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The "Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book": A Standard Work

This gap in wine literature was quite large: despite many first-rate wines, the famous appellation on the southern Côtes-du-Rhône - Châteauneuf-du-Pape - has remained virtually "second-rate" in the perception of well-known wine authors and publishers. At least in modern antiquarian bookshops, there are still a few titles available that were dedicated to the wines and wine regions of the Côtes-du-Rhône in a more or less comprehensive way a few years ago - such as by Robert Parker, Hubrecht Duijker, James Turnbull or Eckhard Supp. A current title about the region, whose regulations have set standards for French appellation development, was not available until recently.

Robert Parker would have liked to write it himself

After more than four years of work, a passionate lover of this wine cultural landscape has now filled the wine-literary gap: The "Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book", written in English by Dutchman Harry Karis, is a highly readable, fact-saturated memorial to the great wines of this region on some 500 pages. Robert Parker, himself the author of two books about the Rhône and its wines, describes the "Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book" in his foreword as the book he would have liked to have written himself - at least in his "wildest dreams". And Michel Blanc, director of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers' association, confessed to having had great doubts about the realisation of the project at the beginning; now a "monumental" work is available, which - according to Michel Blanc - will "undoubtedly" lead to a deeper knowledge and greater appreciation of the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Informative for connoisseurs and beginners

The main focus of the voluminous work is on the detailed description of 270 producers of the appellation, their history and their individual (wine) profile. But further chapters also introduce the rich history of the region, which did not only begin with the temporary residence of the popes in Avignon in the 14th century, are dedicated to the emergence of wine culture and the appellation, and describe the climate and soil characteristics of the individual sites. A detailed description of the 13 authorised grape varieties (of which there are actually 22, including variants), explanations of the forms of cultivation and methods of cultivation, the stages of vinification in the cellar, production figures for the individual producers, the appellation and the entire Rhône region as well as vintage evaluations and a specialist glossary complete the wine-related information of the new Châteauneuf standard work, which as an overall presentation is definitely to be recommended to friends and lovers of the renowned appellation. The hard work of the former rock musician, restaurant owner, medical graduate and current wine journalist would probably not have been possible without the support of his son Phil Karis, who is responsible for the graphic design, and who has provided hundreds of photographs for an equally varied and informative illustration of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape encyclopaedia.

The tourist information listed in the appendix, together with the gastronomic combinations of the various wine styles, also provide reliable orientation for visitors to the wine region. However, this should be easier if the traveller does not only use the two-and-a-half kilogram book, but also the "Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine map", which also lists 164 wineries of the region for the first time, but also some hotels, restaurants, wine shops and sights such as churches and chapels. The map is laminated - so many a red wine can leave its mark here without harm, which is likely to be tasted on tours with this map. But not only that: according to author Harry Karis, the map is not only "wine-proof", but has also passed its windy mistral test.

Harry Karis

Harry Karis: The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book. With a foreword by Robert M. Parker. Kavino - Book Publishing: Roermond / Netherlands, 2009. Price: 69,00 € (without shipping). Length: 488 pages. 30,5 x 24 cm, hard cover. ISBN: 979-90-812017-1-1
Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine map, 29.7 x 42 cm. Price: €4.95 (www.cdpwebshop.com). The book is available via Amazon and www.cdpwebshop.com.

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