Reflections of a Wine Merchant or Pie and Pastry Bible

Reflections of a Wine Merchant: On a Lifetime in the Vineyards and Cellars of France and Italy

Author: Neal I Rosenthal

A leading importer of limited-production wines of character and quality takes us on an intimate tour through family-owned vineyards in France and Italy and reflects upon the last three decades of controversy, hype, and change in the world of wine
In the late 1970s, Neal I. Rosenthal set out to learn everything he could about wine. Today, he is one of the most successful importers of traditionally made wines produced by small family-owned estates in France and Italy. Rosenthal has immersed himself in the culture of Old World wine production, working closely with his growers for two and sometimes three generations. He is one of the leading exponents of the concept of “terroir”—the notion that a particular vineyard site imparts distinct qualities of bouquet, flavor, and color to a wine. In Reflections of a Wine Merchant, Rosenthal brings us into the cellars, vineyards, and homes of these vignerons, and his delightful stories about his encounters, relationships, and explorations—and what he has learned along the way—give us an unequaled perspective on winemaking tradition and what threatens it today.
 Rosenthal was featured in the documentary film Mondovino and is one of the more outspoken figures against globalization, homogenization, and the “critic-ization” of the wine business. He was also a major subject in Lawrence Osborne’s The Accidental Connoisseur. His is an important voice in defense of the individual and the artisanal, and their contribution to our quality of life.

The New York Times - Bryan Miller

Rosenthal…has resisted composing a 250-page jeremiad on industry trends. Instead, his book is a warm, personal, eloquent celebration of the people and places where tradition still survives. The perception of a traveling wine buyer as a gentleman in a fine blazer, notepad in pocket, enjoying a semi-vacation of congenial sipping, is punctured by the reality of fast-paced barrel tastings (often starting right after breakfast) in cold, dank cellars. And, unlike many wine-professional journals, Rosenthal's book is mercifully uncluttered with industry argot.

The Washington Post - Jonathan Yardley

It is quite a good book—well written, informative, agreeably opinionated—but it is about a world that precious few of us are in position to enter…Rosenthal clearly has a gift for friendship, and his accounts of his dealings with growers and their families can be touching as well as informative. Being a wine merchant is harder than most people imagine, and he does a good job of describing its quotidian details. Most of all, though, this book is the testament of someone who, through a combination of talent, determination and good luck, has been able to spend his working life doing exactly what he wants to do, and doing it well. That is a blessing not often bestowed, and Rosenthal's gratitude for it is evident on every page.

Publishers Weekly

The 2008 vintage qualities remain undetermined, but with this title by New York City wine importer Rosenthal, the still-young year yields one of the outstanding wine books of recent memory. From long experience, the author writes that wine should be first understood as an expression of soil through fermented grape juice and begins his memoir of a tradesman's life with a short manifesto on that expressive quality called terroir. Then, Rosenthal takes us on an autobiography of his life as a wine merchant, starting with the opening of his Manhattan shop in 1978, from early misadventures and small-scale successes to the ferreting of significant discoveries far off the paths habitually beaten through France and Italy in particular. His and his wife, Kerry, had a knack for finding the hitherto unknown, and he narrates these discoveries with physical and social details that bring moments to vivid, sensory life. The period he chronicles was one of enormous developments in wine, from California through globalization, and he writes intelligently of the problems that came with progress. Yet neither the trade nor this title is romantic: Rosenthal makes clear the hard, often unpleasant work of winemaking and its trade and the setbacks that are part of the process. Through his business, he has had and been responsible for countless wine-related experiences of exceptional quality; he has now provided a literary one. B&w photos. (May)

