The Pre-Loved edit from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-7% $17.67
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 28 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$17.67 with 7 percent savings
List Price: $19.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 28 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Friday, January 24. Order within 22 hrs 33 mins.
In Stock
$$17.67 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.67
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$6.74
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
100% satisfaction guaranteed. Ships directly from Amazon with Prime shipping. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Ships directly from Amazon with Prime shipping. See less
FREE delivery February 3 - 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery February 3 - 5
$$17.67 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.67
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine Paperback – April 14, 2009

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,313 ratings

off. Enter code INSTAPAY10 at checkout. Discount by Amazon. Terms  off. Promo code INSTAPAY10 is saved to your account. Discount by Amazon. Terms  
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$17.67","priceAmount":17.67,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"67","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"swqpauCP2sE3GVumwkBzt%2F96j2QdFprXgpFclz1lulPxqHpx8t%2FBhBEFKoPIDbKRrUmqXoK8X%2BsHrSgTTHWdyikutjR4ltqrTJjSG2aP2qgvT%2BYr0%2Fu8CFVYZMHWNaVxn4%2BGtgE9DIU%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.74","priceAmount":6.74,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"74","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"swqpauCP2sE3GVumwkBzt%2F96j2QdFprXQ1mD6abW%2BJidrZhi1syYvG4Gu4N86X%2FPD%2BaYgi%2FwvYXlH2ABGUvYfLk9vFmr8dBVW6PSGFPQr2bMVy45p%2B5fvaFAQhkAggEHEjmdk44qVeqz75rXvuQhmBA01mNbfZSGNYCKQ%2BGWo2JrJfBS89DGNDNEhTRa9xt4","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The rivetingly strange story of the world's most expensive bottle of wine, and the even stranger characters whose lives have intersected with it.

The
New York Times bestseller, updated with a new epilogue, that tells the true story of a 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux—supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson—that sold for $156,000 at auction and of the eccentrics whose lives intersected with it.

Was it truly entombed in a Paris cellar for two hundred years? Or did it come from a secret Nazi bunker? Or from the moldy basement of a devilishly brilliant con artist? As Benjamin Wallace unravels the mystery, we meet a gallery of intriguing players—from the bicycle-riding British auctioneer who speaks of wines as if they are women to the obsessive wine collector who discovered the bottle.

Suspenseful and thrillingly strange, this is the vintage tale of what could be the most elaborate con since the Hitler diaries.

“Part detective story, part wine history, this is one juicy tale, even for those with no interest in the fruit of the vine. . . . As delicious as a true vintage Lafite.” —BusinessWeek
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

This item: The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine
$17.67
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 28
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$13.34
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 28
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Captivating.”
New York Times Book Review

“The season's wine reading cannot get off to a better start than with
The Billionaire’s Vinegar,  one of the rare books on wine that transcends the genre ...Though the story is the collector’s world, the subject is also greed and how it can contort reality to fit one’s desires. It’s been optioned for Hollywood. I hope the movie’s as good as the book.”  
New York Times 
 
 “This is a captivating tale, even if you care nothing about wine.”
—Wall Street Journal

 “Entertaining.”
—Washington Post 

“Fine writing, great reporting, and a story so delicious you could have it for dessert.”
—Fortune

“Part detective story, part wine history, this is one juicy tale….as delicious as a true vintage Lafite.”
Businessweek

“Splendid...A delicious mystery that winds through musty European cellars, Jefferson-era France and Monticello, engravers' shops, a nuclear physics lab, rival auction houses and legendary multi-day tastings conducted by the shadowy German who had discovered the Jefferson collection...Ripe for Hollywood.”
USA Today

“A gem of a book...Mr. Wallace answers questions raised about Rodenstock and his remarkable find with a narrative that moves slowly and gracefully through lively and interesting information. Mr. Wallace seems to consciously take his time revealing what he knows, much like someone tasting a fine wine. There is no rush or urgency. Just a tale that oenophiles, history buffs and ordinary wine lovers alike will savor.”
—Washington Times

