A tender family saga, an inspiring tale of immigrant success, a captivating armchair-travel experience that whisks you to locales that even most Italians are barred from entering, this intoxicating memoir yields much for your reading group to savor. We hope that the following questions will enhance your conversations about Sergio Esposito’s Passion on the Vine. For more information, including wine recommendations and suggestions for further reading, click here.

1. Discuss the title, Passion on the Vine. What does it take to develop a passion for a life’s work, or for an indulgence? What sparked Esposito’s passion for wine?
2. What did the opening scenes help you discover about the realities of the wine trade? How did these passages compare to the rosy images that travel writers so often use to begin their books? In what way do Esposito’s direct, sometimes gritty depictions only enhance the experience of his writing?

(more…)