Available now on Amazon | Excerpt
“Mr. Wilson leads us on a genial excursion to some of the world’s more esoteric wine neighborhoods…he will make you curious and thirsty.” — Eric Asimov, New York Times
There are nearly 1,400 known varieties of wine grapes in the world—from altesse to zierfandler—but 80 percent of the wine we drink is made from only 20 grapes. In Godforsaken Grapes, Jason Wilson looks at how that came to be and embarks on a journey to discover what we miss.
Stemming from his own growing obsession, Wilson moves far beyond the “noble grapes,” hunting down obscure and underappreciated wines from Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, France, Italy, the United States, and
beyond. In the process, he looks at why these wines fell out of favor (or never gained it in the first place), what it means to be obscure, and how geopolitics, economics, and fashion have changed what we drink. A combination of travel memoir and epicurean adventure, Godforsaken Grapes is an entertaining love letter to wine.
Praise for Godforsaken Grapes
“Funny, enlightening [and] prodigiously researched” — San Francisco Chronicle
“I can’t decide whether Jason Wilson’s Godforsaken Grapes is more edifying or more entertaining, with more wit or more wisdom. Either way, it’s a delightful dive into more esoteric grapes, and especially timely given that local importer/distributors have started bringing the likes of rkatsiteli and chasselas to this market.” — Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Wilson’s signature wit and wisdom returns as he recounts the travel shenanigans that lead him around the world in a rabbit hunt for these obscure and under-the-radar wines. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of the wine industry and an itch to book a ticket to destinations you’ve never heard of before.” — Imbibe Magazine
“Rogue spirits writer Jason Wilson dives into the deep end of strange grapes in this book that’s equal parts wine manifesto and travel log…“Godforsaken Grapes” is like listening to your favorite uncle tell his travel stories: wonderful at first, and better with each glass of wine. —VinePair
“This wonderful book is about so much more than wine. It’s also about taste, and aging, and history, and travel, and culture. Above all else, Jason Wilson’s Godforsaken Grapes will make you want to live more adventurously and drink more curiously—and never order another pinot noir again.” —Tom Bissell, author of Apostle & The Disaster Artist
“Armed with an archeologist’s fanatical determination, a traveler’s deep curiosity, and an encyclopedic knowledge of his subject, Jason Wilson takes a deep dive into the world of rare wines. Original, obsessive, and wildly insightful. Drink it down!” — Andrew McCarthy, actor, director, and author of the NY Times Bestselling travel memoir The Longest Way Home