Recommended Reading
The books listed below can be purchased online through Amazon.com.
Wine (General)
World
Atlas of Wine
by Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson
Amazon.com
The World Atlas of Wine is something of a dream-team production. The names Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson alone recommend any book on which they appear. The fifth edition (in 30 years) of this astonishingly successful book lives up to, and surpasses, its predecessors. In 350 densely packed but... Read more
The Wine Bible
by Karen MacNeil
Amazon.com
As director of the wine program at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California, MacNeil is one of the world's true experts on wine. After reading a chapter on the Burgenland, for example, you've learned about the region's sweet wines while feeling like you're actually there, toasting a glass of Cuvee Suss with the author. It is this passion that leads to describing an Italian riservas as "mesmerizing" and a Cabernet Sauvignon as having "texture like cashmere."... Read more
The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia
by Tom Stevenson
Amazon.com
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
Parker's
Wine Buyer's Guide (6th Edition)
by Robert M. Parker
Amazon.com
Thoroughly revised and updated, this sixth edition of the Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide has been eagerly awaited by seasoned collectors and occasional drinkers alike. No one wants to waste his or her precious dollars on an unenjoyable bottle, and with Parker's advice in hand, no one ever will. Employing his famous 100-point rating system, Parker rates more than 8,000 wines from all the major wine-producing regions in the world -- including newly expanded sections on the popular wines of California and Italy. ... Read more
Windows on the World Complete Wine Course
by Kevin Zraly
Booklist
This latest edition of Zraly's wine primer takes into account the most recent vintages and the newest wines to appear in the American marketplace. Zraly continues to be one of the country's leading wine advocates and one of its most gifted teachers, his enthusiasm for his subject shining on every page. Steering clear of wine snobbery, Zraly leads the neophyte gracefully through convoluted territory. Read more
The World of Wine - Boxed Set
by Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson
Amazon.com
This luxury box-set includes two of the world’s most successful and best-selling wine books by the two foremost wine writers on the subject. The World Atlas of Wine commands the position as the indispensable wine book for novice and expert alike thanks to its exceptional maps, the quality of its prose, and its well-timed revisions.... Read more
Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2008
by Hugh Johnson
Amazon.com
This annual wine guide offers news on more than 6000 wines, growers and regions. It features comprehensive vintage information and recommended wines for current drinking. It also offers advice on selecting anything from a weekday wine for supper to a prestige vintage for investment. Also included are vintage charts.... Read more
The New Wine Lover's Companion
by Ron Herbst, Sharon Tyler Herbst
Book Description
This book’s style is relaxed and conversational, serving up information without intimidating its reader. Arranged alphabetically, nearly 4,000 entries include innumerable details on grape varieties; wine styles; wine-growing regions; wine label terms; winemaking techniques; how to buy, store, and serve wine; how to have a wine tasting; wine-testing terms; sizes and styles of glassware, wine bottles, and wine openers; ordering wine in a restaurant; opening and serving wine at home; temperatures for serving wine; and much more. This book is the only A-to-Z wine reference that offers phonetic pronunciations.... Read more
The
Taste of Wine: The Art Science of Wine Appreciation, 2nd Edition
by Emile Peynaud, Michael Schuster (Translator)
Book Description
The definitive text of tasting and evaluating wine by the recognized world authority. Physiology of the senses, the role of memory, analysis and training, pitfalls, illusions, tricks and techniques. How to determine and define quality and value in wine. Practical guidance on statistical... Read more
Great Wine Made Simple : Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier
by Andrea Robinson
Amazon.com
