“Wine is art. Wine is ritual. Wine is culture. Wine is romance. But in the hands of Tattersall and DeSalle . . . we learn that wine is also science.”—Neil deGrasse Tyson
A Wall Street Journal Best Book for Wine Lovers
An excellent bottle of wine can be the spark that inspires a brainstorming session. Such was the case for Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle, scientists who frequently collaborate on book and museum exhibition projects. When the conversation turned to wine one evening, it almost inevitably led the two—one a palaeoanthropologist, the other a molecular biologist—to begin exploring the many intersections between science and wine. This book presents their fascinating, freewheeling answers to the question “What can science tell us about wine?” And vice versa.
Conversational and accessible to everyone, this colorfully illustrated book embraces almost every imaginable area of the sciences, from microbiology and ecology (for an understanding of what creates this complex beverage) to physiology and neurobiology (for insight into the effects of wine on the mind and body). The authors draw on physics, chemistry, biochemistry, evolution, and climatology, and they expand the discussion to include insights from anthropology, primatology, entomology, Neolithic archaeology, and even classical history. The resulting volume is indispensable for anyone who wishes to appreciate wine to its fullest.
“Chemistry. Evolutionary biology. Genetics. This book is an excellent layman’s refresher on these diverse topics, and many more, and how they fit into the grand scheme of wine . . . A fact-packed and accessible read that goes a long way toward explaining why and how wine became such an important component in our enjoyment of the natural world.”—Wine Spectator
Ian Tattersall is curator emeritus in the Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York City. Rob DeSalle is curator of entomology in the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, AMNH.
Interviews
What inspired you to investigate the natural history of wine?
We were inspired to do this book when we found ourselves drinking wine as an inspirational aid while writing our last book together, on the evolution of the brain. It occurred to us that wine is a wonderful perspective through which to view almost every area of natural science.
Why are humans so enamored of wine?
There are plenty of evolutionary scenarios to explain both our ability to metabolize alcohol and our propensity to seek it out. Quite honestly, though, wine itself transcends purely reductionist explanations. It appeals comprehensively to our senses, but it is much more than simply a sensory stimulus. It is a wonderful metaphor for some fundamental aspects of human experience.
Do you have a “favorite fact” about any particular wine or vintage?
This book is about wine itself, rather than about particular wines, or styles of wine. However, a particular favorite is the “Prephylloxera” bottling from Mount Etna, made from ancient gnarled vines that somehow survived the epidemic that almost destroyed the wine industry in the late nineteenth century.
Where is wine going?
The chemistry of wine won’t change in the future, and more than likely the genetics of wine won’t either. But as an extension of the human spirit, wine will continue to challenge human creativity in exactly the same way it first did seven or eight thousand years ago.
