By Matthew Gaughan and Julian Hanna
wine notes scribbled in the margins of our books
Guy de Maupassant, through his short stories and his novels, painted a picture of Parisian life in the late nineteenth century - reflecting a decadence he lived which led to his early death.
Charles Dickens was the classic chronicler of nineteenth-century London - and those chronicles of course include the drinking habits of Londoners and beyond. Learn about the sherry cobbler and a host of other drinks Dickens featured in his works.
Best known for his children’s books, Roald Dahl also wrote fiction for adults. A key wine drinker, two typically quirky short stories revolve around wine—“Taste” and “The Butler.”
A. J. Liebling was an American writer in love with the old, nineteenth-century Europe, especially the food and wine of France. His book, “Between Wars,” is a lavish ode to the gluttonous meals he enjoyed in early twentieth-century France, an age of fine dining long replaced by healthy diets.
Sybille Bedford was an acclaimed twentieth-century writer, whose fiction, memoirs, and travel books were written in an elliptical manner exploring past and present.
Wit and satirist, Ambrose Bierce was responsible for The Devil's Dictionary, a compendium of humorous definitions featuring attacks on prohibitionists and wine producers alike.