Synopses & Reviews
The Vessel is Alice Feiring's love affair with and exploration of the vibrant, colorful, passionate world of modern yet oh so ancient Georgian wines and qvevri fermentation. Not to be confused with the Georgia of the American South, the Georgia hugging the Black Sea is a gem and a magnet for wine people worldwide. And the qvevri, the centuries old vessel used to ferment and store the wine, is now the hottest wine accessory on the international vino scene. With a return to natural and biodynamic wines, Georgia now finds itself at the center of wine tourism, drawing winemakers and connoisseurs from around the globe to discover the legacy of a land that may well have been the birthplace of wine more than 6,000 years ago.
When the Turks invaded and ripped out the vines, the Georgians replanted. When the Turks returned, they replanted again. Georgians hid their wine and qvevri while the Soviets put in huge factories making plonk. They kept their private land organic when the community plots for the State were filled with chemicals. They clung to the qvevri tradition when others moved to barrels, and now are known not only for their natural and organic contributions to the wine world, but also for their orange wine, so popular that it has become a new category on wine lists everywhere.
This is Feiring's ode to a country, a history, a culture, and the religion that has preserved and continued to shape wine across the centuries. More than that, it's the stories of the people behind the country's wine efforts today, an exploration of the face and heart behind an ancient tradition that is reshaping the contemporary wine scene.
Review
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE BATTLE FOR WINE AND LOVE
In this passionate, personal and provocative book, Alice Feiring champions a small-is-beautiful philosophy and the new universe of natural wines.” Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat PRAISE FOR ALICE FEIRING "Feiring is a deeply knowledgeable and passionately committed wine writer."Frank Bruni, The New York Times
Review
Praise for THE BATTLE FOR WINE AND LOVE:"Ms. Feiring is entertaining and passionate. And she knows a great wine when she tastes one."--Eric Asimov, The New York Times
"[An] unflinching look at what rings false in the wine world today -- the packaged, crinkle-cut uniformity of mass-production wines, the glossy allure of wine marketing and the sometimes tawdry ways in which producers believe their own hype."--Los Angeles Times