Love by the Glass Book

One of the greatest things about the pre-Murdoch Wall Street Journal--that is, before the rest of the paper was brought down to the level of its op/ed page--was the wine column by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. There, most incongruously, in the capitalist paper of record you could read unpretentious, adventurous, and celebratory writing on wine with words full of life and love--it is impossible to imagine something like this appearing in the Journal today. This book is the story of their love for each other and for the vine, how their relationship was enhanced by it. And it's a uniquely American story, encompassing journalism, race, food, child-rearing, and geography. Dottie and John would promote their idea of an "open that bottle night," exhorting their readers not to wait for a special occasion (how bourgeois!). So, here I sit, on a plain ol' Friday night, over a glass of 20 year old rioja that is drinking lovely right now, waiting for the wife to get home. I'll pour another glass and drink to you, Dottie and John!