Drinking the World: A Wine Odyssey
By (Author) Victoria Brzezinski
By (author) Bert Blaize
HarperCollins Publishers
Pavilion
25th November 2025
6th November 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Travel guides: food and drink regions
Food and drink: alcoholic beverages
Travel guides: restaurants and cafes
National and regional cuisine / Cuisine of specific cultures or peoples
641.22
Hardback
288
Width 162mm, Height 227mm, Spine 18mm
270g
In this unique and evocative blend of food, drink and travel writing, Bert Blaize and Victoria Brzezinski give winemakers the floor to take us on a journey around the landscapes, cultures, cuisines, best places to eat and drink, and of course, wines, that they know and love better than anyone on earth.
Wine producing regions are some of the most beautiful and fascinating parts of the planet.
Where theres good wine, theres almost always good food, beautiful landscapes, a rich history, and fascinating characters who can speak to our complex and evolving relationship with our planet because few people have a closer relationship with the earth than those who make wine from it.
Those characters including recovering rockstars, former engineers making wine in nuclear shelters, and daughters who have reclaimed their familys land from defunct communist dictatorships will be the ones whose perspectives, recommendations and stories we hear as we travel through the worlds wine producing regions both old and new.
Each chapter will cover a region that could easily be explored within a 23 day trip, with the winemakers giving insider tips for eating and drinking in their regions, as Bert and Victoria shed new light on the world of wine for those who enjoy the end product, reminding us all that what is in the bottle is a product of the land, its history and a whole lot of fascinating human beings. Chapter breakdown:
Bert Blaize is an award-winning sommelier and wine consultant. He learned his craft at La Belle Epoque in Manchester; Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, and the Clove Club in Shoreditch, going on to open the Mandrake Hotel as Head of Wine. In 2017, Bert was named the UKs Top Young Sommelier by Flint Wines and was nominated by GQ, Drinks Business and Imbibe as sommelier of the year. He co-authored Which Wine When what to drink with the food you love in 2020. Bert lives in Norfolk, where he runs North Norfolk Cellars.
Victoria Brzezinski is a multi-award winning feature writer, columnist and restaurant critic. Named 2022s lifestyle and interiors journalist of the year, she has written for The Times and The Sunday Times since 2018 on myriad topics from design to food and farming. She cut her teeth in hospitality working front of house with five years spent at some of Londons top Thai and Mexican restaurants wine tastings were always the best part of the job.