“This is a gripping story, expertly handled by Benjamin Wallace who writes with wit and verve, drawing the reader into a subculture strewn with eccentrics and monomaniacs...Full of detail that will delight wine lovers. It will also appeal to anyone who merely savours a great tale, well told.”
—The Economist

“A page-turner…What makes Wallace's book worth reading is the way he fleshes out the tale with entertaining digressions into Jefferson's wine adventures, how to fake wines (who knew a shotgun blast could make a bottle look old?) and dead-on portraits of several major wine personalities who intersected unhappily with the wines.”
—Bloomberg

“Wallace’s depiction of rabid oenophiles staging almost decadent events to swill rare wine, knowingly depleting the reserves, are as much fun as the mystery.”
—New York Daily News

“Terrific.”
—Slate

The Billionaire's Vinegar, is at once a detective story and a sensational history—of wine, wine snobs and the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold.”
NPR.org

 “This book has no right to be as exciting as it is.”
—Good Morning America 

 “What people will be talking about.”
—GQ
 
 “Call it wine noir... a reminder that great wine should be consumed, not just collected.”
—Men's Health

“A riveting wine history, wine mystery, and more.”
Food & Wine

“For anyone with at least a curiosity about precious old wines and the love of a good story, this well-crafted piece of journalism may prove as intriguing and enjoyable as a fine old Bordeaux.”
Seattle Times
 
 “Nicely peels back the covers of a world most of us will never see.”
—Dallas Morning News

 “The book handles a dozen tangential plots with Dickensian ease... The Billionaire's Vinegar is the rare book that transcends its topic, reaching out to anyone interested in a good mystery, while at the same time going into enough detail to be of interest to a serious wine drinker.”
—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

 “Misplaced trust, gullibility, vanity, chicanery and old-fashioned greed occupy center stage in this engrossing tale... Wallace meticulously unravels [Hardy] Rodenstock's inexorable exposure as a fraud.”
—The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 
  
 “An astonishing tale of intrigue, greed, pride and ego... Is this book worth your time and effort to find and read? Undoubtedly.”
—Dayton Daily News
 
 “A rich blend of historical narrative and page-flipping mystery that will keep both oenophiles and teetotalers riveted.”
—Philadelphia Magazine 
 
 “Brings together the disparate themes of wealth, greed, narcissism, ego, and fraud, with a dollop of history and some nifty detective work thrown in for good measure... Wallace's book deserves the broad readership at which it is clearly aiming, reaching far beyond the confines of the wine trade and wine collectors.”
—The World of Fine Wine
 
 “Masterfully unravel[s] a fast-paced tale of power, deception, and oenophilic excess... has the feverish momentum of a page-turner... offering an unprecedented portrait of a case that rocked an impossibly exclusive world to its foundation.”
—Bold Type
 
 “Truly riveting... For anyone familiar with the wine world, the book will provide extraordinary enjoyment, more or less as beach material. But this book has great potential to cross over to a mainstream audience... In some ways, the most interesting aspect of the story is how people want so much to believe in things, and so, they do. That is really the take-away message of the book, and Wallace has done a lovely job of presenting it.”
—Barron's
  
 “A superb storyteller... engaging and vivid, Wallace's prose is supremely well composed, and turns a complex web of commercial transactions—albeit an intriguing one—into a mystery of Hitchcockian proportions.”
—Decanter
 
 “Benjamin Wallace's brilliant new book is a work of carefully-researched fact, rather than fiction, but it's not short of drama, intrigue or remarkable personalities... a fascinating, page-flipping mystery... a forensic, and frequently amusing, examination of the world of fine and rare wine.”
—Wine & Spirit
   
