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Fascinating look at how Jefferson searched and enjoyed wine in US and France. Does get a bit detailed and rambling at times... But very enjoyable read.
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Thomas Jefferson on Wine
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In Thomas Jefferson on Wine , John Hailman celebrates a founding father's lifelong interest in wine and provides unprecedented insight into Jefferson's character from this unique perspective. In both his personal and public lives, Jefferson wielded his considerable expertise to influence the drinking habits of his friends, other founding fathers, and the American public away from hard liquor toward the healthier pleasures of wine.
An international wine judge and nationally syndicated wine columnist, Hailman discusses how Jefferson's tastes developed, which wines and foods he preferred at different stages of his life, and how Jefferson became the greatest wine expert of the early American republic. Hailman explores the third president's fascination with scores of wines from his student days at Williamsburg to his lengthy retirement years at Monticello, using mainly Jefferson's own words from hundreds of immensely readable and surprisingly modern letters on the subject.
Hailman examines Jefferson's five critical years in Paris, where he learned about fine wines at Europe's salons and dinner tables as American Ambassador. The book uses excerpts from Jefferson's colorful travel journals of his visits to France, Italy, and Germany, as well as his letters to friends and wine merchants, some of whose descendants still produce the wines Jefferson enjoyed. Vivid contemporaneous accounts of dinners at the White House allow readers to experience vicariously Jefferson's "Champagne diplomacy." The book concludes with an overview of the current restoration of the vineyards at Monticello and the new Monticello Wine Trail and its numerous world-class Virginia wineries. In Thomas Jefferson on Wine , Hailman presents an absorbing and unique view of this towering historical figure.
An international wine judge and nationally syndicated wine columnist, Hailman discusses how Jefferson's tastes developed, which wines and foods he preferred at different stages of his life, and how Jefferson became the greatest wine expert of the early American republic. Hailman explores the third president's fascination with scores of wines from his student days at Williamsburg to his lengthy retirement years at Monticello, using mainly Jefferson's own words from hundreds of immensely readable and surprisingly modern letters on the subject.
Hailman examines Jefferson's five critical years in Paris, where he learned about fine wines at Europe's salons and dinner tables as American Ambassador. The book uses excerpts from Jefferson's colorful travel journals of his visits to France, Italy, and Germany, as well as his letters to friends and wine merchants, some of whose descendants still produce the wines Jefferson enjoyed. Vivid contemporaneous accounts of dinners at the White House allow readers to experience vicariously Jefferson's "Champagne diplomacy." The book concludes with an overview of the current restoration of the vineyards at Monticello and the new Monticello Wine Trail and its numerous world-class Virginia wineries. In Thomas Jefferson on Wine , Hailman presents an absorbing and unique view of this towering historical figure.
457 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8,2006
This edition
- Format
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457 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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November 8, 2006 by University Press of Mississippi
- ISBN
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9781578068418
- ASIN
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157806841X
- Language
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English
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This was a fascinating history on wine drinking during the founding of America. The author went a little overboard with the buying habits of Jefferson, though, and I didn't like how he skipped over history just because no wine was involved. That may be a good thing, however. I caught more than a few errors along the way.
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I actually read this as a history. There are many wonderful stories and letters shared within the pages. Jefferson was a thoughtful man who enjoyed the benefits of wine and his travels through Europe. This book inspires the desire to try some wines still in place or making a resurgence from the 1780s as well as rediscover our American history. If you love wine and history, this is the book for you.
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Good book if you're interested in both American history and wine. The information in the book is gleaned from letters written by and to Jefferson. It ultimately dragged on, however, and I found it tough to get through in the end.
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Mostly about Jefferson's fascination with wine. There were some good historical and personal anecdotes from Jefferson. Overall a good read but too long.
