Spain and its wine. An English teacher
and a mission.
So begins Let’s Open a Bottle – an
original, fascinating and humorous look at the Spanish wine
revolution. The author, a U.S expatriate living in Madrid for the
past fifteen years, takes the reader on his personal journey to
search out a three-thousand-year-old tradition undergoing a veritable
turnaround of the likes never seen before. Along the way he shares
with us an entertaining array of characters and scenes that represent
the inseparable bond between a culture and its most venerated drink.
You will travel the diverse countryside
that is the Iberian peninsula, visit all the major wine regions and
many minor ones as well, and you will discover the great wines
emerging from this land.
But there is more in this book for you
than just Spanish wine and the revolution. You will also read about
the bones beneath the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the
current state of the wild boar in Murcia, what ingredients go into
the stew Cocido Madrileño, why some highways are toll roads,
what tallar means in the language of Catalan, where the country’s
best haunted house is, how the author nearly sold his soul to a
tailor and much, much more.
Let's Open a Bottle will appeal to the
wine enthusiast as well as the novice; the avid traveler or those
looking to take their first adventure to Spain. Or anyone looking to
read a good adventure story. This book is fun, easy to read and
filled with charm and wit. Open it up and see or yourself.
Review
Wonderful introduction to the regions,
the history, the culture and changes in the Spanish wine industry.,
October 16, 2005 P.Lee
I approached this book with few
expectations given the lack of many quality resources devoted solely
to Spanish wines. For starters, this book was written by a U.S.
expatriate who, surprise, teaches English but has grown to love Spain
and its people and culture and stayed in the country. Finally, the
author is no expert on wine and this book was published by his
brother whose publishing firm boasts one title in its catalogue -
this one - and to make matters worse the print was really small. Was
I in for another pompous account of a "smarter-than-thou"
American in Europe with wine snobbery to boot?
Fortunately, the answer is a resounding
no. The journey this book takes the reader on is very pleasant and
enjoyable. You hear much about the "exciting developments"
in the Spanish wine industry from all sources especially the Wine
Spectator (their critics are very big fans). Well, this book gives
you an inside look at the changes taking place in the various regions
and allows the reader to get to know some of the players.
Far from being pompous, Mr. Murdock's
style is self-effacing and he is honest about his level of expertise.
The book's tone is not unlike the "Don't Know Much About .."
series. It is filled with nice historical anecdotes and you feel like
you are having a conversation with an old friend. His attempts at
being witty almost always brought a smile or a chuckle. That being
said, you should not expect to get in-depth discussions about the
wines themselves. "Fruity", "light" or "strong"
are about as deep as the superlatives go. However, Mr. Murdock is
passionate about Spain and learning about its wines. He is very well
read, has met many people in the industry (if perhaps many times on a
very cursory level) and, best of all, he drinks Spanish wines with
Spanish friends and family on every occasion probably every day I
would guess. That's reason enough for me.
I think this book is the perfect
companion to John Radford's "The New Spain: A Complete Guide to
Contemporary Spanish Wines." Radford's guide is my primary
resource though it too is weak in describing the wines themselves. If
Mr. Radford's guide provides the outline of the regions and wineries,
Mr. Murdocks's book fills it with people, with color, with sounds and
with smells. Mr. Murdock helps to "place a face with the name"
even if you haven't been there or tasted the wines yourself .. not
yet anyway.
Mr. Murdock has a talent for writing
and is, by vocation, a teacher. His ability to communicate and, in
this case teach the reader, is well worth the purchase price. If you
are interested in learning more about Spain and it's wine culture you
will not be disappointed. I look forward to reading more from Mr.
Murdock and encourage him to refer to himself unabashedly as an
expert in the future. As a Spanish wine fan, one can only help but
cheer on those spearheading the improvements. Rather than just
talking about the potential we will talking about the results. One
thing is for certain, as a result of this transition and developing
phase, we will be enjoying more great Spanish wines in the future and
that is a beautiful thing indeed.