 “A rich depiction of the history of wine—its prestige, its chemistry, its recurring susceptibility to fraudulence... There is delicious insider's gossip aplenty in this book, enough to keep any serious wine aficionado turning the pages. And for those with a more casual interest, Wallace's centuries-spanning narrative and sharp eye for detail make the book a fun and informative read.”
—ImbibeMagazine.com

 “So well written that it is an absolute pleasure to read... [a] profound look into the world of wine collecting.”
—Dr. Vino's Wine Blog
 
 “A modern nonfiction who done it... transports the reader back and forth through time and across the sea, from the boardrooms of 20th century publishing tycoons to 18th century France and the young American nation... Pull the cork on The Billionaire's Vinegar and you will sip at it, enjoying it as it develops, until every last drop is drunk.”
—The Gloucester Daily Times 
 
 “A tale peopled with famous and infamous characters, plunder and plonk and more than a dash of hoax and history.”
—Reuters 
 
 “A briskly written tale of intrigue and deceit.”
—Hemispheres

“[T]his thoroughly researched, engagingly written book presents the evidence from both sides... Full of entertaining real life personalities, it's a brilliant analysis of the world of fine and rare wines. It deserves to win every prize going.”
—The Guardian
  
 “An old bottle of wine is rare, but a ripping good mystery about one is rarer still... Wallace's narrative leads us into a world of heiresses, celebrities, rogues, bankers, tomb raiders, dilettantes, villains, Arab potentates, millionaires and, as the tale darkens, forensic scientists, glass and handwriting experts, Jefferson scholars, FBI agents and federal court judges...For those who can't stomach another wine guide, The Billionaire's Vinegar makes learning about wine palatable... Wallace brings a reporter's discipline to both the depth of his research and to the even-handed treatment of his findings.”
The Globe and Mail (CANADA)
 
  “Wallace sips the story slowly, taking leisurely digressions into techniques for faking wine and detecting same with everything from Monticello scholarship to nuclear physics. He paints a colorful backdrop of eccentric oenophiles, decadent tastings and overripe flavor rhetoric… Investigating wines so old and rare they could taste like anything, he playfully questions the very foundations of connoisseurship.”
—Publishers Weekly

 “[Wallace] offers a revealing look at the influx into the esoteric field of wine connoisseurship of major-player egos and big money, which created a tricky and rarified market similar to that for expensive art—and encouraged fakes in both…There's no denying the appeal of this enthrallingly mad and recondite subject.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A richly intriguing tale.”
—Library Journal

“It is the fine details--the bouquet, the body, the notes, the finish--that make this book such a lasting pleasure, to be savored and remembered long after the last page is turned. Ben Wallace has told a splendid story just wonderfully, his touch light and deft, his instinct pitch-perfect. Of all the marvelous legends of the wine trade, this curiously unforgettable saga most amply deserves the appellation: a classic.”
—Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman and A Crack in the Edge of the World

“The Billionaire’s Vinegar is the ultimate page-turner. Written with literary intelligence, it has a cast of characters like something out Fawlty Towers meets The Departed. It takes you into a subculture so deep and delicious, you can almost taste the wine that turns so many seemingly rational people into madmen. It is superb nonfiction.”
—Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights

 “I thoroughly enjoyed the book... fascinating...”
—Robert M. Parker, Jr. 

 “A great read... I think most readers will enjoy the detail and, like me, learn much from it... All in all this book is thoroughly recommended.”
—Jancis Robinson

About the Author

Benjamin Wallace is the New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire’s Vinegar. He has been a features writer at New York and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Three Rivers Press; First Edition (April 14, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 323 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0307338789
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0307338785
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.7 x 7.97 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,313 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Benjamin Wallace
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

BENJAMIN WALLACE is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Billionaire's Vinegar. He has been a features writer at New York magazine and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
1,313 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the story intriguing and entertaining. They appreciate the informative wine history and character development. However, some readers feel the book lacks depth and is too detailed for their tastes. There are mixed opinions on the writing quality - some find it well-written and easy to read, while others find it overly detailed and drawn-out.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

182 customers mention "Story quality"164 positive18 negative

Customers enjoy the book's story. They find the story intriguing, fascinating, and entertaining. The extensive research and storytelling are praised. Readers describe it as a compelling case that keeps them hooked until the end.

