Author Robert Camuto in Bay Area

I first met Robert Camuto at a reading he was doing at 18 Reasons, promoting his last book, Corkscrewed. Camuto's debut wine book was an entertaining page turner about visits made to some of the more interesting domaines throughout French wine country. Robert's background is not that of an industry insider, or longtime wine guru, but rather is in journalism. In particular, Camuto published and wrote for an alternative weekly for a number of years, and perhaps not surprisingly a similarly casual, informed yet witty and slightly irreverent tone is one of the stylistic hallmarks of his last book. Though he takes his work seriously, he does not take it or himself so seriously so as to make reading it a chore. Through a combination of research, personal experience, and an engaging writing style, Camuto's writing is likely to appeal to a broader range of readers than the usual wine book fare.

Camuto's most recent book about wine, Palmento: A Sicilian Wine Odyssey, has a more specific focus. It has recently garnered glowing reviews from the likes of NY Times wine critic Eric Asimov as well as several others. Here is where Camuto will be in the Bay Area:

Monday Oct. 25

6p.m.Reading/ signing at Books Inc. Marina (2251 Chestnut St. 415-931-3633)
.....directly followed by...

6:45 p.m. **Palmento Sicilian wine/food evening at A-16 Restaurant** (2355 Chestnut St., 415-771-2216) with Robert Camuto, Shelley Lindgren and A16 staff. Sicilian menu. Wines featured in Palmento.

Wednesday Oct. 27th

7 p.m. **Palmento Sicilian wine/food evening at Locanda da Eva** (2826 Telegraph Ave. 510-665-9601). Special Sicilian menu and a selection of wines from Palmento. $75 ($50 for designated drivers.)

And for those of you in the Pac NW:

Portland

Oct. 29 5-7:30 p.m. Palmento presentation signing and wine tasting at Cork: A Bottle Shop. (2901 NE Alberta St., 503-281-2675).

Seattle

Nov. 1 5 p.m. Reading and book signing at Elliott Bay Book Company (1521 10th ave. 206-624-6600) .
...followed by.....
6:30 p.m **Palmento All Saints Day Sicilian soul food and wine evening at La Medusa** (4857 Rainier Ave. So. 206-723-2192). $25 includes wine and food.

Robert Camuto Re-cap

You may recall that a few weeks back, I was promoting a book reading and tasting featuring special guest Robert Camuto. He recently wrapped up a promotional book tour for his book Corkscrewed, which is an homage to independent French vignerons who passionately pursue their vision of producing their own wines from vine to bottle. Before discussing the event, I'd like to extend thanks to David McDuff, who first brought the event to my attention. As I am on host venue 18 Reason's email list, I'd have eventually discovered this was going on, but perhaps a bit later than I would have liked. Good looking out, Mr. McDuff.

Addressing the standing room only crowd of thirty or so people, seated shoulder to shoulder at four large communal tables, author Robert Camuto began his talk by commenting on the fairly recent resurgence of small independent vignerons, farming their grapes organically, slowly developing a niche market for their wines domestically and abroad. He then proceeded to describe his four broad requirements for good wine:

1.) Wine should reflect its specific terroir
2.) The production of wine should show respect for the environment
3.) Wine should be made with grapes
4.) Wine should be made mainly by people, and ought to be for sharing and enjoyment with others

Numbers 1 and 2 should make sense. As for number 3, it caused a few chuckles from the crowd; after all, wine by definition is made from fermented grapes, right? Well, some of you can probably see what Camuto was hinting at here. Wine should contain grapes, period (no additives such as wood chips, enzymes, designer yeasts, liquid tannins, etc.) Number four hints at the skyrocketing trend, begun in the 1970's and reaching astronomical heights in the past decade, of wine as valuable commodity, as a liquid investment to be flipped back and forth amongst collectors via the auction market.

After this introduction, Camuto began the tasting portion of the evening, briefly introducing a particular wine, and largely letting the wine do the talking. At times, he would go into more detail about the chapter describing a particular wine and region, as he did with the Robert & Bernard Plageoles 'Loin de l'oeuil' Gaillac Doux Controlee,' a delicious dessert wine from this region known for its bounty of obscure, nearly extinct varietals.

I am about midway through Robert Camuto's book. It is very well-written, in the descriptive, witty, keenly observant voice of a seasoned journalist. At the same time, it retains the author's personal perspective as an American ex-pat, recently introduced to the world of wine while living with his family in the south of France for the past eight years.

If you're interested in learning more about French wine and in reading an engaging, insightful look at wine through the eyes of some of its masterful producers, I would encourage you to purchase a copy of Robert Camuto's book on his website.