Author, Wine Educator, Historian, and Museum Curator

Patrick Alexander-Lane, known professionally as Patrick Alexander, is an Anglo-Irish author, wine educator, historian, and museum curator based in Coral Gables, Florida. Born in England in 1946 to an English father and Irish mother, he holds both British and Irish citizenship and has been a US permanent resident for over forty years. The Miami Book Fair has described him as “an English-born writer who raised his children in France, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, and California before settling in Coral Gables, Florida.”[1] He has published more than a dozen books spanning fiction, local and world history, and literary criticism. He served as Historic Researcher, Newsletter Editor, and exhibition curator at the Coral Gables Museum,[2] and is widely known as a wine educator, having taught over 60 sold-out wine appreciation courses at the University of Miami, Books & Books, and the Coral Gables Museum. He has been a featured speaker at the Miami Book Fair on three occasions spanning sixteen years.

Early Life and Education

Patrick Alexander-Lane was raised in north London, England, the eldest of six children.  In 1966, while living in London, he and his then girlfriend were named London’s Coolest Couple in London Life magazine.[3] In the early 1960s, between school and university, he had spent a year hitchhiking across North America, an experience he has described as formative in his deep affinity for the United States. In July 1969, his first date with his future wife was at the legendary Rolling Stones concert in London’s Hyde Park.

He studied history and philosophy at the University of Sussex, graduating with a degree that would later shape both his writing interests and academic pursuits. Following graduation, he joined Price Waterhouse & Co. as a bowler-hat-wearing Chartered Accountant, working in the City of London between the London Stock Exchange and the Bank of England.

Professional Life

In his mid-twenties, Alexander swaped his bowler-hat for a beret and moved to the French countryside, where he married his wife Jude; raising their two daughters, Peggy and Bridie, in the wine-growing region of Périgord in southwest France. He subsequently worked as an international financial consultant based in Lugano, Switzerland, and London, before relocating to California to edit a monthly newsletter, The Offshore Banking Report.

His arrival in Silicon Valley in the early 1980s proved fortuitous, coinciding with the personal computer revolution. For many years he served as International Business Director for two publicly traded software corporations, Expert Software and e-Games, traveling extensively all over the world.

University of Miami

Following the collapse of the dot-com industry at the turn of the millennium, Alexander joined the University of Miami as Director of the Computer and Technology Group, which later became the Office of Professional Development. In addition to administrative duties, he taught a class on the French novelist Marcel Proust and developed a six-week wine appreciation program — the earliest iteration of his long-running public wine education series.[4]

Coral Gables Museum

Since retiring from the University of Miami, Alexander has maintained a close association with the Coral Gables Museum, where he served until recently as Historic Researcher and Newsletter Editor.[2] He has also served as co-curator of major exhibitions, including the permanent exhibit George Merrick’s Vision.[5] He has given numerous public lectures at the Museum on the history and culture of Coral Gables and its Sister Cities around the world.

Writing Career

After taking early retirement, Alexander devoted himself to writing full time. He has published over a dozen books across multiple genres, including crime fiction, Florida and Miami history, world history, and literary criticism.[6] His books have been cited as reference sources in three independant Wikipedia articles: In Search of Lost Time, A Dance to the Music of Time, and Wine in China.

His fiction work includes The Greenhaven Trilogy, a series of three mystery novels set in a fictional South Florida city: Death by Water, Death on the Eighth, and Dead Naked. Each novel explores a different strand of South Florida’s cultural and immigrant history. He also wrote the standalone thriller The Nigerian Letter.

As a historian, Alexander has written Building Paradise, a history of Miami’s development into a major international city; Coral Gables: The First Hundred Years, which the City of Coral Gables website described as tracing “George Merrick’s journey from a modest homesteader to the visionary founder of the ‘City Beautiful’”;[7] Miami’s Murders Most Foul, a compendium of notable South Florida crimes; Boomer, a generational history of the post-WWII decades as experienced on both sides of the Atlantic;[6] and Migration, Colonialism & the Great Replacement Myth, a sweeping account of human migration from prehistoric Africa to the present day.

