There are nearly 1,400 known varieties of wine grapes in the world—from auxerrois to zierfandler—but 80% of the wine we drink is made from only 20 grapes. In Godforsaken Grapes,Jason Wilson looks at how that came to be and takes the reader on a journey into what else is out there.

From Switzerland, Austria, and Portugal through France and Italy, and back to the United States, Wilson delves into the rare and wonderful. Blending extensive travels in wine-producing regions and conversations with wine evangelists, cutting-edge hipster winemakers, and explorers on an obsessive hunt for the strangest grapes in the world, Godforsaken Grapes is an entertaining love letter to wine.