A Contemplation of Wine

Classic Editions H Warner Allen Journalist and World War I frontline reporter, Hubert Warner Allen (1881–1968) casts an observant eye over the way wine appears in literature, from the words of Roman connoisseurs to the excesses of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, taking in the wisdom of 18th-century epicurean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and the sagacity of legendary wine writers George Saintsbury and André Simon. Warner Allen’s observations are both fascinating and highly entertaining. As Harry Eyres says: ‘Literary, historical, discursive, personal: this is very much the opposite of modern wine writing, and presents another era seen through a glass darkly.’  ABOUT THE ACADEMIE DU VIN LIBRARY CLASSIC EDITIONS SERIES The Classic Editions breathe new life into some of the finest wine-related titles written in the English language over the last 150 years. Although these books are very much products of their time – a time when the world of fine wine was confined mostly to the frontiers of France and the Iberian Peninsula and a First Growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy wouldn’t be beyond the average purse – together they recapture a world of convivial, enthusiastic amateurs and larger-than-life characters whose love of fine vintages mirrored that of life itself. Many of the titles are still much in demand, as a glance on Amazon will show. The Académie du Vin Library is proud to be republishing them, along with insightful introductions by our favourite wine writers of the present day.