I recommend greatly this book from Neal Rosenthal (the New York wine merchant). I have enjoyed the candid and interesting journey of Mr Rosenthal as he starts his thoughtful wine import business. It helped me to realize how close to the wild west was the wine industry in the late 70’s and what great opportunities folks like Neal Rosenthal, Kermitt Lynch and Terry Theise had in their hand. For all this, they were, and are, true wine lovers and really attracted to the sense of place and family that Europe offered in those days. I wonder what the next generation of wine importer will be like and who will replace those great wine explorers. I also wonder if Europe is/will be like this anymore. It really made me think about what we do at Pacific Rim and the value of taking the high road not only for yourself but also for the people that drink your wines.
I think one needs to be careful about meeting with Mr Rosenthal considering the amount of drame, dead partners, car accidents, family feud and failure that he encounters during his European endeavors.
In any case a good read for those who like wines and the wine business.
