Men's Journal Best Wine Books 2023 and André Simon Food and Drink Book Award Longlist

"This is the story of how wine brought me back from the dead."

Thus begins Adam McHugh's transition through the ending of one career—as a hospice chaplain and grief counselor—into the discovery of a new life in wine among the grapevines of the Santa Ynez Valley of California.

"This is the corkscrewing tale of how I got to Santa Ynez, eventually, and the questions that came up along the way," he continues. "You and I are going to take a long wine tour together on our way there, and we will make plenty of stops for a glass and some local wine history. As you will see, I reached into the old, old story of wine in order to find my new story, which begins, as so many wine love stories do, in the French countryside."

With warmth and wit, Adam tells the story of what happens when things fall apart and when where you live no longer feels like home. From the south of France to Champagne to the California central coast, the trail winds toward new life and healing through the good gifts of wine, friendship, and a sense of place. Pour a glass and join the adventure.



Adam McHugh is the author of several books including Blood from a Stone and Introverts in the Church. He has worked as a hospice chaplain and as a sommelier. He is probably the only writer to have been published in both Psychology Today and Wine Enthusiast. He lives in the Santa Ynez Valley on the California central coast.



1. Wine Happens

2. The Way of Van Gogh

3. Feast Day

4. The Train to Champagne

5. A Sense of Place

6. Blood from a Stone

7. The Dark Night of the Soul

8. The Sideways Effect

9. The King's Highway

10. TheFairytale

11. The Last Stop

12. The Beast of Burden

13. Vinegar

14. The Healing Place

15. The Parade

16. The Story of Soil



Epilogue: Home

Acknowledgments

Notes