For me, Portugal’s trump card is its rich heritage of native grape varieties. So it was music to my ears when “Wine Grapes’” co-author Julia Harding MW said “[B]ecause producers are planting and valuing a wider selection of varieties, there’s a gracious circle rather than vicious spiral down to the big six [Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Merlot and Syrah].” (Harding is pictured left with co-authors Jancis Robinson MW (right) and Dr José Vouillamoz (centre)).
For Harding, who adds, “I’d be thrilled to bits if producers and consumers were inspired by Wine Grapes to become more adventurous”, there’s a lot of pleasure to be had from casting the varietal net far and wide. This is why the book focused exclusively on grape varieties whose wines readers can buy (though in some cases, I suspect they may need to be as proficient researchers as the authors of this impressive tome)!
Below you’ll find a summary of my interview with Harding on Wine Grapes, about which author John Lanchester enthused (here) “combines 21st-century science with the ambition, scale and authority of 19th-century scholarship.” My eagerly anticipated copy is on order but, as you can see, the Victorian-esque varietal illustrations are quite beautiful.