Book Review: Natalie MacLean's Unquenchable

It’s a rare treat to find a book that I enjoy as much for its content and spirit (pun unintentional, yet unavoidable - sorry) as for the design behind its structure. Natalie MacLean’s Unquenchable joins a very short list of personal favourites that hit all these notes and more. The others are Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy, whose table of contents written in rhyming couplets hints at the author’s lustrous touch, and Donna Hay’s Flavours cookbook, whose chapters are organized by flavour (citrus, chocolate, etc.) rather than by regional influence or sweet versus savoury. As the daughter of an English professor, I’m always looking for the extra thought and effort in a book that brings greater depth to my reading experience. Without a doubt, that’s what keeps me coming back and what elevates those books to the top of my list. You’ll find Seth on my nightstand, and loads of Hay’s triple chocolate brownies giving my coworkers early onset diabetes. Recently, I had the pleasure of joining Natalie, so to speak, on a romp around some of the world’s great – and great value – wine regions.

The last time I spoke with Natalie was when I interviewed her upon the release of her first book, Red, White and Drunk All Over, and I ended by asking her what was next. Without hesitating she launched into her interest in Germany’s Mosel Valley, famous for Gewurztraminer. But instead of following up with a book of singular focus, Natalie heads to Australia, Niagara,  South Africa, Argentina, Sicily, Portugal and Provence along with the Mosel Valley in search of reliable, high quality producers whose wines are a comparable bargain. If the double dip recession has you as strapped for cash as we are, you’ll enjoy living vicariously through her adventures. Natalie introduces the best of each region, but in her typically down-to-earth style she uses her knowledge of each region’s finest offerings to present those of us back home with the best bargain options. Heck, you can always go for the top notch top dollar stuff, too, but we’re focusing on everyday selections here. Those of you who’ve read my blog know my view on bargain wines: it’s about the price-quality relationship, and not about price alone. Natalie agrees: “…while most people believe that they can taste the difference between a wine priced at $5 and one at $50, it gets trickier when the difference is between $15 and $30. And since most of us would prefer to shell out $15 rather than $30, one of the missions of this book is to demystify wine pricing in relation to quality.” Let this wine pro on a budget guide you.

There’s a chapter for each day of the week - presumably because in your house, as in ours, an open bottle doesn’t last until tomorrow - and each follows Natalie on her pilgrimages to a particular region. She really loves what she does, and her incredible knowledge level is tempered with a humbleness that puts any reader at ease. A professional in every sense, certainly, but a wine snob she is not. You’ll learn the essentials of each region, and what makes each unique, from the people to the geography and terroir, from ancient historical influences to the impact of modern politics. For example, you’ve probably enjoyed South African wines, but have you ever wondered how Apartheid and being shunned for years from the world market affects what’s in your glass today? And the next time you raise a glass of Gewurtz, consider the vineyards so steep that the pickers have to be harnessed in so they don’t plunge to the valley floor. Those must be some grapes and some wine, because that would fall would be one hell of a Workers’ Comp claim.

Since every wine writer has to put down her glass and eat at least once in a while, Natalie provides wine-friendly sample menus from her winery hosts at the end of each chapter. Ever the savvy marketer, she deftly uses the book to drive you to her website for the recipes. Even better are her lists of “Terrific Pairings”, many of which are low prep/no prep grocery items that go well with each region’s wines. Meat Lover’s pizza with Argentinean Malbec, anyone? If you’re like me and your grocer is in the same complex as your local wine shop, this makes for the world’s simplest and most husband-pleasing post-work shopping trip. Also included at the end of each chapter are these:

Insider Tips – Where to start, what to look for.

Best Value Wines – A compact and manageable list of specific wines recommended by Natalie.

Top Value Producers – Trusted wineries that consistently produce reliable, high quality, good value wines. Start your exploration of the region here.

Resources – Really into it? You can find deeper detail in this list of wine-centric reading materials.

Related Reading – A.K.A. inspired reading unrelated to wine, but nicely related to Natalie’s experience in the region. Case in point: The Godfather is the perfect pairing for that Nero d’avola you’ve just discovered from Sicily.

You might be wondering what I’m drinking as I write this. It’s the 2010 Two OceansShiraz, one of Natalie’s Top Value Producers and recently ranked #4 on The BestBottles in Canada Under $15 It’s juicy, spicy and meaty, with a hint of campfire. There are enough tannins to stand up to a roast, but it’s ridiculously sipable on its own. Oh, and it’s $10. Pairs really well with book reviews.  We’ll be serving lots of this at our holiday party next weekend. Cheers!