‘Quirky, original and pleasantly intoxicating’ – Hugh MacDonald
‘An original, witty and thoroughly engaging tale’ – Charlie Connelly, The New European
‘A vintage performance. Like running and wine? Follow in the footsteps of Colin Renton and become a wine runner’ – The Scotsman
‘Most of us are partial to a glass of red or white wine so imagine the amazing antioxidant benefits of combining your love for running with your love for drinking wine. Of course, why stop there when you can actually run in those dusty grape-laden vineyards doing your part for vine-checking’ – UltraRunner Magazine
‘As midlife crises go, enthusiastic oenophile and runner Colin Renton's is one of the quirkiest and most enjoyable imaginable. Instead of buying a sportscar or getting a hair transplant, as he approaches sixty he embarks on a year-long odyssey of Europe's winemaking regions that fuses his twin interests, and ends up running a marathon and amassing a case of twelve wines that each tell a story. But far more important is what he discovers about himself, and the friends he makes along the way. Unexpected and endearing, this is a travelogue with a difference, but it's all the better for that’ – Richard Bath, Scottish Field
With his sixtieth birthday looming, Colin Renton decides that it’s time to escape office life and focus on achieving some of his unfulfilled goals.
He embarks on a year-long adventure that takes him from the busy streets of Edinburgh to the traffic-free roads, sodden fields and dusty paths of Europe’s winemaking regions. He laces up his running shoes and joins thousands of fellow athletes in races that test him over various distances, degrees of difficulty and levels of seriousness. His schedule, which culminates with a marathon debut, takes him to places he would otherwise not have visited.
On his travels, he seeks out local wines that deserve a place in a carefully chosen twelve-bottle case, a process that throws up some fascinating insights and introduces him to a vintage crop of engaging characters.
The crossover between running and wine uncorks a tale of endurance, curiosity and discovery, told in an accessible style and served up with a splash of local colour and a drop of wry humour.
Published 4 May 2023
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