Book Review -- Romancing the Vine

The author, Alan Tardi, writes a very good story about his life change in 2001. At the time, September 11 and a divorce from his long-time wife force him to explore and he finds happiness in the Piedmont town of Castiglione.

He learns with a voracious appetite about viticulture by joining the brother of his (new) Italian girlfriend in working the vineyard "Le Munie" and picks up on the essence of Piedmont in the process.

He is clearly an advocate of terroir, and fans of and believers in terroir will delight in his many observations and the close link between the people of Piedmont, their land, and the end product.

The book also contains a number of very nice recipes for typical, simple, but delicious Piedmont cuisine.

The drawbacks to this book are the plot of his lovelife (I'm not sure I really cared), the, at times, never-ending describing of the landscape, and lack of a satisfying ending.

If you like slow-paced cultural observations and stories about people and their cultural background (as well as some general musings), and food, this book is for you.