly doesn't seem
as out of place as it might have
in the darkest days of the pandemic.
Sparkling Wine Anytime
off ers extra encouragement in
the form of a world tour of sparklers,
from simple pét-nats to
complex single-vineyard Champagnes.
Katherine Cole lays out
the basics behind the bubbles
with clarity and wit, then highlights
standout bottles, from biodynamic
Champagne made by
Marie Courtin to Brazilian brut
and Broc Cellars' pink valdigiué
14
WINE & SPIR IT S
pétillant. Expert opinions from
the likes of Anne Krebeihl, MW,
(on German Sekt); Chevonne Ball
(on Beaujolais); Shelley Lindgren
(on Campania); and many more
off er an inside line on bottles to
seek out, while they also off er
compelling arguments for choosing
sparkling wine anytime, and
anywhere. -TARA Q. THOMAS
Sparkling Wine Anytime
BY KATHERINE COLE
(ABRAMS BOOKS, 2021; $25)
Settlement
Wine
WHEN IT COMES TO AGRICULTURE,
vineyards have unusual power.
They imbue a place with an air
DE CEMBER 2021
of sophistication that most crops
just can't match; they also signal
the caretaker's long-term commitment
to a place, as it takes
years for vines to fully mature
and produce grapes for fi ne,
long-lived wine. In fact, vineyards
were often on the front lines
of Europe's colonial past. Owen
White, a history professor at the
University of Delaware, documents
the role vineyards played
in the French colonization of
Algeria in The Blood of the Colony.
From the burning of ancient olive
groves and villages to make way
for grapevines to the trade machinations
that ensured Algerian
wine wouldn't take market share
away from France, White traces
France's role in turning a largely
Muslim country into a powTHE
FIRST EDITION OF The South
America Wine Guide, by Amanda
Barnes, is a reference book in the
truest sense of the word, including
detailed text, maps, photos
and recipes. The tome is a complement
to the website (SOUTHAMERICANWINEGUIDE.COM)
,
where more detailed vintage
guides and winery profi les can
be found. Barnes organizes the
book by country, including chapters
on Peru, Bolivia and Brazil,
in addition to the more front-ofmind
wine countries like Argentina,
Chile and Uruguay. She
off ers detailed histories, chief
varieties, notable producers and
terroir-expressive wines to seek
out. Small profi les feature quotes
from prominent winegrowers on
their philosophies.
While giving the reader a clear
and detailed picture, both historical
and contemporary, of South
America's wine, this book is
meant to get you there. And, once
you've arrived, to get you around.
Barnes leans on her background
as a travel writer with tips on driving,
safety and hotels in each of
the chapters. Besides, many of
the wines she features are not
exported-including a number
of pipeños, the rustic wines made
by farmers working with ancient
país vines in Chile. -C.W.
The South America Wine Guide,
£35 (E-BOOK £35, ALSO AVAILABLE
DIGITALLY BY CHAPTER)
PHOTO BY NICK MROZOWSKI
http://www.AMERICANWINEGUIDE.COM
Wine & Spirits - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2021
