Book Review: "First Big Crush" by Eric Arnold

Cellar Rats (ITB)
1

Just finished this book, and enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a 6 day purchase-to-back-cover window for me, which is pretty quick these days since I’m working a lot more and have three infant children. For comparison, I have three other books going right now: Warren Buffet’s bio (going on 3 months and maybe 1/2-way), Atlas Shrugged (going on more like 6 months and also halfway), and a book about the history of the city of Napa (about a month and 1/4 through).

The premise is this: Eric decides to go to NZ and work at Allan Scott as a complete greenhorn (sounds like beyond green to me) and write a book about it. He winds up staying for about a year so he gets to experience the entire cycle.

If you’ve never experienced the NZ wine business, here’s what you need to know: They take extreme pride in operating on the thinest possible margins in every respect - capacity, tank space, labor, etc: there are maybe 1 or 2 showy wineries (I worked at one of them). They are very macho and take great pride in being able to go to the bar and tell the guy next to them that they worked more hours than him, so the hours are always long. They are pretty tough dudes in general, but even tougher gals. They drink a lot…like crazy amounts. They cuss a lot…and certain words are not off limits like they are in the US (specifically “c-nt”, which is used every 5th word during crush).

Eric learns a lot about making wine and growing grapes, and how unglamorous it really is. There is a nice little row about the Air NZ Wine Competition and its judges, which is somewhat apropos for the discussions about critics that are currently taking place. He gets drunk…often. He does a Dateline-style expose on some local labor contractors trying to expose them, but winds up sort of liking the guy he works for. He gets to know the personalities behind the wines and conducts a lot of interviews.

He also learns two of my favorite personality consistencies across all wine regions:

  1. Ask ten winemakers the same question, you’ll get 12 different opinions. And they’ll all have a short quip to back up their assertion, justifying the way they do things as the best. Doesn’t matter what the subject is: picking times, maceration, adding acid, deacidifying, adding water, filtering, adding yeast, thinning crop, pulling leaves, organic, biodynamics, etc.
  2. A lot of stuff exists and happens in wineries, but it’s only ever done by the “other guy”. Much as the most dangerous thing one can do is “standing on the corner minding my own business”.

All in all, a good read. If you are in the biz, you’ll get annoyed at some minor mistakes Eric makes about while describing the tools and how they relate to the process, but they’re nitpicky. If you’re not in the biz, you’ll get a great idea of what harvest is like, although most of us don’t do quite as much public urinating, vomiting, & falling over as Eric describes. You’ll also get some good discussions of some interesting debates inside our business and Eric does a good job of getting it from all sides.

Perhaps my only gripe is the similies…the first ten or so are pretty funny, but eventually the little quips get tiresome. And they all sound like they’re written by a frat boy 2 years out of school: the mechanical harvester takes grapes off the vine “like a drunken sailor ripping the dress off a $2 whore”.

All in all, a fun book and an easy read. Brought back a lot of memories for me, not all of which made me proud…but, hey, what happens on a little spit of land in the middle of the Tasman Sea stays there, right?

2

Absolutely!

I guess i will have to read this but I feel this may be the first book that I might get half way through and realize I could have written.

3

What about this one?

4

OK so there are two books out there!

5

I enjoyed the book, too! Although I did find it hard to get past the first 20 pages–once I settled into the concept that it was going to be offensively funny, I got comfortable with it and ended up really enjoying it, even reviewed it for our customers on the winery blog. Review here.
Eric did a stint as an editor at Wine Spectator after the book was published, but is now the lifestyle editor at Forbes. There’s also a Q&A with him on the old Cellar Rats board that some readers might enjoy.

[cheers.gif]

6

So, Mary, being a writer yourself, are the little quips I mention (you can use the mechanical harvester one as an example) similies or analogies? I was talking about the book with our VM and he says analogies. However, he’s a total tool. There’s $10 and a case of Coors riding on this, so don’t let me down.

The layman’s definition of a similie as I always understood it was “using the words to compare two unalike things”. I think a mechanical harvester and a sailor qualify.

I can kind of see the A is to B as C is to D analogy argument, but there’s $5 in it for you if you don’t.

7

[dance2.gif]

Actually, you are BOTH right–but you are closer to the mark. Analogy is a pretty broad term covering just about any kind of comparing or contrasting scenario, and it’s used more frequently in business and science applications. A simile is a specific type of literary comparison that points out creative similarities in objects normally perceived to be dissimilar. So yes, saying the harvest rips the fruit off like a sailor ripping off a dress, is def, no argument, a simile.

