Sommelier and author Marnie Old is one of the country's leading wine experts, an engaging speaker known for her refreshingly direct style and incisive insights. Marnie's humorous column on wine and spirits, "Cheap Buzz," appears biweekly in the Philadelphia Daily News. Formerly the Director of Wine Studies for Manhattan's French Culinary Institute, she continues to lead seminars for the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and for corporate clients nationwide.
Marnie's latest book, Passion For Wine - The French Ideal and the American Dream is co-authored with vintner Jean-Charles Boisset. Marnie's previous titles include Wine: A Tasting Course, Wine Secrets, and the popular He Said Beer, She Said Wine, an entertaining debate on food pairing co-authored with beer legend Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
Jean-Charles Boisset was born into the world of wine in the village of Vougeot, Burgundy, and today leads the family firm, a collection which includes wineries in France and California that share more than 18 centuries of combined winemaking heritage in some of the world’s most prestigious terroirs. Jean-Charles embodies passion for wine and brings the Franco-American spirit to life.
Kevin Zraly
Wine educator and founder of Windows on the World Wine School
“I may be seen as an expert, but I learned a lot about wine in a whole different way reading this book and heartily recommend Passion for Wine for novices and aficionados alike. Marnie Old’s innovative infographics and insightful simplifications do wonders to make sense of wine’s complexity without dumbing it down or overwhelming the reader with excessive detail.”
Kathy Merchant
Vino Ventures
“[Passion for Wine is a] sparkling tour of French and American wine. It is a waltz across sensory experience amplified by some super-serious sections on growing grapes and making wine. Though characterized by Boisset and Old as a book meant to quash the intimidation factor for novices, as well as inspire exploration by all levels of wine aficionados, in less than 200 pages they have achieved a fairly comprehensive — yet entertaining — coverage of the topic of wine.”
Jessica Zimmer
The Weekly Calistoga
“The photo spreads are colorful and luxurious. Yet, the book is not Napa or North Bay-centric. Boisset and Old set out to create a general book for the layperson that makes wine tasting and wine drinking very accessible.
One of the most unique traits of Passion for Wine is its characterization of wines with qualities like those of famous female movie stars, such as voluptuous, like Marilyn Monroe; elegant, like Audrey Hepburn; sensuous, like Sophia Loren; and powerful, like Elizabeth Taylor.”