Wine, Benjamin Franklin wrote, "is proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."
The late Patrick Baude added that wine writing is not really "about wine as such" but rather "the good life to which wine might be a tool." In this wide-ranging collection, the much-loved professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law reflects on wine, spirits, beer and their relationship to that good life. As he explores how wine fits with local food, changing seasons and even his own family dynamics, he pairs Bloomington's rich cuisine and culture with timeless wisdom and universal truths. Drawing heavily on his writings for Bloom Magazine—with revised and expanded material and tributes from family and colleagues—the voice of Professor Baude, who passed away in 2011, lives on here.