Copyright 2007Reed Business Information

Kirkus Reviews

A purveyor of fine wines offers his thoughts on the correct way to get the best reds and whites from Europe's cellars to New York's sellers. Rosenthal demands exclusivity, no filtration and full fidelity-and he indicts those who fail to meet these requirements. Like a realtor, he declares that the most important consideration is location: Terroir, where the grape lives, is of the essence when it comes to concupiscible vintages. Having no interest in wines of the New World, the author has always concentrated on the small family vignerons of Italy and France. He recounts pleasant meetings leading to palate-delighting discoveries with the local cognoscenti, growers, rascals and rogues in the fellowship of the vine. Tastings engender lavish descriptions. Forget simple "nose" or "legs"; his wares merit greater eloquence. Rosenthal depicts one vintage that, when properly mature, is "of stunning complexity with aromas that recall summer's most pungent and sweet flowers and herbs, accompanied by notes reminiscent of well-worn saddle leather and animal fur; the flavors are of licorice and burnt cherry and chocolate and tobacco [with] the almost tangible feel of a light coating of mineral-infused dust." What serious oenophile can resist such evocative and romantic appellations: Chambave Rouge from the Valle d'Aosta, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Trockenbeerenauslese? Connoisseurs of a particularly highfalutin bent will no doubt savor this celebration of the vintner's art; the hoi polloi may prefer Sergio Esposito's more accessible expressions of enthusiasm in Passion on the Vine (2008). Exudes the supercilious attitude of a high-end sommelier who deigns to dispensesuperior wine wisdom.

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Pie and Pastry Bible

Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum

The Pie and Pastry Bible is your magic wand for baking the pies, tarts, and pastries of your dreams — the definitive work by the country's top baker.

• More than 300 recipes, 200 drawings of techniques and equipment, and 70 color pictures of finished pies, tarts, and pastries
• Easy-to-follow recipes for fruit pies, chiffon pies, custard pies, ice-cream pies, meringue pies, chocolate pies, tarts and tartlets, turnovers, dumplings, biscuits, scones, crostadas, galettes, strudel, fillo, puff pastry, croissants (chocolate, too), Danish, brioche, sticky buns, cream puffs, and profiteroles
• All kinds of fillings, glazes, toppings, and sauces, including pastry cream, frangipane, Chiboust, fruit curds, ice creams, fondant, fruit preserves, streusel, meringues, ganache, caramel, and hot fudge
• A separate chapter featuring foolproof flaky, tender, and original crusts of every kind imaginable. Here are a few: Flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust, Flaky Cheddar Cheese Pie Crust, Miracle Flaky Lard Pie Crust, and Flaky Goose Fat Pie Crust; Bittersweet Chocolate, Coconut, Ginger, and Sweet Nut Cookie Crusts; and Vanilla, Gingersnap, Chocolate, and Graham Cracker Crumb Crusts
• Countless tips that solve any problem, including the secrets to making a juicy fruit pie with a crisp bottom crust and a lemon meringue pie that doesn't weep
• How to make a tender and flaky pie crust in under three minutes
• How to make the best brownie ever into a crustless tart with puddles of ganache
• Exciting savory recipes, including meat loaf wrapped in a flaky Cheddar cheese crust and a roasted poblano quiche
• Extensive decorating techniques for the beginning baker andprofessional alike that show you how to make chocolate curls, pipe rosettes, crystallize flowers and leaves, and more
• Detailed information on ingredients and equipment, previously available only to professionals
• The wedding cake reconceived as a Seven-Tier Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Tart
• Pointers for Success follow the recipes, guaranteeing perfect results every time

Library Journal

Over 20 years ago, Beranbaum, author of the award-winning The Cake Bible (LJ 8/88), began her search for the perfectly flaky and tender pie crust. Now, with the publication of her latest culinary tome, Beranbaum is ready to share her findings with eager pastry cooks everywhere. The Pie and Pastry Bible is an impressive collection of more than 200 recipes for sweet and savory treats, including pies, puff pastry, biscuits, and fillings. Both culinary novices and experienced bakers will appreciate the precise preparation instructions provided for every recipe. Nothing is left to chance. Each recipe's ingredients are given in both volume and weight (U.S. and metric). Many recipes have additional pointers, and a chapter on ingredients and equipment is also included. From Classic Blueberry Pie to Danish Pastry Twists, there is something tempting for everyone. Highly recommended for all public libraries.--John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