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The Billionaire's Vinegar

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 8:51 am
by Holland Oates
The story of the alleged Thomas Jefferson wines and the controversy surrounding them. A good read but a bit dry. Very informative on the wine world as a whole and the arrogance of so called experts and there failure to admit their mistakes even when facing damning evidence.

Re: The Billionaire's Vinegar

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:05 am
by vern
It's funny you posted this since I just finished reading it a few weeks back. I got it based on the review in the Economist and I really enjoyed it. I don't know much about wine but it was still a very interesting read.

Wallace is a really talented writer but it seems like he wrote the book just a bit too soon for a satisfying ending. (Several threads are still unresolved.)

It looks like Hollywood enjoyed it too... "The film rights to The Billionaire's Vinegar have been purchased by a Hollywood consortium, while HBO simultaneously had bought the film rights to the corresponding The New Yorker article."

Re: The Billionaire's Vinegar

Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 5:37 am
by Holland Oates
I agree with the assessment that the book was written a bit too soon. I enjoyed it but it didn't get exciting until the final 40 pages.

I just started Fast Food Nation, after which I'm going to finally knuckle up and finish Guns, Germs, and Steel, and then the Rape of Nanking.

I can't seem to get into fiction anymore but I'm going to start looking for some good brutal westerns to break the monotony.

This book is worth the money.