Grail, The: A year ambling & shambling through an Oregon vineyard in pursuit of the best pinot noir wine in the whole wild world

A charming, clever and interesting rendition of visits to the Lange winery in Oregon by one of Oregon's finest writers: Brian Doyle. Highly recommended.

Being a Brian Doyle fan AND a fan of pinot noir made selecting and reading The Grail an easy choice. So...I learned a lot about wine, specifically pinot and I learned it in a way that made me smile all the while I was reading. Brian Doyle's zest for everything is so apparent in this year of adventuring in Lange Vineyards. The book is written with love and grace and joy. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt like I was "ambling" with this wonderful author.

Love this book ... Brian Doyle is a wonderful writer.

First let me tell you that I am a friend with the author, however, I found this book to be one of his best. Doyle must have inherited the Irish tradition of story telling from his parents. I enjoy his writing style and the ability for him to celebrate the miniscule is wonderful. The undercurrent of Christian spirituality is evident in the stories that he tells. Did he really find the best wine in the world? I would recommend this book as a great late summer read for those that are tired of the usual summer dregs.

Doyle's writing is unique and makes the reader guess if you are having a conversation with him or are in his head and catching his rambling thoughts. Very enjoyable, easy to read and entertaining. If you really pay attention instead of getting lost in the fantasy, there is great information on the life of a vintner family and the joys of wine. The Langes should keep him in wine for life as I can't wait to go buy one of my old favorites that I no longer have in my cellar. Great book!

If you happen to know or are friends with anyone in the wine industry, this is a wonderfully readable and insightful look behind the scenes that will help you finally understand those folks. And better yet, the story is woven around a real winery, which means you can go out, find one of their bottles, and have a nice dinner in honor of the winery, the author, and yourself for taking the literary journey. All great stuff... Cheers!

Did not care for the author’s rambling writing style at all! So much so that I could not finish this book even though I’m a HUGE fan of Lange winery. The full page run-on sentences and missing punctuation is highly distracting. I agree with a previous reviewer that this novel would have greatly benefited from using an editor.

The story of a year at a vineyard is a wonderful description that can serve as an analogy for many products and companies. The book makes a wonderful gift for a family business owner, especially when paired with a Pinot from the Lange Vineyard featured in the book.