Customer Rating:  
Summary: Not the real essence of life in Toscana
Comment: After enjoying Sig. Mate's first book , I was quite delighted to see the new one. However I must say it was disappointing, to say the least. He has become the Frances Mayes of Montalcino! Although he did recognize the many people who came to his aid for the house and vineyard, I really grew bored hearing about the Banfi and Gaja and all the people who really aren't the norm in Toscana.
And everything so perfect. From the porcini in the forest to the century old resources for his home. Che noioso!
I am happy for the success of the wine but with his circumstances including location and wealth, who couldn't have done it!
Perhaps someday he will find the real essence of Tuscany and see how we really enjoy our lives and our friends and family.
Customer Rating:
Summary: fun read but not more
Comment: 5 stars here--are you kidding me? he's definitely a guy you'd like and want to have bruschetta and brunello with. and his story is charming but be realistic. this book is written in a very simplistic way and the beauty of tuscany cannot be captured with this "prose". and details, details, details....somehow he has the finances to restore this vineyard while apparently not working and still having his son in a private school in Rome, hours away? c'mon. you've lost most of the details and have settled for a lot of the embellishments. kudos to ferenc for his superb achievements and i did enjoy reading it but at the 2 star level. it was not a wasted effort but it was mediocre mostly due to the storytelling. frances mayes story of the agonies and ecstasies of her tuscan adventure was an infinitely better read---detail and prose wise. it's a fun read. it is not a 5 star read. no way.
Customer Rating:
Summary: In vino veritas
Comment: In wine there is truth, or at least in this case, wisdom and a beautifully written book. I have been a fan of Mr. Mate's writing for many years and this book does not disappoint. Written in a similar style to The Hills of Tuscany, Mr. Mate brings the reader along on his quest to restore a dilapidated friary and establish a vineyard of his own. Equal parts insight, humor (the tractor driving experiment) and adventure; Mr. Mate has once again blended a perfect read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: PARADISE REGAINED
Comment: I read the "criticisms" on this board and do not share them. This was not intended as a treatise on vine growing and wine making but a deeply personal account of one family's quest for achieving a dream -- told with wonderful writing style, transporting the reader into the magical and unique world of discovery, illumination, and appreciation of one of God's gifts -- Tuscany. Try to imagine yourself getting "tips" from Gaja; rubbing elbows in the rich soil of this region with the Conterno's and Banfi's; re-discovering the special beauties that the Etruscans built and the centuries hid from plain sight. This book is not a "how-to" dissertation; rather, it is a nearly mystical rendition of unearthing (literally) a treasure nearly lost to us, and a saga full of fun. Talk about being "transported"; Mr. Mate takes the reader on a "magical mystery tour" of his and his family's sheer delight -- and terribly hard work -- in bringing back to life a thoroughly delicious slice of creation -- God's and man's. Even if you're one who puts ice cubes in your Syrah, don't pass this up.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Depends on your expectation
Comment: Based on the other reviews, I had high hopes for this book; I expected a more thorough story of his experience starting his own vineyard, people he had interacted with and the "terrior" of his vineyard embedded with light-hearted anecdotes. Instead, I found the details lacking. Little time is spent on the characters who appeared in the book, the restoration of the estate, planting and cultivating of the vineyard, wine-making decisions, and his (and his family's) tie to the place. The fact that this book is written in many short chapters averaging less than 10 pages each should have been the first sign. I do not doubt that Mr. Mate will be an interesting guy to have a drink with, and I am sure that he has many interesting stories to tell. But after reading this book, I get a feeling that this is a tale of a wealthy individual (despite his repetitive mentioning of being/getting poor as a result of this endeavor) who spent his way to have people make great wines from a land he has purchased. While this statement may not do him justice, and perhaps that is what this book is meant to be, but more on the people, more on the place, more on his (or the wine maker/consultant's) philosophy of how to cultivate the land and make a great wine will greatly improve the book.
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