Acclaimed importer and wine guru Terry Theise, long known for his top-notch portfolio and his illustrious writing, now offers this opinionated, idiosyncratic, and beautifully written testament to wine. What constitutes beauty in wine, and how do we appreciate it? What role does wine play in a soulful, sensual life? Can wines of place survive in a world of globalized styles and 100-point scoring systems? In his highly approachable style, Theise describes how wine can be a portal to aesthetic, emotional, even mystical experience—and he frankly asserts that these experiences are most likely to be inspired by wines from artisan producers. Along the way, Theise tells us a little about how he got where he is today, explores the meaning of wine in the lives of vintners he has known, and praises particular grape varieties. Reading between the Wines is a passionate tribute to wine—and to what it can say to us once we learn to listen.

Introduction

one Befriending Your Palate

two What Matters (and What Doesn't) in Wine

three Remystifying Wine

four The Three Humors

five Pressing Hot Buttons

six Of Places and Grapes

seven Wine from Outside

eight Wines That Mattered: Or, "The Dog Ate My Point Scores"

Acknowledgments

Terry Theise, winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional, is an importer of boutique wines from Germany, Austria, and Champagne. His articles have appeared in The World of Fine Wine magazine. He was Wine & Spirits magazine’s Man of the Year in 2001 and Food and Wine magazine’s Importer of the Year in 2006.

“This book, then, does more to elucidate what’s so important about wine better than any other I’ve read in recent memory. It’s an affecting, thoughtful, and often beautiful exploration of why wine (or, more specifically, what Theise would call true wine) matters as much as it does. The world needs books like this as much as it needs the wines that Theise cares so deeply about, and has worked so hard to introduce to all of us.”—The Food, Drink, & Travel Report

“Overall, Reading between the Vines is a humane work, one that allows moments of warm and gentle pathos from Theise's wine-life to come to the surface. There are few wine books that can induce me to laugh out loud, and there are fewer still that display the level of connectedness - one of Theise's words - required to bring a tear to the corner of the eye. And yet this book achieved both. It comes with a recommendation as heartfelt as the prose within.”—Thewinedoctor.com

“Theise’s delightful, personal and rich journey has lessons for all who appreciate wines of place. It’s likely to open a reader’s mind to novel ways of thinking about, examining and describing wine, and anyone remaining unsure that some wines are more than the sum of their individual parts should read this book.”—Winewisdom

“A wine book that's so stunning, your glass will never look the same.”—Serious Eats

“A terrific read, between the wines, so to speak, and one of the books of the season.“—Jancisrobinson.com

“For me, Terry Theise's "Reading Between the Wines" is the Wine Book of the Year. Its sphere is not wine journalism but wine literature.”—Howard Goldberg

“A beautiful collection of importer Terry Theise's thoughts on wine. . . It's so poetic we couldn't help reading parts of it out loud.”—Serious Eats / Pithy & Cleaver

“He's a lucid, passionate, and philosophical missionary evangelizing about artisanal wine. . . Amanual of wisdom about why wine is meaningful. “—Chow

“A broad, insistent and eloquent meditation on wine in general and why it matters. ‘Passion” is one of the world’s most overused words, ‘commonsense” is unfortunately not, but both apply equally here. . . . Not many wine books make you think, or laugh out loud; this does both.”—Decanter

“For someone with a true passion for wine, Theise's book is an affirmation and a joy to read.”—San Jose Mercury News

“I plan to reread it at least once a year to remind me of what wine is really all about. And because it's for the nascent wine geek in all of us, this is my wine book of the year. “—Santa Barbara News-Press

“The book is a compelling read.. . . It draws you in as a thinker, makes you wonder and even compels you to argue back at times.”—The Kitchn

“A small and intensely personal book, almost a love letter to the appreciation of wine. His thoughtful takes on wine tasting and wine scores are worth the price of the book. Although I've read it several times, it still sits on my nightstand, and I find myself reaching for it to reread favorite passages.”—Charlotte Observer

“Should be required reading for wine aficionados and also for newcomers who might not yet have put voice to their appetites for new and interesting wines. “—Washington Post

“For years, importer Terry Theise has written catalogs that are impassioned manifestos for the sort of wines he admires, notably grower Champagnes and German rieslings. This is his first book, and it packs all that passion and opinion into a wide-ranging look at the beauty and aesthetics of wine”—Seattle Times

“A thoughtful and reflective memoir by one of the wine world's top gurus.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Might contain the year's most literate wine writing. Theise, well-known for his lyrical wordsmithing, avoids the usual memoir take and instead pens a rhapsody to the wines he loves, and to the very beauty of wine itself.”—Sf Chronicle

“In this inspiring and superbly written book, acclaimed importer Terry Theise muses on what constitutes beauty in wine and how to best appreciate it.”—Fine Cooking

“In this inspiring and superbly written book, acclaimed importer Terry Theise muses on what constitutes beauty in wine and how best to appreciate it. “—Fine Cooking

“Thiese is a man I’d like to drink with. Any wine. “—Bloomberg News

“A consequential book, rich in ideas and powerful in feeling.”—New York Times

“It's not even wine that Theise is really tackling. It's aesthetics. As such he skillfully reminds us of wine's timeless place in culture.”—Sf Chronicle

“Savvy wine drinkers should savor Theise's essays as a voice of passion and reason.”—Pittsburgh Tribune Review

“Wise and funny, committed and sincere, but never dogmatic. . . .A passionate defense of the importance of wine.”—The World of Fine Wine

“Terry Theise, perhaps more than any other person, knows how to convey in words just how magical wine can be, and the world needs more of that.”—Vinography

“An instant classic and rightful companion to what is now a holy trinity of modern wine books.”—Good Grape

"I read it almost in one gulp: he writes beautifully, uninhibitedly... almost, one might say, drunkenly... a man after my own heart."—-Hugh Johnson

“Theise first demystifies how to experience wine, then remystifies it by reinstating pleasure as what it’s all about.” STARRED REVIEW—Library Journal

"There is only one reason that the American wine enthusiast is now completely enamored with German and Austrian wines: Terry Theise! This glorious book not only brilliantly showcases one man's love affair with all the beauties that can flow from the bottle, it definitively makes the case for the wines that are the most superbly suited to be served with food."—Chef Charlie Trotter

"Terry Theise's humane, subtle and engaging book illustrates the superiority of wisdom to mere knowledge. Read and be richer."—Andrew Jefford, columnist for Decanter and The World of Fine Wine

"Impassioned, insistent, and inimitable, Terry Theise is America's foremost wine philosopher. Lots of writers can explain the "what" of wine. Terry, uniquely, inspires us with the 'why'. I devoured Reading Between the Wines; it's the single best book I've ever read on why wine matters."—Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible

"If you think you know something about wine, try Terry Theise's Reading Between the Wines because until you do, you haven't really started."—Tom Stevenson, author of Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia

Finalist for the International Wine Book of the Year, Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards
Finalist for James Beard Foundation Award
Shortlisted for the Andre Simon Book Award
Best Drinks Literature Book from the United States, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Listen to an interview with Terry Theise on The Splendid Table

Read a review in Forbes

Learn about Terry Theise's movie, Leading Between The Vines