Wine - a Way of Life

Book excerpt: "This is the story of Steven Spurrier's rich and eventful life in and around wine. From being inspired by a glass of Cockburn 1908 Vintage Port at thirteen years old, Steven Spurrier joined London's oldest wine merchant in 1964; he bought a wine shop in Paris ("Your wine merchant speaks English"), and organised what became known as the Judgement of Paris, when, at a blind tasting, nine of the best tasters in France placed Californian wines, both white and red, above the greatest French wines, changing the wine world forever. Wine, a way of life is a brilliantly told story of unexpected fame ... and of fortunes lost, stolen, or strayed, a story of sustained optimism in the face of difficulty, and a story of wines and the people who make them. Steven Spurrier was 2017 Decanter Man of the Year, a title generally reserved for the greatest of the world's wine makers, and is currently President of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. He has recently planted a vineyard in Dorset to produce sparkling wine."--Dust jacekt flap