
Tasting the Past
The Science of Flavor and the Search for the Origins of Wine
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
P. J. Ochlan
-
By:
-
Kevin Begos
About this listen
The characters in Tasting the Past include a young Swiss scientist who set out to decode the DNA of every single wine grape in the world; Middle Eastern researchers who seek to discover the wines that King David drank; and a University of Pennsylvania academic who has spent decades analyzing wine remains. The science illuminates wine in ways no critic can, and demolishes some of the most sacred dogmas of the industry: well-known French grapes aren't especially noble.
We travel with Begos along the original wine routes - starting in the Caucasus Mountains, where wine was domesticated 8,000 years ago, down to Israel and across the Mediterranean to Greece, Italy, and France, and finally to America, where California and Vermont vineyards are creating new wines by letting native and European grapes breed together. It's a melting pot of new tastes and possibilities. As he samples these wines, Begos offers listeners tasting suggestions that go far beyond the endless bottles of Chardonnay and Merlot found in most stores and restaurants.
From this combination of journalism, history, science, and adventure travel, listeners will learn the multicultural roots of wine while enjoying a full-bodied story with a rich, nutty bouquet and plenty of subtle nuances that will linger.
©2018 Kevin Begos (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Story of Wine
- From Noah to Now
- By: Hugh Johnson
- Narrated by: Simon De Deney
- Length: 26 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When first published in 1989, The Story of Wine won every wine award in the UK, and the USA. It is widely regarded as Hugh Johnson’s most ambitious and enthralling book. It is not just one story but a collection of many, scanning the wine world from Noah to Napa, from Pompeii to Pomerol, as illuminating to our understanding of civilization as it is to our appreciation of wine. Chronicling the making, merchandising, and drinking of wine through millennia, this new edition is fully updated to include Johnson’s view of the evolution of wine over the past 30 years.
-
-
The worst narration that I’ve ever heard
- By Pradip on 05-25-24
By: Hugh Johnson
-
Godforsaken Grapes
- A Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Underappreciated Wine
- By: Jason Wilson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Horvath
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are nearly 1,400 known varieties of wine grapes in the world - from altesse to zierfandler - but 80 percent of the wine we drink is made from only 20 grapes. In Godforsaken Grapes, Jason Wilson looks at how that came to be and embarks on a journey to discover what we miss. While hunting down obscure and underappreciated wines, 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.
-
-
An entertaining and informative listen
- By Kate on 12-27-18
By: Jason Wilson
-
Adventures on the Wine Route (25th Anniversary Edition)
- A Wine Buyer's Tour of France
- By: Kermit Lynch
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Wine is, above all, about pleasure. Those who make it ponderous make it dull.... If you keep an open mind and take each wine on its own terms, there is a world of magic to discover." So wrote the renowned wine expert Kermit Lynch in the introduction to Adventures on the Wine Route, his ultimate tour of France, especially its wine cellars. The "magic" of wine is Lynch's subject as he takes the listener on a singular journey through the Loire, Bordeaux, the Languedoc, Provence, northern and southern Rhone, and Burgundy.
-
-
Finally!
- By Mark on 01-18-21
By: Kermit Lynch
-
The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste
- A Field Guide to the Great Wines of Europe
- By: Rajat Parr, Jordan Mackay
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first definitive reference book to describe, region-by-region, how the great wines of Europe should taste. This will be the go-to guide for aspiring sommeliers, wine aficionados who want to improve their blind tasting skills, and amateur enthusiasts looking for a straightforward and visceral way to understand and describe wine.
-
-
Annoying Narrator
- By Liana Reynolds on 08-31-22
By: Rajat Parr, and others
-
99 Bottles
- A Black Sheep's Guide to Life-Changing Wines
- By: André Hueston Mack
- Narrated by: André Hueston Mack
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this entertaining, informative, and thoroughly unconventional wine guide, award-winning sommelier, winemaker, and wine educator André Mack presents listeners with the 99 bottles that have most impacted his life. Instead of just pairing wines with foods, Mack pairs practical information with personal stories, offering up recommendations alongside reflections on being one of the only African-Americans to ever work at the top level of the American wine industry. The 99 bottles range from highly accessible commercial wines to the most rarefied Bordeaux....
-
-
Great guide to wine and life
- By Earl on 01-25-21
-
Cork Dork
- A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste
- By: Bianca Bosker
- Narrated by: Bianca Bosker
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine - until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession and whether she, too, could become a “cork dork”.
-
-
Interesting but not educational
- By Blake Brasher on 10-14-17
By: Bianca Bosker
-
The Story of Wine
- From Noah to Now
- By: Hugh Johnson
- Narrated by: Simon De Deney
- Length: 26 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When first published in 1989, The Story of Wine won every wine award in the UK, and the USA. It is widely regarded as Hugh Johnson’s most ambitious and enthralling book. It is not just one story but a collection of many, scanning the wine world from Noah to Napa, from Pompeii to Pomerol, as illuminating to our understanding of civilization as it is to our appreciation of wine. Chronicling the making, merchandising, and drinking of wine through millennia, this new edition is fully updated to include Johnson’s view of the evolution of wine over the past 30 years.
