Booklover - Herald on Sunday 21 November, 2010

Alan Brady is a former journalist, a pioneering Central Otago wine-grower and the author of the book Pinot Central – A Winemaker’s Story (Penguin).

The book I love most is…I can’t narrow it down to one. If I were asked the same question about wine I’d find it equally difficult to answer. Favourite genre? Non-fiction about anything to do with current or recent events and people. The journalist in me is still alive and well.

The book I’m reading now is… What the Roof Dreamt by artist Denis O’Connor. I have one of his pieces and I think we’re both haunted by echoes of our Irishness. The relationship between art and wine is very real. The appreciation of each is often clouded by prejudice and subjectivity.

The book I want to read next is… Game Without End by ex-All Black and Christchurch lawyer, Howard Joseph. My neighbour Grahame Thorne dropped it in with the promise that it wasn’t your average rugby book. “You’ll like it. It’s an historical novel built around an Irish migrant family.”

The book that changed me is… Not sure if it changed me but since I first read it 16 years ago it profoundly influenced the way I approach winemaking. Remington Norman’s The Great Domaines of Burgundy conveys the passion, dedication and humility that goes into the creation of the great Pinot Noirs of that region.

The book I wish I’d never read is… I’m sure there is one, but I can’t think of it. I’m an inveterate browser so I have a pretty good idea of style and content before I commit and that tends to eliminate the dogs.