Short description
Beginning with the basics of mastering wine, such as how to taste, understanding variety and vineyard, this reference covers all the essentials. It then goes on to list the character and traits of wine regions worldwide.
Long description
THE WINE BIBLE is like a lively course from an expert teacher, grounded deeply in the fundamentals and enriched with passionate opinions, asides, tips, anecdotes, definitions, glossaries, illustrations, maps, photos, charts, and wine labels - everything, in fact, but the actual bottle of wine itself. Beginning with the basics of mastering wine - how to taste with focus and build a wine-tasting memory, understanding the subtle interplay of variety, vineyard, and vintner, and demystifying the issue of vintages - it covers the essentials. The emotion and intigue of Bergundy. Rhone's untamed reds. The flinty pleasures of sauvignon blanc and suprising delicacy of Spain's Riojas. Bordeaux, the largest fine-wine vineyard on the globe and epitome of terroir. Fourteen Sonoma wines to know. The importance of finish. Tuscany, kingdom of variable microclimates. The precise and food-friendly wines of Germany. The narrow 30-mile stretch of ambition, experimentation, and surpassing quality called Napa. Why the "punt," or indentation, in a wine bottle. Australia, where cutting-edge technology meets easy, outgoing, unpretentious character. Plus Austria, New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal, and more.
Review
A dazzling, comprehensive, modern guide to wine, free of elitism and pedantry. This thoroughly successful work sets a new standard and makes wine more accessible and user-friendly than it has ever been before.
--Anthony Dias Blue, wine and spirits editor, Bon Appetit