"...There is not a dull page in this book, even on re-readings, and even the more technical, science-y parts can be page-turners if your heart warms to..." Read more

"...for germanium, thermoluminescence, carbon, and lead, create a fascinating story of how the wine market has evolved to the present and the safeguards..." Read more

"...This is one of those wildly but subtly, well-written, fun books where you find yourself rooting for what might turn out to be the bad guy ...." Read more

"...I thought so, me too. Well this book is an entertaining tome about mega rich people behaving over the top about super rare wines that, in the grand..." Read more

51 customers mention "Wine history"49 positive2 negative

Customers find the book interesting and informative about wine history. They say it enhances their understanding of the business of fine wine, French wines, and Bordeaux wine industry. The narrative explores the history of wine growing, bottling, labeling, and great-named wines.

"...Well researched and filled with details about the wine industry, the book bears reading now, in light of recent decisions in the lawsuits brought..." Read more

"...And along with all this, there's lots of fine wine information for anyone who is as interested as I was, and am...." Read more

"This is a great education on wines and the world that loves them. If you read this you really will know a lot about wines in general...." Read more

"...Good look at Thomas Jefferson's penchant for record keeping, his interest in wine and a brief look into the thoroughness of the folks at Monticello..." Read more

33 customers mention "Education level"30 positive3 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-written. They appreciate the research and reputable resources used in the investigation. However, some readers found the science difficult to understand. The story is told as an investigative journalism piece with plenty of detail.

"...A wonderful read, every chapter vividly written, well-researched, and overflowing with what may be intriguing, quirky insights into the wine-buying..." Read more

"...Well researched and filled with details about the wine industry, the book bears reading now, in light of recent decisions in the lawsuits brought..." Read more

"...Quite a cocktail. Potentially dull as old nails, but the extensive research and excellent storytelling of the author delivers this eminently..." Read more

"...penchant for record keeping, his interest in wine and a brief look into the thoroughness of the folks at Monticello who document his legacy...." Read more

10 customers mention "Character development"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's character development. They appreciate the variety of personalities and the captivating story.

"...their amazing collections is covered extremely well, the main characters are developed to a point where you almost feel you know them personally...." Read more

"...participate in this high-end collectible game, and the diversity of personalities involved...." Read more

"...The characters were developed well and the whole story was told in a clear and concise manner...." Read more

"...Just a terrific, ripping yarn, full of amazing, vivid characters and beautiful prose...." Read more

47 customers mention "Writing quality"32 positive15 negative

Customers have different views on the writing quality. Some find it well-written and easy to read, like a novel. Others feel the book is too detailed, wordy, and specific for general readers.

"...A wonderful read, every chapter vividly written, well-researched, and overflowing with what may be intriguing, quirky insights into the wine-buying..." Read more

"This book promises so much and delivers almost all of it. The author is a great writer, and his prose pulls the reader into a totally immerse..." Read more

"I found this book overly detailed for the general reader...." Read more

"...This is one of those wildly but subtly, well-written, fun books where you find yourself rooting for what might turn out to be the bad guy ...." Read more

12 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find it well-written and engaging, with a clear style and an enticing view into the world of high-end wines. Others feel it's slow, boring, and takes a long time to get through sections. The book can be dry or tedious at times.

