A review of “Liquid memory: why wine matters” by Jonathan Nossiter- ed. (...)

A review of “Liquid memory: why wine matters” by Jonathan Nossiter- ed. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2009

This is a book full of ideas for those who love wine and want to understand what goes behind as well as inside the bottle. It first came out in French with the title, “Le goût et le pouvoir”, which does better justice to its contents. It reveals in a very clear and precise way the link between taste and power in the wine world. It has a very strong sociological, anthropological, and political caste because it considers the historical-agricultural aspects of wine. Nossiter sees wine as the guardian of man’s memory, an expression of the richness and diversity of territory or terroir, and a point of collective identity and exchange.
According to Nossiter, the homogenisation of taste, promoted by influential wine critics and marketing gurus, aims at immediate satisfaction without contemplation. This eliminates the possibility of authentic taste.
Alternatively, wine with a link to territory and made with respect for nature demand that one asks questions about their identity and place like “Who am I?”, “Where do I come from?”, What story do I tell about this land, about this nature?”
In the end, this book is a hymn to the interconnections and poetry that exist between men, land, and wine.