Rare Wine Co preoffering Masnaghetti's new Chianti book

Alessandro Masnaghetti, he of the famous 2-tome Barolo books and the Barolo vineyards website, is going to publish a Chianti book focused on terroirs early next year (a good thing since apart from some discussions here on WB one rarely hears or sees any discussion of vineyards in Chianti).

Rare Wine Co has it on presale until August 15. The discount isn’t great but it’s likely the only one we’re gonna get.

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Bit of a thread drift, but are Rare Wine Co prices generally on the higher side for wines? I was looking at their list and some seemed bit steep. Just curious what the general opinions on the board are as to their wine pricings.

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Got my book. Didn’t realize it was printed in both English and Italian side-by-side. A bit annoying to read and certainly was not disclosed in the pre-sale.

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Yeah that was surprising. Not sure if the Barolo book is the same. I don’t find it so annoying in terms of having the Italian there (because if the translation is off I might be able to tease out something from the Italian), but it probably adds significant weight to an already heavy book, or maybe that’s why the font is so tiny (but that could just be me getting old).

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That’s my impression generally too. But I also think they import Huet (IIRC) and that’s fairly priced. So it might vary.

From the copy:

In total there are nearly 500 pages, with approximately 180 maps

Well when half of the text is in another language, the page count is certainly misleading. It’s a beautiful book but I’m not loving the format. I felt this should have been disclosed.

For reference, an similar in-depth book on Bordeaux:
https://www.sothebyswine.com/ny/shop/inside-bordeaux/

Glad that you guys finally got the books. Personally I have no issue with the split language (I believe the Barolo books were the same but switched order).

It is probably one of the “heaviest” wine books in the sense that it’s incredibly much to take in, dense as AM is not one to waist words in that what he writes pack a lot of meaning. The amount of knowledge that has gone in to the book is quite something…

Don’t know if others agree but at least to me, through his books he has transcended wine writing, is beyond notes and scores, influencing everyone from wineries, critics, consumers and passing on an incredible wealth of knowledge.

I think there are few in wine writing who will leave a more lasting legacy, and I’m happy to see that he keeps on being very curious and working on new projects. Curiosity seems to be in the blood of nuclear scientists.

A side track (thinking about leaving a legacy) - wish Levi Dalton had the possibility/will to keep going as his extremely well researched long format interviews will also last through time and carry a lot of profound wine related insights.

Did you notice that the spine label was printed upsidedown?

Upside down, or so you have to read it with your head cocked to the left? British publishers (and I think some Continental publishers) used to print spines to be read that way – the opposite of the American convention. My more recent British-published books have American-style spines, so you turn your head to the right to read them.

I do note that my first edition Barolo MGA spine is American style, though.

When it’s sitting on a table, cover up, the spine text is upsidedown.

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Not wrong or upside down – just a different convention that was, I believe, the norm for British and European publishers until the last 25 years or so. There’s no a priori reason that spines have to read in the direction that we’re used to.

Here are examples from English, German, French and Italian publishers.


publishers.

I realize there is no actual “rule”, but IMO, it’s poor design to not have it read right-side-up when placed on a table. Especially a book that looks so damn good on a table.

That’s just because you’re not used to seeing books published in Europe!

I won’t ask what you think of the English and Irish driving on the left. :grin:

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I’ll admit using “upsidedown” was not the correct way to phrase it. However, this specific book, which is much a “coffee table book”, should have utilized top-down to allow it to be read when placed on a table. Given that there is no standard rule, the publisher should have opted for that IMO.

A comment from a discussion on the matter echoes my thoughts:

If the spines are printed top to bottom then they are easy to read when stacked on a table or when in a bookcase. If they are printed bottom to top then then they are marginally easier to read when on the bookcase but much harder to read when stacked flat. The argument that a book laying flat exposes the cover only works for the top book an I rarely have only one book out.

Top to bottom therefore makes more sense to me but in the grand scheme of things this is pretty far down the list of concerns!

I guess it depends on which way you like to tilt your head. If I have to tilt left I don’t even want the book in my house. My glasses fall off and everything. So I’m glad to get the inside info on this one.

I buy fairly regularly from Rare Wine Co. There prices are mostly competitive, but I mainly enjoy how their offers are curated - very informative about the producer and how the particular wine fits into the broader context of the appellation/style. I’ve come by some older vintages that I don’t see available elsewhere (e.g., a 2007 Chianti at a very affordable price) that are drinking well and condition has never been an issue. I pay attention when I receive their offers (amid so many that I receive) because they are so thoughtful. Super customer service, too.

Related:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2023/03/getting-to-grips-with-chianti-classico

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