"...This is one of those wildly but subtly, well-written, fun books where you find yourself rooting for what might turn out to be the bad guy ...." Read more

"...Well written. Sometimes fascinating. Other times tedious and arid. And.... left readers utterly hanging. NO resolution...." Read more

"As a wine lover I found this a fast, and interesting, read ... Even if it did make me question the collecting of this beverage...." Read more

"...I was falling asleep reading it. Too detailed and takes forever to get through a section. Jumps around too much chronologically...." Read more

11 customers mention "Ease of follow"4 positive7 negative

Customers find the book easy to follow and comprehensible. They appreciate the clear, concise writing style. However, some readers find the discussion of wine fraud interesting but tedious. The technical aspects of individual wines slow down the book for them.

"...but I found the many descriptions of various wines and wineries to be very tedious. If you a wine enthusiast I'm sure you have a different opinion...." Read more

"...the way, Wallace makes the action (or in some cases, inaction) comprehensible and entertaining. Lots of reviews here, and most of them positive...." Read more

"It's a little technical on the individual wines kind of slows the book down...." Read more

"...At times it was hard to follow but I will purchase it for wine collector and wine enthusiast friends" Read more

18 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive18 negative

Customers find the book boring and lacking in suspense. They feel like they are reading a history class. The story lacks real suspense or plot, making it seem dull.

"...Quite a cocktail. Potentially dull as old nails, but the extensive research and excellent storytelling of the author delivers this eminently..." Read more

"...story would have made a great magazine article but was not meaty enough to be a book...." Read more

"...Instead, it's a sometimes interesting, often boring look at a group of boorish and foolish wine snobs...." Read more

"Started out okay, but it is somewhat boring unless you are a dedicated wine taster...." Read more

No index, useless notes, too much nuclear physics
3 out of 5 stars
No index, useless notes, too much nuclear physics
I'm downrating this otherwise fascinating book on a few counts:1) No index! For a semi-scholarly book with hundreds of names and other references (many of which are unfamiliar or complex, like royalty figures' names), it's practically criminal to have no way to look up items;2) Thirty pages of "Notes" but no way to know WHEN there will be a note--that is, you have to either check back and forth page-by-page to see if there's going to be a note on any particular item, or wait for the end of the chapter and see what sources he has selected to cite; there is also a bizarre cherry-picking of quotes he chooses to give citations for. E.g. there are 30 lines quoted from a Rod letter (pp 248-249) with no sourcing in the Notes;3) the book spends far too much time and space documenting excruciatingly abstruse descriptions of nuclear physics (or whatever) which ultimately proved inconclusive about the "Jefferson wines" and then spends a simple half-page on the real solution (the engraving tool, which, for those of us who had read the 2007 New Yorker article, already knew about). Since the entire book is a sort of mystery-thriller about whether Rod was a faker, it's understandable that Wallace doesn't reveal the giveaway upfront...but why not at least devote a proportionate effort to the actual tool of fakery and how Rod got away with it? So we've got 249 pages of whodunit and howdunit and "did anyone really do it"...and then a half-page of reveal.4) Wallace claims that Jefferson wrote a letter to the Seneca chief warning "how bad alcohol was for them" (pg. 72) -- but clearly HE HAS NOT READ THE LETTER! It took me 5 minutes of research to find the actual letter which tells quite a different story. When you get such a basic story wrong, it casts doubt on the other "facts" presented.5) Refers to Jefferson's supposed "imprecise language for communicating about wine" (p. 142) but uses all the typical imprecise "wine notes" of modern wine fanciers throughout ("round," "fruity," "some tobacco", "lemony palate" etc.) On a personal note, if there's one thing wine aficionados, fanciers, bottlers and expert tasters are known for, it's their flowery, imprecise wine "notes" -- the only thing missing in this book was "grapey."6) No photos. Of course this is not necessarily the author's fault but a book almost entirely about the look and feel of bottles really ought to have a photo section tipped in, if only to show the differences between a "magnum" and a Jeroboam7) Along the line of photos, there is a dazzling cover photo...but no photo credit whatsoever, and nothing to indicate whether this an un-retouched "actuality" depicting the Th.J bottle or something that has been artistically enhanced for book cover effect.If you've read this far it probably sounds like I hated the book. But in fact, it is a fascinating look at the grimy insides of the wine industry. It's just that it could be so much better with an index, footnotes, pictures and some fact-checking.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2013
    OK: so imagine that off Greece some amphorae are discovered in a 2,000 year old wreck. They are inscribed "Falernian" together with initials that could be those of the poet Horace. The discoverer is reticent about which divers made the find and where the wreck was located. He puts them up for auction at a most respectable British house. How much would you pay for one of these if you had apparently had more money than Croesus? Would you drink the stuff? Display it? How could you or anyone now living tell whether this liquid still tasted as the legendary Falernian should? What if---just what if---more amphorae surfaced? Lots more. How could you or even the experts assure this was the real deal or if it was faked?

