Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage - Hardcover

Gaiter, Dorothy J.; Brecher, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375505601 ISBN 13: 9780375505607

Publisher: Villard, 2002

Synopsis

“I am deeply inspired by this heartwarming story of how two people found love and—even better—a way to get paid for drinking wine.” —Dave Barry

Internationally renowned journalists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher present a captivating memoir about falling in love with each other and with wine.

She grew up in the all-black environment of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. He was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, where his was one of a handful of Jewish families. When they met on June 4, 1973, in the newsroom of The Miami Herald, she says, “I felt in my bones like I had known him forever.” And he says, “I felt the instant I saw her that we had always been together, and knew we always would be.”

That passion for each other and for wine has made their column a must-read for millions of neophyte and veteran wine lovers, who also follow their appearances on Martha Stewart’s TV show. The annual global celebration of wine that they created, “Open That Bottle Night,” encourages readers to finally drink that special wine they have been keeping. As Dottie and John write, “Wine can conjure up memories in a way that few other things can,” whether it’s a rare Burgundy or a bottle of cold duck.

Frank J. Prial of The New York Times said of their first book, The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine, “Their enthusiasm for the grape . . . is exceeded only by their enthusiasm for each other. It spills over on every other page.” Indeed, John and Dottie say they don’t write a wine column; they write a column about more important things.

This book follows them from love at first sight, through a life of journalism, to a triumph on the basketball court at Madison Square Garden. You’ll discover the joys of wine along with them, but you’ll also discover that wine is really about good times, bad times, moments shared with loved ones, and new friends. It’s about memories. It’s about life.

About this title

Review

Dorothy J. Gaiter and her husband John Brecher are best known for their Wall Street Journal wine column, "Tastings," a passionate yet practical guide to their favorite subject. Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage is their marriage-and-wine memoir, an account of the couple's life together in terms of the bottles they discovered, shared, and enjoyed (or didn't) over time. If readers learn less than they should about the pair when their glasses aren't raised, they are nonetheless treated to a fascinating (as well as useful) investigation of a growing education and the bottles that fueled it.

Chapters are named for the couples' progressive wine discoveries, from the "rudimentary" (André Cold Duck, enjoyed on their first date) to the diversely more evolved (for example, a "magnificent" Gevrey-Chambertin Gérard Quivy provided in a basement shop in Burgundy). Other discoveries are delightfully serendipitous (like a "small" but delicious Collery brut champagne, enjoyed at the launch of the pair's wine Web site). In the process, readers follow the intertwining lives of the love-at-first-sight couple--he, from one of a few Jewish families in Jacksonville, Florida; she, African American and raised in the environment of Florida A&M University--as they blend burgeoning journalism careers with their love of wine. Emblematic of this ever-evolving infatuation, and a narrative high point, is the couple's maternity ward visit to wet the lips of their newborn second daughter with Taittinger champagne. Thus wine and love are once again mutually measured in a book all devotees of the grape, and of the couple who so plainly elucidate its mysteries, will want to read. --Arthur Boehm

From the Back Cover

Advance praise for Love by the Glass

“Even for those of us who don’t know Mondavi from Mateus, Love by the Glass is a treat. Wine columnists Dottie Gaiter and John Brecher have one of the best marriages you’ll ever see, and a delightful story to tell.” —Carl Hiaasen

“My weekly anticipation of the next John and Dottie column pales in comparison to my eagerness to pore over each page, each word of this brilliant autobiography of two phenomenal journalists. Love by the Glass exquisitely describes the lives and wines of this passionate duo who have so eloquently made wine accessible and compelled collectors of all varieties to ‘open that bottle’ and share the love that is wine.” —Charlie Trotter

“This book is a warm and personal gift to all of us, a needed reminder that while wine is indeed for special occasions, every day you get to spend with those you love is a special occasion worth celebrating with wine.” —Andrea Immer

“Love by the Glass is a moving love story, a fascinating wine guide, and a compelling social history. How far we’ve all come from the innocence of Mateus rosé, and we couldn’t hope for better guides to the ensuing decades than Dottie Gaiter and John Brecher. The story of their lives together has all the warmth and richness of the great wines they write about.” —James B. Stewart

About this edition

• Publisher: Villard
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0375505601
• ISBN 13: 9780375505607
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352