Diary of A Wine Taster": Records of an Oenophile Charting Tasting Adventures Between 1973 and 1989, with Approx. 260 Original Wine Labels

Europe, 1989. Good to very good. Minor flaws include dust soiling, toning, the odd short tear, stain or spot. Water stain to cover of one volume. A couple labels loose, damage or staining from some of the adhesives used. A couple early tape repairs.. A marvelous and meticulously organized set of records belonging to a wine tasting enthusiast names James Williams, including approx. two hundred sixty (260) original wine labels. The records date between 1973 and 1986, but a couple of the loose labels have been labeled "Xmas 1999" and "Xmas 2005". The earliest wine label appears to be from 1948 (Mouton-Rothschild, Pauillac). Countries of origin include Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, and at least one from the United States. Williams has pasted most of the labels into his notebooks, and labeled them with the following information (not always consistently): date the wine was produced; date(s) tasted, and occasionally with whom and where; and relevant comments (e.g. "1987 a bit past peak but ok"). A few of the labels, particularly in the black notebook, are not annotated. The smallest notebook contains only a couple loose labels, but is much more descriptive/discursive, and contains his thoughts on flavor profile and price. It also contains his thoughts about the wineries he visited on his journeys, such as Chateau Giscours in Bordeaux, France. Williams does not seem to have intended for these to be read by other wine tasters and wrote the comments for his own edification, as evidenced by one comment from April 1974 in the small notebook: "[The wine] has a lot of fine dark black crud and hair like! shit??????". He appears extremely well informed in the manufacturing process, and these records show his frequents trips through Europe in search of wines. He also makes interesting observations about the wineries he visits; for example, from a June 19th, 1974 entry, he notes "All women operating machines". In another from a couple days before, he notes "Prince Phillip about to arrive for 45 person dinner to celebrate flowering of grapes. Held at different [chateau] every year". Williams was probably a man of means (or had friends in high places) judging from some of the locations and hotels visited (e.g. Hotel Meurice in Paris).Overall, the records present a fantastic look into one wine enthusiast's travels and tasting adventures, as well as a snapshot of the wine world in the 1970s and 1980s. Another aspect of the collection worth noting is the wide array of wine label designs and artwork present, including many which were designed to reflect the local pride of the wineries.

The items are physically described below:

Single vol. binder in black pebbled cloth (10" by 7.25") containing approx. 115 leaves of lined notebook paper with over 100 wine labels pasted-in and annotated with pen and pencil. Covers Williams' tasting trips in Europe between 1973 and 1977.

Single vol. binder in blue pebbled cloth (9" by 7.5") containing approx. 150 leaves of lined notebook paper with over 140 wine labels pasted-in and annotated with pen and pencil. Covers tasting dates between 1975 and 1989.

"Diary of a Wine Taster". Single spiral-bound notebook measuring approx. 6.5" by 4.25" with approx. 60 leaves of grid paper with notes in pen and pencil.

Pink envelope (4.5" by 6.25") stamped with the Chateau Mouton Rothschild arms containing 20 loose wine labels. James Williams (b.1950) worked in the wine industry in several capacities, including: in a German vineyard and winery; for wine importers and distributors based in New York; and finally as manager of a liquor store in Princeton, New Jersey.