“By the time you’ve picked up this book, Georgian wine will be internationally known—thanks in no small part to Alice Feiring, who has put her passion and pen behind it. What do God, Stalin, and truth have to do with great wine? Follow her on her journeys into a rich and fascinating culture and find out.” —Christine Muhlke, executive editor of Bon Appétit

For the Love of Wine | My Odyssey through the World’s Most Ancient Wine Culture by Alice Feiring is a journey of exploration and delight in the country of Georgia.

In 2011 when Alice Feiring first arrived in Georgia, she felt as if she’d emerged from the magic wardrobe into a world filled with mythical characters making exotic and delicious wine with the low-tech methods of centuries past. She was smitten, and she wasn’t alone. This country on the Black Sea has an unusual effect on people; the most passionate rip off their clothes and drink wines out of horns while the cold-hearted well up with tears and make emotional toasts. Visiting winemakers fall under Georgia’s spell and bring home qvevris (clay fermentation vessels) while rethinking their own techniques.

But, as in any good fairy tale, Feiring sensed that danger rode shotgun with the magic. With acclaim and growing international interest come threats in the guise of new wine consultants aimed at making wines more commercial. So Feiring fought back in the only way she knew how: by celebrating Georgia and the men and women who make the wines she loves most, those made naturally with organic viticulture, minimal intervention, and no additives.

From Tbilisi to Batumi, Feiring meets winemakers, bishops, farmers, artists, and silk spinners. She feasts, toasts, and collects recipes. She encounters the thriving qvevri craftspeople of the countryside, wild grape hunters, and even Stalin’s last winemaker while plumbing the depths of this tiny country’s love for its wines.

For the Love of Wine is Feiring’s emotional tale of a remarkable country and people who have survived religious wars and Soviet occupation yet managed always to keep hold of their precious wine traditions. Embedded in the narrative is the hope that Georgia has the temerity to confront its latest threat—modernization.

Alice Feiring is an internationally known author, journalist, and essayist who lives in New York City. She has been the wine correspondent for Wall Street Journal Magazine and Time and now freelances for the New York Times, Wine and Spirits, and Omnivore. Winner of both the James Beard and the Louis Roederer wine writing awards, Feiring is the author of Naked Wine: Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally and The Battle for Wine and Love; or, How I Saved the World from Parkerization.

Publisher: Nebraska Press | Potomac Books
208 pages

“Feiring’s lively account is a good place to begin for wine lovers seeking a head start on exploring a vastly underappreciated wine-producing country.”—Kirkus