Tasting the Past: The Science of Flavor and the Search for the Origins of Wine
Kevin Begos
Jun 2018 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by P.J. Ochlan
headphones
Audiobook
6 hr 13 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
Want a 37 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
The characters in Tasting the Past include a young Swiss scientist who set out to decode the DNA of every single wine grape in the world; Middle Eastern researchers who seek to discover the wines that King David drank; and a University of Pennsylvania academic who has spent decades analyzing wine remains. The science illuminates wine in ways no critic can, and demolishes some of the most sacred dogmas of the industry: well-known French grapes aren't especially noble.
We travel with Begos along the original wine routes—starting in the Caucasus Mountains, where wine was domesticated eight thousand years ago, down to Israel and across the Mediterranean to Greece, Italy, and France, and finally to America, where California and Vermont vineyards are creating new wines by letting native and European grapes breed together. It's a melting pot of new tastes and possibilities. As he samples these wines, Begos offers listeners tasting suggestions that go far beyond the endless bottles of Chardonnay and Merlot found in most stores and restaurants.
From this combination of journalism, history, science, and adventure travel, readers will learn the multicultural roots of wine while enjoying a full-bodied story with a rich, nutty bouquet and plenty of subtle nuances that will linger.
We travel with Begos along the original wine routes—starting in the Caucasus Mountains, where wine was domesticated eight thousand years ago, down to Israel and across the Mediterranean to Greece, Italy, and France, and finally to America, where California and Vermont vineyards are creating new wines by letting native and European grapes breed together. It's a melting pot of new tastes and possibilities. As he samples these wines, Begos offers listeners tasting suggestions that go far beyond the endless bottles of Chardonnay and Merlot found in most stores and restaurants.
From this combination of journalism, history, science, and adventure travel, readers will learn the multicultural roots of wine while enjoying a full-bodied story with a rich, nutty bouquet and plenty of subtle nuances that will linger.
About the author
Kevin Begos is a former MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow whose stories and research have appeared in major newspapers and other publications, including Scientific American, Harper's, USA Today, the New York Times, and others. He reviews books for the Associated Press and is a former AP correspondent.
P. J. Ochlan, an Audie Award-winning and multiple AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks. His acting career spans more than thirty years and has also included Broadway, the New York Shakespeare Festival, critically acclaimed feature films, and regular roles in television series.
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
