As a lover of wine and food, I found The Psychology of Wine, Truth and Beauty By The Glass by Evan Mitchell and Brian Mitchell published by PRAEGER, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO to be a revelation if you will; similar to that of appreciating a bottle of excellent wine, in that it should be read slowly, allowing time to savor each experience, remember the nuances, and then reference back to it like a favorite label or vintage.

Intellectually written by Australians Evan Mitchell, a veteran of the sommelier world and a wine consultant to the hospitality industry, and his father Brian Mitchell, who has a PhD in Psychology  and is a consultant on performance management, The Psychology of Wine, Truth and Beauty By The Glass is written as a series of 28 witty and often humorous essays that educate, philosophize, and enchant, on a topic that has been discussed since the time of Socrates, who it should be noted was also an avid wine drinker.

Like a bottle of wine that is first selected for its name, history, or label, and then later appreciated for its color, swirling the glass to elicit its bouquet, nosing the glass to inhale its wealth, and then lastly tasting the wine for our pleasure, The Psychology of Wine, Truth and Beauty By The Glass is visually appealing with an attractive cover and a captivating name, that when opened, one finds that it is divided into three sections: Part I: Wine, Mind, and Soul; Part II: The Language of Wine; and Part III: How Wine Describes Us; with luscious essays to engage the reader and stimulate thoughtful reflection.

Although completely captivating from beginning to end, there were several standout essays in the book, with a favorite of mine being the essay entitled, "For Better or Worse," featured in Part II: The Language of Wine, that discusses the marriage of food and wine with a scenario so perfectly described that it left me utterly sated, as if I, too, had been present and had participated in that exquisite feast.

The essay entitled "What You Won't See on the Label" featured in Part I: Wine, Mind, and Soul, is a witty reference to grape varieties, and I also appreciated the essay entitled, "Merry, Merry, Meritage," featured in Part III: How Wine Describes Us, with its depiction of the famous 1976 "Judgment of Paris" where California wines competed against French wines in a double-blind tasting with interesting and unexpected results, which is deliciously thought provoking as it clearly displays how we are often influenced by our pre-conceived beliefs in how we expect a wine to taste, and not judging it by how it actually tastes.

There are wonderful quotes throughout the book, including the old superstition, "two people must not drink from the same cup ... if they do their destinies will be linked" which lead to think that perhaps readers might well want to do this with someone successful in the hope that success might also be theirs; and I also found the quote from Robert Louis Stevenson, "wine is bottled poetry," to be aptly fitting, hitting exactly the right note when describing a wine lover's appreciation of the art and science that went into the creation of the wine with the sole purpose of the enjoyment of others upon drinking the wine; high praise indeed that would make a vintner blush with pride to hear his or her wine referred to with such endearment.

The Psychology of Wine, Truth and Beauty By The Glass by Evan Mitchell and Brian Mitchell, is a book that should be cherished like a favorite vintage, one that should be taken off the bookshelf often to be read again and again, and preferably enjoyed with a glass of wine while reading, and like wine itself is a book that is best when shared and is a perfect gift for fellow wine lovers.

Please visit The Psychology of Wine, Truth and Beauty By The Glass at www.PsychologyofWine.com.

The Psychology of Wine is published by PRAEGER, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO. The book is available in bookstores, ISBN: 978-0-313-37650-4, and online at: Amazon, www.Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, www.BarnesandNoble.com. 

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