His literary criticism works focus on Marcel Proust and Anthony Powell. Marcel Proust’s Search for Lost Time, published by Vintage Books in New York in 2009,[8] is a companion guide that summarizes all seven volumes of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, including character studies and historical context such as the Dreyfus Affair. The book was featured at the 2009 Miami Book Fair on Sunday 15 November, where Alexander shared the noon panel with Eric Karpeles, author of Paintings in Proust (Thames & Hudson, 2008). A Dance to Lost Time compares Proust’s masterwork with Anthony Powell’s twelve-volume sequence, A Dance to the Music of Time. The book is listed on the official bibliography of the Anthony Powell Society,[9] of which Alexander is a member and a contributor to their quarterly journal.

Wine Education

Alexander’s expertise in wine stems from decades of living among the vineyards of France, Switzerland’s Italian border region, and California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. For several years he also served as a judge for the Florida International Wine Challenge.[10] His book The Booklover’s Guide to Wine was published by Mango Publishing in September 2017 and featured at the 2017 Miami Book Fair.[11]

Since offering his first wine appreciation course at the University of Miami in June 2005, Alexander has taught more than 60 sold-out classes at Books & Books and the Coral Gables Museum.[12][13][14] Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books & Books and co-founder of the Miami Book Fair, wrote of Alexander: “If anyone defined the phrase Renaissance Man, Patrick is just that person. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with such a rich intellect, having such diverse interests.”[10] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved his classes to Zoom. He also produced a series of wine appreciation videos on YouTube.

Critical Reception

The Booklover’s Guide to Wine received praise from wine writers and critics. The Minneapolis Star Tribune called it “every bit as edifying and entertaining,” describing the chapter pairing wines with literary authors as “pure delight.”[15]

Mike Veseth, editor of The Wine Economist and author of Wine Wars, wrote: “Patrick Alexander seems to be the perfect guide for booklovers who want to enjoy wine even more through storytelling… I have read dozens of wine guides over the years and I can’t think of one that is so much fun. Simply irresistible!”

Eve Bushman, wine writer, member of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and the North American Sommelier Association, and author of Wine Etiquette for Everyone, praised the book’s comprehensive coverage of wine history, terroir, and the cultural differences between American and European approaches to wine appreciation.

Connie Ogle, book editor and wine columnist for the Miami Herald, wrote that Alexander “knows a lot about wine” and praised his literary wine pairings, including Shakespeare with sherry, J.R.R. Tolkien with Albaríño, and Jane Austen with Chardonnay.[13]

Nina Lesowitz, author of The Party Girl Cookbook, called it “the book I wish I’d had years ago” and described it as “spectacular,” praising in particular the chapters on writers and their favorite vintages.

Speaking Engagements

Alexander has been a featured speaker at the Miami Book Fair, one of the most prestigious literary events in the United States, on three occasions:

•         2009 — Featured alongside Eric Karpeles (Paintings in Proust, Thames & Hudson), presenting Marcel Proust’s Search for Lost Time, published that year by Vintage Books, New York.[8]

•         2017 — Featured presenting The Booklover’s Guide to Wine, published by Mango Publishing.[11]

•         2025 — Featured on a panel, “Spotlight on Florida,” alongside authors Les Standiford, Craig Pittman, and Lawrence R. Samuel, presenting Coral Gables: The First Hundred Years.[1][7]

In addition to the Miami Book Fair, Alexander has given numerous public lectures and author presentations across South Florida, as well as regular lectures at the Coral Gables Museum and historic tours both of Coral Gables and of the Biltmore Hotel.

Personal Life

Alexander has been married to Jude since their wedding in France in June 1974. They have two daughters, Peggy and Bridie, and grandchildren based between South Carolina and Paris, France. Patrick and Jude have lived in Coral Gables, Florida for over forty years.

