Pascaline Lepeltier is terrifyingly accomplished. The recipient of Decanter’s Rising Star Award in 2024, she’s a sommelier by trade and still works the floor at Chambers in New York, but makes wine and writes widely, too. In 2022, her debut solo book Mille Vignes was published in France and late last year – finally – was released in English.
One Thousand Vines (October 2024, £45 Octopus) is unlike any other wine book I’ve read. It’s grandiose in depth, breadth and ambition, defiantly French in its philosophical slant. Divided into three sections (Reading Vines, Reading Landscapes and Reading Wines), it
tackles everything from grafting and microbes to food pairing, bottle shapes and trade routes, via oak forests and the evolution of oenology.
Its multidisciplinary approach is unique, weaving together history, science and philosophy – making for a deeply academic work. But this, for me, is also what holds it back. In her effort to tackle so much, the book can, in places, feel dense – so tightly packed with information and technical jargon that it loses some of its readability. I was occasionally left yearning for more on a topic only touched on – an inevitability, perhaps, with such a broad scope.
The result is undeniably thought-provoking – and fascinating to dip in and out of, even if the design lets it down a little. Illustrations break up the text and while some add clarity (trellising and pruning are beautifully depicted) and others are interesting (the main French oak forests and their aromatic profiles, for example), others seem only to confuse. It doesn’t help that some are pages apart from the related text, with no page references linking the two. Where Lepeltier’s pensive writing could have been brought to life and complemented with beautiful imagery, this feels like an opportunity missed.
I was beyond excited to dive into this book – and perhaps that anticipation has betrayed it slightly. As I worked my way through its pages, I couldn’t help but wonder who it’s for. Lepeltier tells us that she’s written the book she would have wanted when she was launching herself into the world of wine. Everyone’s different, but I think I would have found such an earnest, comprehensive and technical book somewhat daunting.
There are moments when One Thousand Vines feels like it could be a rival to Hugh Johnson’s The Story of Wine – and it is, like that essential text, much more than a reference guide. I have little doubt that it will become as indispensable – but for those already in love with wine, rather than those just starting to fall for its charms.
Exhibition: SOIL at Somerset House, London
In 2022, the UN Food & Agriculture Organization warned that 90% of the Earth’s topsoil is likely to be at risk of degradation by 2050 – a date that’s rapidly looming. A new exhibition showing at Somerset House until 13 April shines a light on the issue. SOIL: The World at Our Feet takes visitors below ground, exploring what lies beneath our feet – and how life depends on it. Discover the wealth of bacteria and other microorganisms, and our relationship with them – something wine-growers (and wine lovers) are incredibly conscious of. With the spread of organic, biodynamic and regenerative farming, and the increased profile of such methods, it’s a timely look at our relationship with dirt.
Fly Agaric I by Marshmallow Laser Feast. Credit: David Parry / PA Media Assignments
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