Synopses & Reviews
In this laugh-out-loud tale, two adventurous ex-New Yorkers, Candace, a painter, and Ferenc, a writer, turn an abandoned Tuscan ruin into a world-class winery. Máté recounts in wry detail the purchase of a 13th-century friary, with a guard tower, a courtyard, and a forest crammed with porcini on 70 acres of land. They painstakingly restore the friary, plant olive groves, build a winery, excavate an Etruscan village, and create vineyards sprouting robust harvests. They tame runaway tractors and battle volcanic fermenting vats, while learning from world-famous vintner neighbor Angelo Gaja the secrets of growing the best grapes and making superb, award-winning wines--the Maté's Brunello di Montalcino received 95 points from Wine Spectator and is internationally acclaimed. This extraordinary tale of joy and success will enrich the lives of travelers and wine lovers alike.
Review
"Muscular prose" The New Yorker
Review
"These are the tales that inspire the soul...a wry, winning account" Seattle Post Intelligencer
Review
"Muscular prose...like Paul Bunyan on a Tuscan holiday...cool, robust, determined." The New Yorker
Synopsis
A New York Times Notable Book. The international bestseller now with color photographs. --Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In this humorous, poignant narrative, named a New York Times Notable Book, Ferenc Máté chronicles unbelievable adventures in the most romantic region on Earth: Tuscany. Ferenc and his wife Candace pursue their dream by transforming an abandoned thirteenth-century friary and 70 acres of hills and waterfalls into an internationally acclaimed winery, producing one of the world's great wines--Brunello di Montalcino. Not only do they plant fifteen acres of vines, discover an Etruscan city buried in their woods, and uncover wine-making secrets from master vintner (and neighbor) Angelo Gaja, but they relish the joys of a new life, far from the one they left behind. This updated edition includes 16 pages of color photographs of the Máté restoration project, winery, and vineyards.