Press Coverage

Alexander’s work has been covered by numerous publications. His book Coral Gables: The First Hundred Years was featured in Gables Living Magazine in August 2024.[16] A profile of the author and coverage of Boomer appeared in Coral Gables Magazine in January 2024, which described him as “one of the Gables’ most interesting residents.”[6] His University of Miami Proust course was reported in the Miami Herald in 2009.[4] The Minneapolis Star Tribune reviewed The Booklover’s Guide to Wine favorably.[15] His wine education work has also been covered by the Miami Herald (2012,[14] 2017),[13] Miami New Times (2013),[17] Coral Gables Magazine (2018),[12] and Gables Home News (2013).[18]

Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Alexander_(Author)

References

[1] "Patrick Alexander — 2025 Featured Author." Miami Book Fair (miamibookfair.com), November 2025. https://www.miamibookfair.com/authors/

[2] "Meet Patrick Alexander, Historic Researcher & Newsletter Editor." Coral Gables Museum (LinkedIn), 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/coral-gables-museum

[3] "London’s Coolest Couple competition." London Life magazine, 24 December 1966. https://www.spherelife.com/culture/books/photo-essay-london-life-and-swinging-sixties

[4] "Marcel Proust Class at University of Miami." Miami Herald, 2009. https://www.gableswine.com/s/Herald-2009.jpg

[5] "Dreaming Coral Gables: A Biographical Story — Curatorship: Patrick Alexander et al.." Coral Gables Museum / ArtCircuits, 2025. https://artcircuits.com/gallery_view/coral-gables-museum-1/

[6] "The History of Boomers — As Told by Patrick Alexander." Coral Gables Magazine, January 2024. https://coralgablesmagazine.com/the-history-of-boomers-patrick-alexander/

[7] "Miami Book Fair: Spotlight on Florida — Patrick Alexander." City of Coral Gables (coralgables.com), November 2025. https://www.coralgables.com/events/miami-book-fair-spotlight-florida

[8] "Miami Book Fair 2009 Official Program — Sunday 15 November, 12 noon: Patrick Alexander on Marcel Proust’s Search for Lost Time and Eric Karpeles on the Paintings in Proust." Miami Book Fair / Internet Archive (Wayback Machine), November 15, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20120126103019/http://miamibookfair.com/images/BF09-final_Layout%2011_tcm7-20510.pdf

[9] "Bibliography: Books about Powell and his Work — Patrick Alexander, A Dance to Lost Time, 2022." The Anthony Powell Society (anthonypowell.org), 2022. https://www.anthonypowell.org/books-about-ap-and-his-work

[10] Mitchell Kaplan. "Foreword and endorsement." The Booklover’s Guide to Wine, Mango Publishing, 2017. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-booklovers-guide-to-wine-patrick-alexander/1130067534

[11] "The Booklover’s Guide to Wine — Miami Book Fair 2017." Amazon / Mango Publishing, 2017. https://www.amazon.com/Booklovers-Guide-Wine-Celebration-Mysteries/dp/1633536068

[12] J.P. Faber. "Literary Vino." Coral Gables Magazine, 2018. https://www.gableswine.com/s/CG-Mag-2018.jpg

[13] Connie Ogle. "Poppin’ Bottles." Miami Herald, 2017. https://www.gableswine.com/s/Poppin-Bottles-kpt9.pdf

[14] Ana Veciana-Suarez. "Pages & Pours." Miami Herald, 2012. https://www.gableswine.com/s/Miami-Herald-Pages-Pours-meck.pdf

[15] "Review: The Booklover’s Guide to Wine." Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2017. https://www.startribune.com

[16] "Coral Gables: The First Hundred Years." Gables Living Magazine, August 2024. https://www.gableswine.com/s/Gables-Living.pdf

[17] Hannah Sentenac. "Five Things You Didn’t Know." Miami New Times, 2013. https://www.gableswine.com/s/Five-Things-You-Didn-dy77.pdf

[18] Bill Richardson. "Wine Classes in Coral Gables." Gables Home News, 2013. https://www.gableswine.com/s/Gables-Home-News.pdf