Naked Wine
Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally
By Alice Feiring
(Da Capo Press, Hardcover, 9780306819537, 240pp.)
Publication Date: August 2011
Categories: Beverages - Wine & Spirits
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From the famous, funny, and irreverent wine author, a personal journey into the new—and old—world of natural wine
Alice Feiring is an award-winning food and wine journalist, frequent magazine contributor, and author of a previous book on wine. She lives in New York.
Gourmand Wine Books 2011 USA Winner (Drinks Education category)
Named one of the “Top Drink books of 2011” by StarChefs.com
Art of Eating (Twitter post), 6/30/11
“[Feiring] digs into the natural wine movement in a very smart way.”
“[Feiring] has a deft hand as a storyteller and the book is an engaging read for anyone interested in wine, organic farming, agribusiness, labor standards, and even philosophy.” New York Times, 8/8/11“[Feiring is] passionate, determined, brave and thorny. It’s all out there in Naked Wine: Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally, her ardent cry from the heart for natural wines and the committed vignerons who produce them…If you are at all curious about natural wines, drink this book in. It will make you thirsty and point you in the right direction.” Houston Press, 8/10/11“[Feiring is] one of our favorite American wine writers.” On the Wine Trail in Italy (blog), 8/7/11“Alice is a good story-teller. She’s a siren, seducing you away from your masts of convention.”
Wineanorak.com, 8/16/11
“One of the most important wine books in recent years… A very personal book, written in Alice’s disclosing and witty style, telling the story of her search for the roots of the modern natural wine movement. She captures some of the life, edginess and imprecision of natural wine through her encounters with many of the key figures in the scene.”
Bloomberg News, 8/22/11
“The best guide to the [natural wine] movement is Naked Wine by Alice Feiring…Feiring is funny, feisty, self-absorbed and a passionate advocate.”
“Readers will enjoy [Feiring’s] casual prose highlighted with humor, as they learn about the wonders of wine, and why it should be natural (chemical/additive-free). Once immersed in Naked Wine, they may question their own wine choices.”
WinesWorld’s, 8/25/11
“An invaluable book for anyone who enjoys wine and wants to know how it is created…What makes this book unique is the style, the enthusiasm and love of the ‘nectar of the gods.’ Highly recommended!”
“I love [Feiring’s] fearless attitude.”
Publishers Weekly, 9/5/11
“A treatise on the joys of wine made with nothing but grapes.”
San Francisco Bay Guardian, 9/13/11
“[Feiring is] the high priestess of natural wines.”
“[Feiring] is a rebel in the world of wine.”
Organic Spa, September/October 2011
“Entertaining.”
Henry’s World of Booze (blog), 9/17/11
“It’s both a voyage of discovery and a snapshot of an exciting time to drink wine.”
Metro Pulse, 9/28/11
“At heart, a book about the pure joy of drinking wine. Just try to get through it without sticking your nose deep into a glass of a good French red. I dare you.”
SeriousEats.com, 9/30/11
“Feiring is a dynamite writer, one who easily draws us into her tale. On each page she manages to be both authoritative and vulnerable and always exceedingly honest…Naked Wine is a fantastic read, one that will convert wine drinkers one bottle (or page) at a time.”
“This book solidifies Feiring’s reputation as one of the wine world’s most important writers, and natural wine as a hot topic for coming years.”
50 States of Wine (blog), 10/19/11
“A book that everyone should read.”
Curled Up With a Good Book
“Feiring describes her adventures with an easy-going inflection. Several of her accounts are quite humorous as well as fascinating…Whether it’s read with a glass of wine or a glass of water, Naked Wine is a compelling read for anyone, and that speaks to Feiring’s talents as a writer.”
Midwest Book Review, October 2011
“Offers a fine survey of the natural wine movement and the author’s own experiences at making wine without additives…A top pick for any wine and food collection!”
“Feiring’s engaging prose makes for a fun read even as she slips in technical explanations in easily digestible sips.”
Washington Post, 11/30/11
“Feiring writes engagingly…Her talent for setting a scene and ripping off a yarn is as evident as ever.”
“A provocative narrative, from one of our most prolific natural wine advocates and writers. This book strongly reflects Alice's philosophy about wine, and her quest for the natural, pure, unmanipulated wines…Whether you agree or not with everything Alice says, this book is beautifully written, funny, inspiring, passionate and above all personal and tenacious in its viewpoint. I loved it.” Chicago Tribune, 12/7/11“Open this up: For its shocking list of more than 200 U.S. government-approved additives for winemaking, none of which needs to be listed on the wine's label; provocative, feisty digs at much of modern winemaking and winemakers; wit, infectious enthusiasm for wine and honesty; another long list of solid ‘natural’ winemakers around the world.” Midwest Book Review, November 2011“The author’s own winemaking experiments and experiences are detailed in a fine survey of the natural wine movement and changes in the modern wine market.”The World of Fine Wine, issue 34, 2011“Part travelogue, part defiant credo, part engaging confessional…This is a refreshingly frank and witty book, unashamedly emotive and outspoken—an almost seamless blend of the professional recounted with great charm, candor, and skill. It’s a compelling read that at once informs, entertains, and challenges its reader—no mean feat for a wine book…Highly recommended.” Portland Oregonian, 12/12/11“This combination of personal confessional and well-informed opinion is a rollicking-fun read with a serious wine-loving message.” Portland Press Herald, 12/14/11“[Feiring’s] personal tales of trying to merge theory and practice are what make the book so gripping.” Santa Barbara News Press, 12/1/11“What [Feiring] learns, who she talks to for advice, and how she goes about researching the history of the natural wine movement makes for an interesting if quirky and idiosyncratic narrative. It’s as if she’s sitting across the table from you, glass of (naked) wine in hand, regaling you with her adventures.” Dave McIntyre’s WineLine, 12/14/11“Feiring writes engagingly about her own attempt to make a natural wine.” The Australian, 12/17/11
“Feiring's writing is like her definition of natural wine: ‘honest, transparent and sensitive. Whether in a person or a wine, these are qualities to cherish.’ For me, while Authentic Wine successfully engages the head, Naked Wine speaks to the heart.”
JancisRobinson.com, 1/2/12“A fascinating insight into the world of ‘naked wine’…What one can say however is that this is one of the best reads on ‘naked wine’ and that it is as much about travel writing as it is a manifesto against sulphur, for instance. It’s also well written, topical and an opinionated, intelligent page-turner that never gets too heavy or goes over the top to make a point.” SusieandPeter.com, 1/2/12“[A] rewarding and cogent read.”
Wine & Spirits, February 2012
“A fast read made lively and provocative by Feiring’s usual feistiness and opinionated prose.”
“Written in a style which is captivating, personal, digestible and candid, leafing through a few pages of Naked Wine is a little like leafing through somebody's private journal at times, one that describes a very individual journey of adventure, mishap and discovery…It gives a fascinating glimpse into the heart and soul of one of the 21st century's most passionate and yet also divisive wine bloggers, and also provides us with some noteworthy detail on the rather ignominious birth of what must surely be one of the most significant wine phenomena of recent years…Highly recommended.”
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