-
-
The worst narration that I’ve ever heard
- By Pradip on 05-25-24
By: Hugh Johnson
-
Godforsaken Grapes
- A Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Underappreciated Wine
- By: Jason Wilson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Horvath
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are nearly 1,400 known varieties of wine grapes in the world - from altesse to zierfandler - but 80 percent of the wine we drink is made from only 20 grapes. In Godforsaken Grapes, Jason Wilson looks at how that came to be and embarks on a journey to discover what we miss. While hunting down obscure and underappreciated wines, 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.
-
-
An entertaining and informative listen
- By Kate on 12-27-18
By: Jason Wilson
-
Adventures on the Wine Route (25th Anniversary Edition)
- A Wine Buyer's Tour of France
- By: Kermit Lynch
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Wine is, above all, about pleasure. Those who make it ponderous make it dull.... If you keep an open mind and take each wine on its own terms, there is a world of magic to discover." So wrote the renowned wine expert Kermit Lynch in the introduction to Adventures on the Wine Route, his ultimate tour of France, especially its wine cellars. The "magic" of wine is Lynch's subject as he takes the listener on a singular journey through the Loire, Bordeaux, the Languedoc, Provence, northern and southern Rhone, and Burgundy.
-
-
Finally!
- By Mark on 01-18-21
By: Kermit Lynch
-
The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste
- A Field Guide to the Great Wines of Europe
- By: Rajat Parr, Jordan Mackay
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first definitive reference book to describe, region-by-region, how the great wines of Europe should taste. This will be the go-to guide for aspiring sommeliers, wine aficionados who want to improve their blind tasting skills, and amateur enthusiasts looking for a straightforward and visceral way to understand and describe wine.
-
-
Annoying Narrator
- By Liana Reynolds on 08-31-22
By: Rajat Parr, and others
-
99 Bottles
- A Black Sheep's Guide to Life-Changing Wines
- By: André Hueston Mack
- Narrated by: André Hueston Mack
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this entertaining, informative, and thoroughly unconventional wine guide, award-winning sommelier, winemaker, and wine educator André Mack presents listeners with the 99 bottles that have most impacted his life. Instead of just pairing wines with foods, Mack pairs practical information with personal stories, offering up recommendations alongside reflections on being one of the only African-Americans to ever work at the top level of the American wine industry. The 99 bottles range from highly accessible commercial wines to the most rarefied Bordeaux....
-
-
Great guide to wine and life
- By Earl on 01-25-21
-
Cork Dork
- A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste
- By: Bianca Bosker
- Narrated by: Bianca Bosker
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine - until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession and whether she, too, could become a “cork dork”.
-
-
Interesting but not educational
- By Blake Brasher on 10-14-17
By: Bianca Bosker
-
Wine and War
- The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure
- By: Donald Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1940, France fell to the Nazis and almost immediately the German army began a campaign of pillaging one of the assets the French hold most dear: their wine. Like others in the French Resistance, winemakers mobilized to oppose their occupiers, but the tale of their extraordinary efforts has remained largely unknown - until now. This is the thrilling and harrowing story of the French wine producers who undertook ingenious, daring measures to save their cherished crops and bottles as the Germans closed in on them.
-
-
Good story, terrible performance
- By Sean on 05-28-12
By: Donald Kladstrup, and others
-
Flawless
- Understanding Faults in Wine
- By: Jamie Goode
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From cork taint, to volatile acidity, to off-putting aromas and flavors, all wine connoisseurs have encountered unappealing qualities in a disappointing bottle. But are all faults truly bad? Are some even desirable? Jamie Goode brings his authoritative voice to the table once again to demystify the science behind what causes a good bottle to go bad. By exposing the root causes of faults in wine, Flawless challenges us to rethink our assumptions about how wine should taste and how we can understand beauty in a glass.
-
-
Not Flawless
- By Michael on 11-03-18
By: Jamie Goode
-
Wine Simple
- A Totally Approachable Guide from a World-Class Sommelier
- By: Aldo Sohm, Christine Muhlke
- Narrated by: Aldo Sohm
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wine Simple is full of an unbeatable depth of knowledge, effusive encouragement, and, most important, strong opinions on wine so you can learn to form your own. Imbued with Aldo's insatiable passion and eagerness to teach others, Wine Simple is accessible, deeply educational, and lively and fun, both in voice and visuals. This essential guide begins with the fundamentals of wine in easy-to-absorb hits of information and pragmatic, everyday tips - key varietals and winemaking regions, how to taste, when to save and when to splurge, and how do a wine tasting at home.
-
-
As promised.
- By Anonymous User on 07-16-21
By: Aldo Sohm, and others
-
When We Cease to Understand the World
- By: Benjamin Labatut, Adrian West - translator
- Narrated by: Adam Barr
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When We Cease to Understand the World is a book about the complicated links between scientific and mathematical discovery, madness, and destruction. Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger - these are some of the luminaries into whose troubled lives Benjamín Labatut thrusts the listener, showing us how they grappled with the most profound questions of existence.
