Reflections of a Wine Merchant: On a Lifetime in the Vineyards and Cellars of France and Italy

In the late 1970's, Neal I. Rosenthal set out to learn everything he could about wine. Today he is one of the most successful importers of traditionally made wines produced by small family owned estates in France and Italy.

Rosenthal has immersed himself in the culture of Old World wine production, working closely with his growers for two and sometimes three generations. He is one of the leading exponents of the of "terroir", the notion that a particular vineyard site imparts distinct qualities of bouquet, flavour, and colour to a wine.

In Reflections Of A Wine Merchant, Rosenthal brings us into the cellars, vineyards, and homes of these vignerons, and his delightful stories about his encounters, relationships, and explorations, and what he has learned along the way give us an unequalled perspective on winemaking traditions and what threatens it today.

Rosenthal was featured in the documentary film Mondovino and is one of the more outspoken figures against globalization, homogenization, and the "critic-ization" of the wine business.