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John Hailman delivers a fantastic and thorough look into one of our Founder's greatest pursuits and passions. The preface is spot on when it is proclaimed for both lovers of wine and Thomas Jefferson—as the pages capture those with an untrained pallet, as well as the sommelier alike. Indeed, the greatest attribute this book has is its strong attachment to its title, as far too many books that claim to be taken directly from the cooking habits or travelogue of their famous protagonist get bogged down with broad history facts of the time period, rather than their subject. Following Jefferson's journals at home in Monticello, his presidency, and most interestingly his time as ambassador in Paris, we see everything down to the day-to-day minute details of his purchases and ledgers, to the meticulous cataloging of his cellar.
Hailman miraculously keeps the reader’s undivided attention, for after reading three pages of accounts and receipts, the next page may happen to have a dinner party with the most unusual stories involving some familiar and famous faces of the time. This is no easy task, and he clearly hits the mark through groundbreaking research and his own knowledge of wine—Hailman's extensive resume includes being a renowned wine critic and judge. Modern wines are compared with those of the eighteenth century, and the drinking habits and preferences of such figures as John Adams and Hessian soldiers alike are found throughout:
Jefferson presented a bill in Congress offering free land and American citizenship to all foreign mercenaries who would desert the British and join the Americans. The plan was not very successful, but Jefferson pursued it with his usual vigor, often inviting the Hessian officers to Monticello for meals and musical evenings with his family. Since these officers came from the Rhineland, one of the prime German wine-growing areas, it is almost certain they discussed wines; Jefferson later visited one of them in Germany in the late 1780s, and they even went on a wine-tasting trip down the Rhine.
It’s almost too extraordinary and unbelievable to imagine the amount of wine Jefferson actually drank on a day to day basis, all the while still holding the composure, mindfulness, and intellect that history has time and time again proven as his most genuine traits. His travels through Germany, Italy, and France leave a sense of wanderlust, and you can’t finish the book without wanting to experience both his tastes and the memorable wines featured from the period. The ending is fitting as it delves into the current vineyards of Virginia, as well as the ongoing restoration of Monticello’s wines and their struggles to reproduce some of Jefferson’s prized varieties. With exact records and tables throughout—as well as two captivating appendices—this was a splendid treat and should be recognized as a guideline for future side-by-side cultural and character studies.
Hailman miraculously keeps the reader’s undivided attention, for after reading three pages of accounts and receipts, the next page may happen to have a dinner party with the most unusual stories involving some familiar and famous faces of the time. This is no easy task, and he clearly hits the mark through groundbreaking research and his own knowledge of wine—Hailman's extensive resume includes being a renowned wine critic and judge. Modern wines are compared with those of the eighteenth century, and the drinking habits and preferences of such figures as John Adams and Hessian soldiers alike are found throughout:
Jefferson presented a bill in Congress offering free land and American citizenship to all foreign mercenaries who would desert the British and join the Americans. The plan was not very successful, but Jefferson pursued it with his usual vigor, often inviting the Hessian officers to Monticello for meals and musical evenings with his family. Since these officers came from the Rhineland, one of the prime German wine-growing areas, it is almost certain they discussed wines; Jefferson later visited one of them in Germany in the late 1780s, and they even went on a wine-tasting trip down the Rhine.
It’s almost too extraordinary and unbelievable to imagine the amount of wine Jefferson actually drank on a day to day basis, all the while still holding the composure, mindfulness, and intellect that history has time and time again proven as his most genuine traits. His travels through Germany, Italy, and France leave a sense of wanderlust, and you can’t finish the book without wanting to experience both his tastes and the memorable wines featured from the period. The ending is fitting as it delves into the current vineyards of Virginia, as well as the ongoing restoration of Monticello’s wines and their struggles to reproduce some of Jefferson’s prized varieties. With exact records and tables throughout—as well as two captivating appendices—this was a splendid treat and should be recognized as a guideline for future side-by-side cultural and character studies.
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This is a beautifully researched and story telling Jefferson's relationship wine and events that included wine. His arc is chronological, but he punctuates the story with titillating details about events, people, spending, politics and practical challenges of buying wine. He saves the details of his failed attempts at vineyards to an epilogue which is a great choice.
The book is a few decades old, but holds up nicely. A great read for any wine and history lover.
The book is a few decades old, but holds up nicely. A great read for any wine and history lover.
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