This highly opinionated, addictively browsable compilation of 1,001 "must try" wines offers the most enjoyable drinking experience for novice and connoisseur alike. Included in the list are classics as well as groundbreaking new up-and-comers from all major regions of the world. Divided into four sections: red, white, sparkling, and fortified wines. The informed selections offer a complete history of the most famous vintages as well as introducing the daring new blends and varietals that are exciting the cognoscenti. Special attention is paid to the world’s classic wine regions like Napa, Chianti, Barolo, Bordeaux, and Burgundy, but the book also takes very seriously recently established areas like Rioja or Australia’s Barossa Valley. Also, the book examines emerging regions just finding their place on the oenological map, like Argentina’s Mendoza, which can provide enormous pleasure at a reasonable price. Each entry comes with an authoritative yet opinionated description of its origin, history, and character as well as anecdotes about the winemakers, the vineyard and the region. - Read more

This book is by wine educators from the Culinary Institute of America, whose other fine works (The New Professional Chef, LJ 8/91) and outstanding reputation lend it gastronomical authority. Second, Exploring Wine has an unfettered clarity, whether explaining formulas to calculate a reasonable price range or steps to produce the most beneficial wine-tasting experience or ways to select from the deluge of international choices. Third, there is a superb chapter on matching food and wine, full of tables and menus, which simultaneously honors classical principles of experimentation and personal preference. If these reasons aren't sufficient, there's the concise background information on wine-making, the world tour of producers, the coffee-table-book photographs, the section devoted to collecting, appendixes of American appellations and official classifications of Bordeaux, and a 12-page glossary. Definitely not just "another wine book." Highly recommended. - Read more

If you want to learn about wines of the world and advance your comprehension of wine production, grape varieties, appellations, and individual wineries, understand the factors (such as location, soil, climate, and methods of viticulture) that affect the taste and nose, and visit your wine shop with a list of quality wines to explore, Tom Stevenson is the man to read. Author of 12 books (including Champagne and The Millennium Champagne & Sparkling Wine Guide), three-time winner of the Wine Writer of the Year award, and columnist for Wine magazine, Stevenson has the gift of taking vast quantities of knowledge and experience and translating them into lucid, sparkling prose, easily graspable by the novice, yet still interesting and instructive to the connoisseur. - Read more

With more than 3,000 entries on every aspect of wine from vine pests to specific grapes, this hefty tome has something for both the seasoned connoisseur and novice alike. Edited by one of today's premier wine columnists, the work covers all aspects of wine, travelling back in time to early Greece to examine wine's role in Dionysian revels, then returning to today's wine centers to explore all aspects of wine appreciation. A full third of the book is dedicated to specific wines and wine-producing regions. All those technical terms you've heard and puzzled over at tastings are clearly explained, making this the perfect reference for newcomers to the world of oenology. For the true connoisseur, The Oxford Companion offers detailed information on the history of the vintner's art, as well as a plethora of details on everything from climate effects on vine disease to the function of the second malolactic fermentation. If you buy only one wine book, this should be it. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. - Read more

This book is the bestselling wine book in the US. The 2007 edition has sold over 100,000 copies. The 2008 revision will include a 16-page supplement on “How to Taste Wine,” taken directly from Kevin’s class. This book will include more than 100 wines that Zraly selects, along with the tasting sheet his students use for their evaluations. by Kevin Zraly. ISBN-13 978-1402751417 - Read more

Offers expert wine book reviews guaranteed to help you find the best books on wine. - Read more

Hailed by critics worldwide as extraordinary and irreplaceable, there are few volumes that have had as monumental an impact in their field as Hugh Johnson's The World Atlas of Wine: sales have exceeded four million copies. World-renowned authors Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson once again combine their unrivalled talents to enhance this masterpiece of wine knowledge. There are now 48 extra pages, including 17 new color illustrations, 20 new maps, and-for the first time ever-double page spreads and full-page photos in the atlas section for maximum visual impact. New World coverage has been extended for both Australia and South America; some New World regions even have their own entries for the first time, including Rutherford, Oakville, and Stag's Leap from California; Mendoza (Argentina); Limestone Coast (Australia); Central Otago and Martinborough (New Zealand); and Constantia (South Africa). And Old World coverage has grown too, with the addition of Toro (Spain), the Peleponnese (Greece), and Georgia. 
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