The English Winemaker eBook Douglas Thornblom
Download As PDF : The English Winemaker eBook Douglas Thornblom 
The English Winemaker is an entertaining historical novella for anyone who loves a good story along with a glass of good wine. It is a well-told tale of the resurgence in winemaking that occurred in England in the beginning of the 19th century, when life was harder, but also slower and more serene.
In the late 18th century, a young man from a small village in southern England came across some wild grapes in his wanderings. James Walker began tending a small patch of the overgrown vineyard that, unbeknownst to him, dated back to Roman times. He began to experiment with making wine from the grapes he picked. After initial failures, he succeeded in producing a drinkable wine, and winemaking soon became his passion.
The land on which the formerly wild vineyard sat was bought by a retired English businessman, Edward Hartsdale, who built a modest home on the property. After Hartsdale moved onto the estate, Walker approached Hartsdale with a proposition if he were allowed to continue cultivating the vineyard on Hartsdale’s property, he would share the wines he made with the owner.
Thus began a lifelong friendship for Walker and two generations of Hartsdales, as the vineyard grew over the years and Walker’s wines became even better, and gained a growing reputation in the region and in London.
Step back in time a few centuries to Sussex, England, and enjoy a very entertaining story.
The English Winemaker eBook Douglas Thornblom
Good info but no plot. Choppy transitions and written in a way that is more like a chronology than a novel.Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The English Winemaker eBook: Douglas Thornblom: Kindle Store,ebook,Douglas Thornblom,The English Winemaker,Douglas Thornblom,Fiction Cultural Heritage,Fiction Historical
People also read other books :
- The Fear Cure Cultivating Courage as Medicine for the Body Mind and Soul (Audible Audio Edition) Lissa Rankin MD Jenn Morris Hay House Books
- The Skeleton Key A Short Story Exclusive Sigma Force Series edition by James Rollins Literature Fiction eBooks
- The Child of Egypt A True Story of Magic Revenge Revolution and the Last European Sorcerer eBook Jason Underhill
- Tell Me the Number before Infinity The Story of a Girl with a Quirky Mind an Eccentric Family and Oh Yes a Disability edition by Becky Taylor Dena Taylor Politics Social Sciences eBooks
- The national cook book Martha Read 9781176871533 Books
The English Winemaker eBook Douglas Thornblom Reviews
A great read- beautiful combination of learning about the era and following a family's journey through life.
Review of The English Winemaker
By Douglas Thornblom USMA 1966
This is the story of a portion of the history of the Hartsdale family and their vineyard and winemaking operation, told by an accomplished storyteller in an excellent, easy to read very highly recommended book.
The winemaking tradition was introduced to England by the Romans when they invaded and occupied that territory in the middle of the first century, naming the new provenance Britannia.
Loving wine, the Romans determined that it was much easier and cheaper to grow their own grapes and process them into wine in the warmer climes of southern England than it was to import the finished product from afar.
Later, some two centuries ago, English vineyards began a resurgence in southern England in Sussex near London, in the nineteenth century; this is the story of one of those vineyards and the family, the people who ran it, and those who helped.
Edward Hartsdale had gone through much; he had purchased a small vineyard, which came with a young man by the name of James Walker. Walker initially experimented with grapes, the results being horrible, but he kept up his efforts, and eventually produced some excellent wines.
Walker and Hartsdale reached an initial agreement that permitted Walker, by then hired by Hartsdale, to continue to tend the small vineyard, and to expand it. The agreement worked out well and in the following years the winery expanded and the wines grew in quality.
Edward Hartsdale built a new house on the estate, with some outlying buildings, one of which, after some time Edward invited Walker and his wife and son to move into. The three-bedroom cottage suited the Walkers well, and it came with an offer of full time employment. Edward also hired a laborer help take care of the vineyard. The vineyard grew to eight times the original size of the initial plot of ground.
Over time Edward’s two children went to London to live with their uncle and continue their education as the winemaking operation and the associated buildings continued to expand, in fact as his operations and quality of product grew in the local village, Hartsdale began to supply a small shop in London.
In the winter of 1810 Edward came down with a case of Cholera and was so ill that his son George stopped his education and came home to care for his father. When Edward got better George returned to Cambridge, graduating in 1812, and entered what is now Sandhurst, graduating in 1813 as a Lieutenant of Cavalry and assigned to Kent.
George was wounded in the battle of Waterloo, and during his long recuperation at home became the best of friends with Walker, as he gradually took over management of the estate and operations from his weakened father.
In June 1817, at the age of 68, Edward Hartsdale died, and George had to settle his estate, run the business and stave off loneliness. Attempting to join society again, George met and eventually married the local Minister’s daughter, Rebecca. Over the years, George and Rebecca had two daughters, Charlotte, and Samantha.
The estate was not self-sufficient, but due to the investments that George had entrusted to his brother-in-law John, the estate was able to run without touching the principle, until the downturn of the British financial system in 1825, which caused George to sell off most of his livestock, and let most of his staff go and bring his two daughters back into the household. This also meant that George and James had to work the fields to keep the vineyards viable.
This lasted until 1828, when the weather helped the estate produce a bumper, quality crop that sold well, permitting George to hire a hard working helping hand named Richard. The vineyard and its ancillary operations prospered for several more years until James died in his sleep one night.
George did not have the depth of knowledge requisite to be a good wine maker and eventually sold the estate, moved to London and bought the small wine shop that he had been supplying for so many years; George and Rebecca enjoyed their retirement.
The reviewer, Thomas W. Leo, CPP, is a Graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
The book is available on 2017
First, let me say, I am not a wine person AT ALL (I actually have an allergic reaction to most wines, so I don't drink it). But, I really enjoyed the book. It was a very quick, easy read. I could follow the story line very well and learned a bit, too. Sad in places, but not to the point that I would cry, just realize that is the way of life. I recommend this book whether you are a wine lover or not.
Good info but no plot. Choppy transitions and written in a way that is more like a chronology than a novel.
0 Response to "≡ Read Gratis The English Winemaker eBook Douglas Thornblom"
Post a Comment