Welcome to Book Club and Episode 2315 of the Italian Wine Podcast with Richard Hough. Today Richard is in conversation with Susan Keevil, the Editorial Director of the Académie du Vin Library and editor of On Tuscany, a charming compendium of wine writing on that most enchanting Italian wine region.

Amongst other things, the conversion covers Susan’s career in wine writing, her early experiences as a winemaker in Australia, and rediscovering the hidden gems of Italian wine writing.

 

On the bookshelf:

The books discussed in today’s show include: 

Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst

Caledonia Road by Andrew O’Hagan

Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan

Taste the limestone, smell the slate by Professor Alex Maltman

The Art of Wine Storytelling by Professor Atillio Scienza

About today’s guest:

Susan Keevil is the Editorial Director of the Académie du Vin Library, the London-based wine publisher founded by Steven Spurrier in 2018. Passionate about wine literature, she takes pride in curating high-quality books, particularly her acclaimed anthology series, which showcases the world’s finest wine regions through the voices of both modern experts and historical writers. Under her direction, the Académie du Vin Library has published works by renowned figures such as Hugh Johnson, Andrew Jefford, Jane Anson, Kelli White, Oz Clarke, Michael Broadbent, Fiona Morrison, and Steven Spurrier himself—though she admits it's impossible to pick a favorite.

A former Editor of Decanter magazine, Susan has a deep love for wine and travel (though she feels she hasn't done nearly enough of either!). Outside of publishing, she juggles life on a smallholding, caring for three student-aged children, two mischievous Labradors, nine chickens, and 22 Jacob sheep—the latter expecting lambs next month, ensuring an especially busy season ahead.

Connect:

Website: https://academieduvinlibrary.com/ 

More about the host:

Richard Hough is the editor, translator and project curator behind Wine Democracy and Vine and Prejudice. He has also published several books about life in Verona, chronicling the city’s history, culture and daily life, not forgetting, of course, its wine! With a long-standing passion for whisky and beer, he’s a relative newcomer to the world of wine and is now desperately trying to make up for lost time! He is the host of Book Club on the Italian Wine Podcast.

 

Connect:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rickhough.bsky.social 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ricksnotesfromverona 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickhough/

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Until next time, Cin Cin!

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