I’ll waive the $5 in exchange for you posting a photo of trying to change 3 diapers at once. [haha.gif]

8

Tough shit – beat you to the punch :smiley:

9

Nate: Thanks for your thoughtful review, and I’m glad I was able to help bring back some memories for you, good and bad alike.

Interestingly, my use of South Park-like descriptions is probably the thing I get criticized for most. I don’t mind, of course, but what I find fascinating about it is that about half the time people say it got to be a bit too much, and the other half the time I hear that, while it was bothersome, it eventually wore off. To some degree, both responses, in my opinion are the right ones.

On the first reaction, my general response is, “If it annoyed you, good, because that’s just the way people spoke and acted there. It made me uncomfortable, so I wanted the reader to be uncomfortable with it as well.” Why? Well, the main reason is that for all the disgust and silliness, what these people do every day is truly extraordinary. I wanted it to be plain as day that you can be somewhat immature and weave the subject of bodily functions and fluids into every conversation, and still make some of the best wine in the world. If I had portrayed the people there as anything else and not adopted their voice, I felt I’d be doing them a disservice.

On the second reaction, I like to point out that the F-word usage and general immaturity both tend to wear off as the book goes on. I don’t think this was intentional; it just sort of happened. As I matured throughout the year, so did the writing, which is something I’m pretty proud of. Which I guess means that my next book will be exceptionally bland!

Hindsight being 20-20, would I change some of the first few pages? Maybe, maybe not. Tough call, especially when sober, as I am right now. But in general, people who visit or work in NZ and read the book before departure, wind up telling me that I conveyed the people and the experience about as accurately as anyone could have. Could be BS, but I don’t think these people have any reason to kiss my bee-hind. That said, I’m curious to hear more about your experiences in NZ: What were they like? Who did you work with there? Is the Cork & Keg not one of the greatest pubs on the planet?

Cheers,
eric

10

i have this book on my “wine pile” mostly b/c i like The Pour. now that i know there is risque language i am moving it to the top of said pile!

11

Smart man! That’s the only reason I ever got HBO…

12

Eric-

My quibbles were minor. Just putting on my critic hat for the day. And, yes, it sounds like the way our conversations went there (and back here, depending on whom I’m hanging out with - should have seen the bachelor party I was at a few weeks ago). I enjoyed the book a lot and flew through it. Probably because it sounded so much like my experience.

I wouldn’t look back on changing it. It made me laugh. It was almost like the punchline you’re always waiting for with a stand-up routine. And it accurately reflects the experiences of most whom I have known who worked there (and in our generation - I’m 30 - a LOT of the people in the business have spent time there). I had to point out the crass nature of them, though. Although I’ve heard and said much crasser, probably, I’ve never published them.

As you say, it sheds light on the fact that people who do this for a living are normal. We have fun, we do stupid things. We bust our ass all day during the season and, at least in a foreign country with nobody we’ve known more than 3 weeks, we play hard too.

I worked for Sacred Hill and Craggy Range in 2003. Never been to the Cork & Keg…as I recall, the Gin Trap in Napier and Diva (?) in Havelock were our haunts, as well as some Irish pub whose name I completely forget. I have been to the Navajo bar, though…and seen the Red Devils in action on the pitch during my post-crush travels.

13

Yeah, You and David Joachim will always have that on me. [suicide.gif]

The cork & keg was great! I think that fireplace and the scotch selection was the only reason i didn’t catch pneumonia that winter.

14

Well, better David Joachim than Tucker Max…

The Cork & Keg has seen a bit of a transformation in the past few years. Bill doesn’t own it anymore, they put in a TV, sealed over the outdoor area so it now has a patio. So better in some ways, worse in others. Still a great bar, though, and it’s like the UN during harvest season since there are so many winemakers from different parts of the world all warming up there by the fireplace.

What winery did you work at there?

15

I worked for Vavasour in the Awetere for a spell and Clos Henri. Sounds like the cork & keg has changed. Still miles ahead of paddy barrys, copper bock, and goats dont shave.

16

Eric:

Are you still out there? Saw this today:

http://www.decanter.com/news/news.php?id=290046" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very cool. I would love to see this when it comes out…perhaps a showing in wine country would be appropriate.

We are in the presence of greatness, Cellar Rats. A bonafide Hollywood star…Dan Brown, watch out!!

17

All true! I would say you’re in the presence of drunkenness more than greatness, but whatever you think is fine with me.

I really hope these guys are able to pull it off. I actually think they have the right vision to do the book justice.