Uncorked

April 2, 2012
After years as a professional designer, Pasanella applied his skill in crafting life spaces and focusing on critical details to a new venture when he opened Pasanella and Son Vintners in New York City’s South Street Seaport in 2005. Pasanella tells of the challenges he faced in transforming his unorthodox whim into a solid business. Overflowing with stories of local downtown Manhattan history and politics intermingled with charming recollections of the author’s time in Italy, his narrative is far more than a retrospective on building a wine shop business, which should appeal to anyone interested in the history and personality of New York, regardless of their opinion on wine or retail. Of course, Pasanella doesn’t leave out the wine, explaining how some learn to identify winemaker and year from a blind tasting and how he commissioned and designed his own custom wines from organically farmed grapes. Pasanella captures his characters beautifully, though his frustration with one former employee comes through so clearly as to be uncomfortable for the reader. In the end, Pasanella conveys the real work behind making pipe dreams come true. Agent: David Kuhn.

April 1, 2012
An absorbing look at establishing and managing a wine shop through many difficulties, including the financial downturn. Pasanella (Living in Style without Losing Your Mind, 2000) chronicles his adventures owning and operating a wine shop in a historic New York City waterfront building. His goal was to create a store that was "informed, but relaxed," and his memoir showcases the same characteristics. Full of informative tidbits about wine, it never comes across as pretentious; the book is completely accessible to those new to the vast world of wine, yet entertains equally well for the seasoned expert. Pasanella also reveals the inner workings of a wine shop, complete with eccentric wine reps and the politics of distribution. He focuses on every aspect of running his store, from run-ins with the State Liquor Authority to more mundane yet equally interesting elements of any small business, such as dealing with a difficult employee. Eventually Pasanella was able to rise above the everyday aspects of his business and embark on an entirely new venture: selling his own, store-brand wine. This adds another layer to the engaging, lucid narrative. The author wanders off on the occasional tangent, but most of the asides are worthwhile, and Pasanella quickly pulls the story back to the main thread, his wine-selling adventures. The recipes interspersed throughout the book, while appetizing, mostly serve to interrupt an otherwise delightful reading experience. Though he removes much of the romance from the idea of opening a wine store, Pasanella's clear-eyed memoir is a joy to read from beginning to end.

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