    "The Billionaire's Vinegar" tells of the ingenious "discoverer" (Hardy Rodenstock)of a cache of fine label wines from the time of Thomas Jefferson, said to have been uncovered when a wall of an old cellar in Paris is breached. The bottles are labeled not only with the noble vintners (Margaux, Lafite Yquem) but also with the initials Th.J. engraved on the bottles.

    The story wraps itself around a legendary auctioneer (bicycle-riding Michael Broadbent of Christie's), an old wine hunter whose nose supposedly has sniffed and whose palate tasted more old wines than anyone else's. We meet the world of uber uber uber rich collectors whose cellars may include 30,000 bottles or more; the purveyors who may invite these luscious lucrative clients to elite vertical tastings the wines of which can go back 150 years or more. We learn charmingly about a tappet hen from the 1830s and more sinisterly about the growing suspicion that the curse of the Greeks and Romans-----falsifying wines---may have struck again and this time with prices stratospherically above (say $165,000 for a Th.J. bottle) what most of us might buy for a convivial evening.

    I recently bought my fourth copy of "The Billionaire's Vinegar" 'cause I keep giving it to buddies together with a bottle of quite drinkable wine in the $15 range. A wonderful read, every chapter vividly written, well-researched, and overflowing with what may be intriguing, quirky insights into the wine-buying lives of the wealthy, avaracious, and acquisitive----as well as the honor given to fine wines.

    One thinks of the lovely poem (See Odes and Epodes) in which Horace invites Maecenus to his farm where he will serve not the Chian or Falernian but Sabine wine, sealed by Horace's own hands and laid down quite a few counselships ago. After reading "The Billionaire's Vinegar," we now know by that, Horace probably means "guaranteed unadulterated."

    There is not a dull page in this book, even on re-readings, and even the more technical, science-y parts can be page-turners if your heart warms to off-beat stories, well-researched and well-told.

    A caution: If, however, reading about multi-billionaires getting taken interests you about as much as latest teen-star gossip or enrages you to march on Wall Street, I can not recommend this book.

    Otherwise, BIBENDUM!
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2013
    Could the bottle of Lafite, with the initials of Thomas Jefferson and dated 1787, awaiting auction at Christie's in London in 1987, possibly have been part of a newly discovered Nazi hoard? As Michael Broadbent, the head of the wine department of Christie's, prepared to auction off this bottle, the oldest authenticated bottle of red wine ever to come up for auction at Christie's, he knew that it would become the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold. Parts of the Old Marais district in Paris had recently been torn down, and some wondered if the bottle was found walled up in a basement. Others suggested that it had a Nazi history. Then again, Thomas Jefferson had sent hundreds of cases of wine home to Monticello when he left his job as Minister to France, and one of these cases may have been lost or stolen.

    Speculation was rife because of the age and importance of this bottle, not just for its qualities as wine but also because of its historical importance. The bottle had been consigned to Christie's by Hardy Rodenstock, a German wine collector who refused to say exactly where it had come from, revealing only that it was from a hidden cellar in an unidentified 18th century house in Paris. The cellar supposedly contained a hundred bottles, two dozen of which, all from 1784 - 1787, were engraved with the initials "Th.J." After a bidding war, Kip Forbes, son of publisher Malcolm Forbes, was declared the winner with a bid of $156,000.

