Between the Lines

A Tasteful Obsession

It has been said that wine tastes like almost everything but grape juice. In fact, the permutations of flavors obtained from the humble grape are enough to make the average person’s head spin. Thankfully we have Jerry Greenfield’s

Secrets of the Wine Whisperer ( Creative Projects International, Ltd., 2014, $ 17.95)

For the average person, wine is something you pick up at the supermarket before a nice dinner. Before 1997, Jerry Greenfield and his wife Debi were happy members of that group. Then a new friend brought several bottles of wine to dinner and gave them a glimpse into the complex and seductive world of the “Wine Lifer.”

Greenfield calls it “falling down the rabbit hole,” drawing a fun comparison to Alice in Wonderland. That fateful introduction to the wonders of wine quickly led them to local wine tastings, and the inevitable purchases made wine racks necessary. This slippery slope soon deposited the couple at their first Wine Experience, an annual event held in New York with an entry fee of $ 1,500 per person. The Greenfields were firmly entrenched in wonderland.

There are many wine books that are full of dry facts and figures, but Greenfield’s work is more conversation than textbook. He makes the readers feel as though they are sitting with a friend ( and a glass of wine) and having a casual talk. When he speaks of how wine is affected by the oak of the barrel, the cork in the bottle or even the type of glass it’s served in, his anecdotes and humor make it memorable. He shows that a Wine Lifer doesn’t need to be a wine snob. This is a truly enjoyable book.

Jerry Greenfield lives with his wife in Southwest Florida and is a writer, pilot and certified fitness instructor, and a member of the Society of Wine Educators. Learn more at thewinewhisperer. com.

Doug Gallogly lives in Fort Myers with his wife Jackie.