LET'S OPEN A BOTTLE: MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE SPANISH WINE REVOLUTION takes readers to Spain along with the English teacher/author, who considers the Spanish wine revolution. Murdock is an expatriate living in Madrid the past fifteen years: his background lends to a blend of memoir and travelogue which brings readers into the heart of Spanish wine country politics and winemaking tradition. Travel tips include listings of regional wineries, specialties, and recommendations for destination-bound wine fans. A wonderful, detail-packed read for any interested in Spanish wines and wine region history.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

I approached this book with few expectations given the lack of many quality resources devoted solely to Spanish wines. For starters, this book was written by a U.S. expatriate who, surprise, teaches English but has grown to love Spain and its people and culture and stayed in the country. Finally, the author is no expert on wine and this book was published by his brother whose publishing firm boasts one title in its catalogue - this one - and to make matters worse the print was really small. Was I in for another pompous account of a "smarter-than-thou" American in Europe with wine snobbery to boot?

Fortunately, the answer is a resounding no. The journey this book takes the reader on is very pleasant and enjoyable. You hear much about the "exciting developments" in the Spanish wine industry from all sources especially the Wine Spectator (their critics are very big fans). Well, this book gives you an inside look at the changes taking place in the various regions and allows the reader to get to know some of the players.

Far from being pompous, Mr. Murdock's style is self-effacing and he is honest about his level of expertise. The book's tone is not unlike the "Don't Know Much About .." series. It is filled with nice historical anecdotes and you feel like you are having a conversation with an old friend. His attempts at being witty almost always brought a smile or a chuckle. That being said, you should not expect to get in-depth discussions about the wines themselves. "Fruity", "light" or "strong" are about as deep as the superlatives go. However, Mr. Murdock is passionate about Spain and learning about its wines. He is very well read, has met many people in the industry (if perhaps many times on a very cursory level) and, best of all, he drinks Spanish wines with Spanish friends and family on every occasion probably every day I would guess. That's reason enough for me.

I think this book is the perfect companion to John Radford's "The New Spain: A Complete Guide to Contemporary Spanish Wines." Radford's guide is my primary resource though it too is weak in describing the wines themselves. If Mr. Radford's guide provides the outline of the regions and wineries, Mr. Murdocks's book fills it with people, with color, with sounds and with smells. Mr. Murdock helps to "place a face with the name" even if you haven't been there or tasted the wines yourself .. not yet anyway.

Mr. Murdock has a talent for writing and is, by vocation, a teacher. His ability to communicate and, in this case teach the reader, is well worth the purchase price. If you are interested in learning more about Spain and it's wine culture you will not be disappointed. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Murdock and encourage him to refer to himself unabashedly as an expert in the future. As a Spanish wine fan, one can only help but cheer on those spearheading the improvements. Rather than just talking about the potential we will talking about the results. One thing is for certain, as a result of this transition and developing phase, we will be enjoying more great Spanish wines in the future and that is a beautiful thing indeed.

Books on Spanish wine are difficult to find, good books on Spanish wine are rare and books such as Brian Murdock's are unique. Not only is it up-to-date and thorough but it blends a current knowledge of the Spanish wine industry with insights into Spain's history and culture. Robert Parker (aka God), the world's leading wine critic, has said of Spanish wine that,"Spain has done an outstanding job of maintaining respect for its traditions of the past and also looking forward to the future." This wine revolution is perfectly captured in Murdock's book.
However, this is not just a (well above) average reference book on Spanish wine regions and their wines. This book is far more. It is a personal journey, literally, among the highways and byways- most Spanish wineries are on byways- where the author talks to a wide cross-section of individuals involved in wine-making. This allows the reader to hear the voices of those actually making the wide variety of quality wines which Spain is now producing.
In this personal account the author's acute perceptions, deep knowledge, wit and sheer passiopn of and for Spanish wines burns through. At the end of this excellent read Murdock modestly states that he is no 'expert' but '...after a helluvah lot of work, I also should know what I am talking about.' Indeed he does.
As a wine merchant based in Spain and having visited many of the same places and tasted the same wines as the author I can bear witness to its accuracy and insight. This first-class book will appeal not only to all those who wish to explore Spanish wines but also ita charming people and rich culture.