    Questions began to arise about this bottle almost immediately. There was no evidence that Jefferson had ever purchased a 1787 Lafite, and in fact, Jefferson had recorded the purchase of only two of the four wines that Rodenstock had found. The engraving style on the auctioned bottle had never before been used by Jefferson, and all the other Rodenstock wines had exactly the same engraving style. "It seemed odd [too] that whoever first found the bottles would not have shopped them to the highest bidder, instead of automatically selling to Rodenstock." As several more of the Jefferson bottles came up for auction over the next couple of years, each one setting a new record, questions continued to arise about the bottles themselves, the amount of evaporation, and ultimately, even the instruments used to engrave the bottles. Unusually, at every tasting Rodenstock sponsored, his men secured the corks and sealing wax after the bottles were opened, and no one had access to them for testing purposes.

    In the second half of the book, author Benjamin Wallace takes the reader from 1987 to the present, detailing the new techniques which can now be used (and were later used on the Jefferson bottles) to date bottles, wine, sediments, engraving, wax, and corks. High tech labs, with experts on everything from tests for germanium, thermoluminescence, carbon, and lead, create a fascinating story of how the wine market has evolved to the present and the safeguards now in place to prevent fraud of this nature. Benjamin Wallace keeps the excitement high as he details the search for information about the Jefferson wines and the eventual outcome regarding their "rightness." Well researched and filled with details about the wine industry, the book bears reading now, in light of recent decisions in the lawsuits brought by William Koch and the auctioneer, Michael Broadbent.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2011
    This book promises so much and delivers almost all of it. The author is a great writer, and his prose pulls the reader into a totally immerse experience. Unfortunately after being totally absorbed for 90% of the book, the reader is left with an ending but no conclusion. It almost feels as if the author just gave up on the book, wrote a few pages as a concluding chapter, left it there and went off for tea. I found it incredibly frustrating that the book was not tied up at the end and I found myself checking to see if I had missed something, or if the Kindle had somehow not downloaded the whole book. The culture of ultra-rich wine connoisseurs and their amazing collections is covered extremely well, the main characters are developed to a point where you almost feel you know them personally. Oenophiles will love this book, but even those with a casual interest in wine will find it absorbing. I do though eventually look forward to this book being "completed" as the ending lets the book down to such a degree that it goes from 5 stars to three.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2025
    Fantastic book
  • Jacqueline younes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Entrega
    Reviewed in Spain on March 27, 2021
    Entrega muy rapida
    Todo perfecto
    Gracias
  • Inclusivity
    5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading.
    Reviewed in Australia on January 8, 2025
    After finishing reading this book, my faith in any so-called trained sommeliers has been totally annihilated. Even industry stalwarts, like Jancis Robinson, disappoint. Do I recommend this book?j Absolutely. But if you have ever considered trusting another's judgement over your own on what or what not to buy (in terms of actual taste), think again. And if you have toyed with the idea of becoming an investor of wines...don't, is the short answer. Quite a book, and yet the whole system (fraudulent as it may be), continues unabated. Fascinating.
  • Monika Goerigk - Schönleber
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ein hervorragendes Geschenk für Weinliebhaber!
    Reviewed in Germany on November 29, 2013
    Super toll geschrieben und sehr mitreißend, dass es schwer fiel das Buch zur Seite zu legen.
    Ich kann dieses Buch jedem Weinliebhaber wärmstens empfehlen, auch in deutscher Sprache.
    Zum Wohl!
  • Cassidy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just a really good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2013
    I was interested in this book due to recent news about wine fraud. I work in the wine industry, but think this is sufficiently well written and explanatory that those with little or no wine knowledge should find it easy to understand and a really enjoyable read. Thought it might be a little dry, but there's enough 'plot' to keep it interesting.