Blood From a Stone by Adam S. McHugh

Blood From a Stone

A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back From the Dead

Adam S. McHugh

InterVarsity Press · Print & ebook · October 11, 2022

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.

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Who it’s for
A career ending opens into a thoughtful, wine-soaked search for healing and a sense of home.
Themes
Healing and new beginnings, Wine and local history, Friendship and sense of place
Genres
Personal Memoirs, Wine, Travel Writing

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About this book

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.

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"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.

A New Pour

A career ending opens into a thoughtful, wine-soaked search for healing and a sense of home.

Come here for

  • Wine, grief, and the courage to begin again
  • A journey from France to California’s central coast

Expect

  • Warm wit alongside questions of loss and belonging
  • Local wine history woven into a personal story

Where it sits

Wine79%
Personal Memoirs66%
Travel Writing45%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Wine
  • Christian Memoirs
  • Food Travel
Authors
Adam S. McHugh
Publisher
InterVarsity Press
Published
October 11, 2022
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Healing and new beginnings · Wine and local history · Friendship and sense of place
Reading lane
Wine