Reflections of a Wine Merchant

Includes stories about the author's encounters, relationships, and explorations - and what he has learned along the way - that give us a perspective on winemaking tradition and what threatens it.

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In the late 1970s, Neal I. Rosenthal set out to learn everything he could about wine. Today, he is one of the most successful importers of traditionally made wines produced by small family owned estates in France and Italy. Rosenthal has immersed himself in the culture of Old World wine production, working closely with his growers for two and sometimes three generations. He is one of the leading exponents of the concept of 'terroir' - the notion that a particular vineyward site imparts distinct qualities of bouquet, flavour, and colour to a wine. In "Reflections of a Wine Merchant", Rosenthal brings us into the cellars, vineyards, and homes of these vignerons, and his delightful stories about his encounters, relationships, and explorations - and what he has learned along the way - give us an unequalled perspective on winemaking tradition and what threatens it today. Rosenthal was featured in the documentary film "Mondovino" and is one of the more outspoken figures against globalization, homogenization, and the 'critic-ization' of the wine business. He was also a major subject in Lawrence Osborne's "The Accidental Connoisseur".
Rosenthal's is an important voice in defense of the individual and the artisanal, and their contribution to our quality of life.