Blood from a Stone

A Memoir of How Wine Brought Me Back from the Dead

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.

©2022 Adam S. McHugh (P)2022 eChristian

Epic book for wine lovers and history buffs

I found this book engaging from chapter one; the author’s story is beautifully written and riveting. You do not need to know anything about wine as he will take you on a wine tour that is educational, entertaining, and inspiring. Wine and history come alive as McHugh weaves them into his own transformational journey.

Learned a lot

An insider story of the region. Loved feeling like a fly on the wall of Adam’s life for a while.

Wealth of knowledge!

I have been in the wine industry pretty much my whole life, in production. There was so much CA wine history in here I had no idea about and just this book really reinspired me about the wine industry. There was also a deeper story here about finding oneself which I think everyone can relate to. I would put this up there with Wine and War, definitely worth a read if you are in the industry or just a weekend wino.

A memoir of depth, humor and wine history

Interwoven with wit, candor and history Adam shares how he came through the other side of grief and built a life he loves. This is a book for those grieving the life they thought they wanted, or perhaps any other sort of loss. This is a book for those who love wine, or perhaps love to collect facts about France and Santa Barbara County. This is a memoir for those searching for meaning and perhaps are open to finding it in unexpected places.

I continued to think about this story long after I finished it. Those that linger are the ones you want to recommend to friends!
My only comment about the narrator is that I think he sometimes failed to get across Adam’s wry sense of humor that easily translates on the page. Perhaps sometime in the future Adam will narrate it himself!

I love this book

A dear friend recommended this book primarily because my daughter attends Cal Poly SLO. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down. Adam is a real, authentic and engaging and he lets us in on his amazing journey. This book has so many truths in it without being preachy or sarcastic. Highly recommend.

So good I listened twice!

So much more than a wine book, though I loved learning about the history of wine. The author is so witty and entertaining even when tackling difficult subjects, like the grief that accompanies life and career transition.

This hospital chaplain loved it

Loved this meditation on life and love, loss and grief. Best enjoyed with a glass filled with fruit of the vine and work of human hands.