Godforsaken Grapes

A New York Times and Smithsonian Magazine best book, this “genial excursion” to little-known wine destinations “will make you curious and thirsty.” (Eric Asimov, The New York Times).

Eighty percent of the wine we drink is made from only twenty grapes. Yet, there are nearly 1,400 known varieties of wine grapes in the world—from altesse to zierfandler. 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.

“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

“Funny, enlightening [and] prodigiously researched.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Wilson offers a spirited, highly personal argument for drinking more adventurously.” —Punch

“A delightful dive into more esoteric grapes.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Wonderful . . . [you’ll] never order another pinot noir again.” —Tom Bissell, author of Apostle and The Disaster Artist

“Original, obsessive, and wildly insightful. Drink it down!” —Andrew McCarthy, actor, director, and author of the New York Times bestselling travel memoir The Longest Way Home