Blood from a Stone: A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back from the Dead

Written by Adam S. McHugh

Narrated by Mike Lenz

"This is the story of how wine brought me back from the dead."

Thus begins Adam McHugh's transition through the ending of one career-as a hospice chaplain and grief counselor-into the discovery of a new life in wine among the grapevines of the Santa Ynez Valley of California.

"This is the corkscrewing tale of how I got to Santa Ynez, eventually, and the questions that came up along the way," he continues. "You and I are going to take a long wine tour together on our way there, and we will make plenty of stops for a glass and some local wine history. As you will see, I reached into the old, old story of wine in order to find my new story, which begins, as so many wine love stories do, in the French countryside. Most stories about religion and drink are stories of recovery. I'm not sure if mine isn't a story about recovery too."

Adam's story is one of being forced to reevaluate and remake his life when things fell apart. But more than that, it's a story about finding healing through the good gifts of wine, friends, and the beauty of wine country. Pour a glass and join the adventure from the south of France to Champagne to the California Central Coast.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Oct 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781545922521

Adam S. McHugh

Adam S. McHugh (ThM, Princeton Theological Seminary) is an ordained Presbyterian minister and spiritual director, and a regular contributor to Susan Cain's Quiet Revolution website. He has served at two Presbyterian churches, as a hospice chaplain and as campus staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He is the author of The Listening Life, which won the 2017 Christianity Today Book Award for spiritual formation, and Introverts in the Church, and lives on the central coast of California.

Reviews for Blood from a Stone

[Sharon Norton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As pastors who love wine, we could relate to so much of Adam’s story. Our best friends are former pastors and hobby wine makers. We have never been to California, but would love to visit, try all the wines mentioned in this book and see how they are different from our Michigan wines, to which we are quite partial. :) This was a great audio book for a long road trip.

[greggchadwick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

On the surface Adam McHugh's memoir/travelogue/vintner tale is fresh and light like a crisp glass of Chenin Blanc on a summer's eve in Provence. But underneath in its rocky soil, "Blood from a Stone: A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back from the Dead" is a journey through the dark night of the soul. With McHugh as our Dad-Joking Virgil we are escorted through life's struggles and out from grief. Wine is the history and metaphor that guides us in McHugh's book, but the fragility of life is the deeper story. It is often said that the most flavorful grapes grow in the most difficult terrain. Through persistence and resilience, rich flavor in wine and life is produced.

[endaclon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fascinating, entertaining memoir. The author shares his losses and gains in life; a life that has become centered on his passion for wine. It seems to me that many of us will resonant on some aspects of his existential quandary. I read the book cover to cover in two sittings, it was that compelling.

[amaryann21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this memoir very much. Adam recounts his journey from hospice chaplain to fledgling sommelier with beautiful prose, humor, and thought-provoking insight into grief, transition, history, religion, and wine. I learned more than I expected to about the geography and history of California, and Adam made it an easy and fun lesson. One of the things I liked most in reading this book is that Adam owned his errors and fumbling and allowed us to see his vulnerability. It made the discussion of grief and discovery that much more genuine.

[tx1955 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I so enjoyed reading this memoir. I love a book that not only describes the surroundings in great detail but also the history of the locations. You could picture yourself actually being in locations that you might never actually be able to travel to. Adam McHugh describes his life going from working as a hospice chaplain to working as a sommelier in such touching detail. I have always enjoyed wine in the past and I appreciated the history of wine interspersed into the narrative. This was such a well written book that I recommend this book to anyone.