July Wine Safari: Africa Uncorked

This month the Wine Book Club, the online reading group for wine lovers and readers, read John and Erica Platter's Africa Uncorked: Travels in Extreme Wine Territory ($29.95; $22.76 from amazon.com). This book was a terrific escape for me, complete with pictures, compelling writing, unbelievable stories, and a true spirit of adventure. I highly recommend it to armchair travelers as well as anyone who thinks they lead a tough life. I'm here to tell you that you have no idea what tough is until you've seen the lengths people go to in order to grow wine grapes in arid, predominantly Muslim Africa.

I was joined this month by Kori from Wine Peeps, who was equally enthusiastic about the book. Like me, she was impressed by how dedicated the African viticulturalists were, and said "the book weaves a fascinating tale of how doggedly determined winemakers have accepted the challenge of producing wine when all the odds are against them."

The book is illustrated with pictures and wine labels, and is arranged by region, spanning the continent from north to south. The Platters begin in Morocco, travel east through Ethiopia and Kenya, hit the islands of Madagascar and Mauritius, before winding up in South Africa. Through every part of their journey the Platters combine their love of food and their love of wine with a sensitivity to local customs. One of the best parts of the book for me was how they managed to paint a portrait of African wine as a whole while retaining an appreciation for the local.

Thanks once again to Kori for joining me in reading this book, and I'll see you next month for another great read.