-
-
the true heir w.g. sebald
- By Thomas on 12-23-21
By: Benjamin Labatut, and others
-
Understanding the World of Wine
- By: Brian Wheaton
- Narrated by: Brian Wheaton
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gain the wine know-how you’ve always wanted in this comprehensive course. With thousands of wines on sale in the US today, choosing just the right one for each occasion can be a challenge even for the experienced. To help you master that challenge and deepen your appreciation of wine and its inexpressibly rich lore, Master of Wine Brian Wheaton recorded Understanding the World of Wine. Whether you're a seasoned oenophile or a beginner, you will discover new insights in this set of 36 easy-to-use audio lectures.
-
-
A brief history of wine
- By Steve C on 08-06-18
By: Brian Wheaton
-
Judgment of Paris
- California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine
- By: George M. Taber
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History houses, amid its illustrious artifacts, two bottles of wine: a 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. These are the wines that won at the now-famous Paris Tasting in 1976, where a panel of top French wine experts compared some of France's most famous wines with a new generation of California wines. Little did they know the wine industry would be completely transformed as a result....
-
-
Only for the wine-obsessed
- By History on 12-01-11
By: George M. Taber
-
Vino
- The Essential Guide to Real Italian Wine
- By: Joe Campanale, Joshua David Stein
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed Italian wine expert, sommelier, winemaker, and restaurateur, Joe Campanale presents a comprehensive guide that is as transportive as it is deeply educational. Vino dives into the dynamic landscape of Italian wine today, where a new generation of winemakers is eschewing popular international styles, championing long-forgotten indigenous grapes, and adopting sustainable approaches best suited for their local climates.
-
-
In depth
- By Empty handed on 11-16-22
By: Joe Campanale, and others
-
Viticulture, Second Edition
- An Introduction to Commercial Grape Growing for Wine Production
- By: Stephen Skelton MW
- Narrated by: Stephen Skelton
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This second edition of Viticulture is an introduction to the professional world of growing grapes for wine production and is aimed at the serious student in the wine trade, WSET diploma student, or Master of Wine candidate. It is also aimed at anybody considering owning or planting a vineyard who wants a basic primer on the subject. It is written in an easy-to-digest style, arranged in 14 relatively short chapters, and illustrated with 100 photographs and charts. Viticulture is all you need to know about grape growing.
-
-
For wine or Agriculture nerds.
- By Amazon Customer on 11-08-23
-
The Drunken Botanist
- The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks
- By: Amy Stewart
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when medieval physicians boiled juniper berries with wine to treat stomach pain. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the surprising botanical history and fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi).
-
-
No more cheap tequila!
- By Cynthia on 03-23-13
By: Amy Stewart
-
Napa
- By: James Conaway
- Narrated by: John Morgan
- Length: 20 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
James Conaway's remarkable bestseller delves into the heart of California's lush and verdant Napa Valley, also known as America's Eden. Long the source of succulent grapes and singular wines, this region is also the setting for the remarkable true saga of the personalities behind the winemaking empires. This is the story of Gallos and Mondavis, of fortunes made and lost, of dynasties and destinies.
-
-
Excellent But Marred by Non-Stop Mispronunciations
- By Bohemian on 08-15-13
By: James Conaway
-
The Juice
- Vinous Veritas: Essays
- By: Jay McInerney
- Narrated by: Jay McInerney
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than a decade, Jay McInerney’s vinous essays, now featured in The Wall Street Journal, have been praised by restaurateurs (“Filled with small courses and surprising and exotic flavors, educational and delicious at the same time” —Mario Batali), by esteemed critics (“Brilliant, witty, comical, and often shamelessly candid and provocative” —Robert M. Parker Jr.), and by the media (“His wine judgments are sound, his anecdotes witty, and his literary references impeccable” — The New York Times).
-
-
eye opener
- By FlGatorsGuy on 11-16-15
By: Jay McInerney
-
A Guide to Wine
- By: Julian Curry
- Narrated by: Julian Curry
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Actor and wine expert Julian Curry has devised a unique audiobook guide to wine. The whole subject is introduced and explained how wine is made, the different grapes, the different blends, vintages, wine-growing areas and types. In an entertaining and informal style, he also teaches how to taste wine, and how to choose and store it.
-
-
Comprehensive overview
- By Laurence on 09-26-03
By: Julian Curry
What listeners say about Tasting the Past
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Yenrab Namrehs
- 07-29-18
If you're a wine geek, this book is for you.
A terrific story about the hunt for and history of winemaking, ancient grapes, and old varietals that are still being grown and bottled today. The performance of the reader is sadly very dull and inconsistent. Don't let that get in the way of getting this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- NPS
- 07-20-20
Dig deeper into the history of the wine world.
Grape book! This story pairs nicely with "Godforsaken Grapes" by Jason Wilson. Drink more wine!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kay Dee
- 02-12-19
Terrible Narration Good Story
I really enjoyed the story, but the terrible narration made it extremely hard to listen to. Such a shame
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!