Searle appreciated good wines and particularly champagne;
but for ages he was revolted by the pretentious wine-jargon of some so-called
experts and critics. Having scrupulously collected these bombastic sentences,
read in newspapers, magazines and direct-mail publicity, Searle chose fifty of
these most frequent gibberishes and mocked each one by a cartoon deriding it. They
were gathered in The
Illustrated Winespeak: Ronald Searle's Wicked World of Winetasting, a book published by Souvenir Press in London in 1983.
In his foreword, Searle praises
the rare persons able to honestly and clearly express their tasting sensations,
and points out “that grotesque international band of snobbish inarticulate
sponges, who are incapable of thinking beyond their incestuous little circles”.
The book had sold nearly 30,000 copies on the
British market in its first two months. Soon after, it was translated into
French and into German.
In
1984, titled Parler en vin. [French pun with “Speaking in vain”]: Le langage du vin illustré,
it was published by Albin Michel; as Winespeak it was published by Harper
& Row in New York, and as Ronald Searles Illustrierte Weinsprache was
published by Gerstenberg in Germany.
In 1985, the book was translated into Dutch and,
titled De geillustreerde Wijnspraak, it was published by Gottmer in
Haarlem. In 1986, it was translated into Italian and Danish: Parladivino was published by Edagricole in Bologna, and Hvad siger etiketten?
was published by Souvenir Press in Copenhagen.
After such a big success, Searle launches a new
book and invites vintners and wine drinkers to experience the
mysteries of wine and its production. These hilarious cartoons are dedicated to the world's wine
odd ceremonies, and to the many improbable ways to open a bottle of wine. Something
in the Cellar: Ronald Searle’s Wonderful World of Wine was published by
Souvenir Press in London in 1986. Translated into French and titled Le monde
merveilleux du vin de Ronald Searle, it was published by Albin Michel in
Paris in the same year.
Most of this book’s pages in color were designed
for the promotion of John Goelet’s vineyards Clos du Val in Napa Valley –
California, and Taltarni Vineyards in Moonambel – Australia; the others were new
and never published in a book form.
In 1988, Something in the Cellar: Ronald Searle’s
Wonderful World of Wine was published by Ten Speed Press in Berkeley – California;
and, as Wundervolle Welt des Weins, published by Zinnober Verlag
in Hamburg. Translated into Italian and titled Scendiamo in Cantina, it
was published by Rizzoli in Milan in 1989.
In the past, the vineyard Vignelaure (appellation Côteaux d'Aix-en-Provence) used to set a second
wine-label at the back side of its bottles of red Château Vignelaure, which was
different every year. The 1983 label was illustrated by Ronald Searle who drew
his inspiration from a local story alleging a retired Roman legionary has planted
a first vine in this place.
Robert Parker, the renowned American wine-critic
describes Vignelaure as: "one of the showpiece properties not only of
Provence, but of France". The red Château Vignelaure is the grand wine
of the estate, made from a selection of the finest hand-picked grapes from old,
low-yielding vines: Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Syrah (25%), Grenache (5%); ageing
in small oak barrels for 18 months and then ageing in bottle for at least 2
years before releasing it.
In 1996 and 1998, thanks to private financial
supports, the Wilhelm Busch Museum (Hanover) acquired from Searle an important number
of his cartoons, his collection of historical caricatures and his library of
works dealing with the history and theory of caricature. They were exhibited in
2001 and a catalogue was published by Hirmer Verlag in Munich. In fact there was
a second catalogue in a slipcase titled Searle & Searle, as Monica
Searle also exhibited there the necklaces she styled.
The cartoon “Switzerland”, from Something in the Cellar: Ronald Searle’s Wonderful
World of Wine, features in the front face of this the slipcase. At right, the
cartoon “SEITA mon ami” about nicotine addiction was done in 1983.
This addiction is the very matter of The Addict: A
Terrible Tale which was published by Dobson in London in 1971; and in the USA by Stephen Greene in Brattleboro in the same year.
This no text story shows in 18 drawings, the long and
hard walk of an old woman looking for matches and bringing them for lighting
the cigarette of...
… You cannot count on me to reveal who’s that
smoker, because a mention on the back cover specifies: “The Addict’s moment
of truth has been tactfully concealed from casual gaze by sealing the last two
pages”. Suspense, suspense!
At the end of this penultimate part of our series, please
relax in the company of a St-Trinian’s girl and Ronald Searle smoking around
1950.
article by JMB
For champagne mention, please see:
