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.

Yum.

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.

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.

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.

Mostly about Jefferson's fascination with wine. There were some good historical and personal anecdotes from Jefferson. Overall a good read but too long.

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.

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.

This is probably a great book for serious wine geeks, but I wasn't able to get into it as much as I'd have liked. It's filled with endless lists of wine inventories and account book entries, which is somewhat interesting from a historical perspective, but I don't really know or care enough about wine history to get a lot out of it.

Hailman has searched the copious documentation left by Jefferson to compile a study of his wine buying, drinking, cellaring, and growing efforts. The focus is narrow but the material is so interesting that the book actually escapes pedantry!

The modernity of Jefferson's opinions on wine is amazing. He also writes fabulous letters to equally fabulous people.

A slow read with a lot of detail, both historical and full of wine knowledge. The wine history became too detailed at times - but loved the way it read like correspondence. Very well done.