With emphasis on her "Big Six" varietals--Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon--this "Immer-sion" class of tastings lets amateur sippers differentiate the typical qualities of each, while illustrating wine terms such as dry, crisp, oaky, and tannic. Practical advice abounds; one chapter devotes itself to finding useful info on a wine label while avoiding "Stupid Label Tricks," those bits of puffery or unfamiliar flavors (how many have actually tasted lychee or red currant?) that can be confusing the average buyer. And her "Flavor Map" concept--dividing the wine world into three climate zones--eschews memorization in favor of some rudimentary geography.... Read more
France
The
Wines of France
by Clive Coates
Book Description
The most comprehensive and authoritative guide to all the wine producing areas in France with tastings from every single aellation and attention to the best growers in each region from Burgundy and Loire, the Rhone and Champagne, Alsace, the Jura and Savoie, Provance, Languedoc-Roussillon and of... Read more
Larousse
Encyclopedia of Wine
by Christopher Foulkes (Editor)
Amazon.com
Filled with practical information on everything anyone would need to know about wine, this wonderfully illustrated reference book will appeal to the novice as well as the serious wine enthusiast. Subjects such as reading a wine label, selecting wine, storing, uncorking, decanting, and serving are... Read more
Adventures
on the Wine Route : A Wine Buyer's Tour of France
by Kermit Lynch, Gail Skoff (photographer)
Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
"A riveting account of one man's pursuit of authenticity as well as excellence in wine... Kermit Lynch's colorful portraits of some idiosyncratic vintners, and his commentaries on their wines, make for some of the finest reading since Joseph Wechsberg ate and drank his way through France in his book Blue Trout and Black Truffles."
Bordeaux
Bordeaux: A Consumer's Guide to the World's Finest Wines
by Robert M., Jr. Parker
Amazon.com
The fourth edition of Bordeaux presents a complete guide to vintages between 1961 and 2001. This latest volume brings readers up-to-date on the abundance of new producers in France's most important wine region and for the first time includes more than 700 wine labels. Parker has retasted and reevaluated many of Bordeaux's finest wines -- and adjusted their ratings accordingly -- so readers of his previous editions will discover herein a wealth of new material.... Read more
Grands
Vins : The Finest Chateaux of Bordeaux and Their Wines
by Clive Coates
Ingram
By far France's largest fine-wine region, Bordeaux is also arguably its greatest, and perhaps the greatest in the world. This extensive survey details the region's history, geography, grape varieties, and other regional wine-making idiosyncracies. Master of Wine Clive Coates profiles the leading... Read more
Wines
of Bordeaux
by David Peppercorn
Book Description
Quality recommendations rating, symbols to show which wines are drinking well now and which will keep... Read more
Burgundy
Cote
d'Or : A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy
by Clive Coates
Mariani's Virtual Gourmet Newsletter
"A fascinating and exhaustive look at France's most celebrated piece of real estate....Coates, who did an award-winning job in his last book, on Bordeaux, turns his considerable scholarship, wit and savvy, without pulling punches, on a region too often restrained by tradition yet driven by commercialism. A requisite book for the wine lover."
Wines of Burgundy
by Serena Sutcliffe
Book Description
This is the most up-to-date guide to Burgundy’s history, geography, winemaking, and classification system. The final section gives A to Z listings of more than 600 producers and their wines... Read more
Rhone
Wines
of the Rhone Valley
by Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Book Description
Are there wines to rival the greatest first-growths of Bordeaux and the grand crus of Burgundy? Robert Parker's answer is a resounding Yes -- they are to be found among the finest wines of the Rhône Valley. With this new edition of Wines of the Rhône Valley, Robert Parker, the world's... Read more
The Wines of the Northern Rhône
by John Livingstone-Learmonth, Kermit Lynch
Book Description
For anyone who wants to understand the full story that lies within a glass of wine, this book opens up the inner secrets of the geology, the vineyards, the wines, and the growers of the northern Rhône Valley in France. Home to the spicy Syrah, or Shiraz, and the floral Viognier grapes, the northern Rhône Valley is one of France's oldest wine-growing regions; its appellations include Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Crozes-Hermitage, St-Joseph, and Château-Grillet. With evocative descriptions and marvelous insights, this accessible, elegant book, the culmination of more than thirty years following the Rhône, is a comprehensive and authoritative survey of the various estates, winemakers, and their wines... Read more
Other Regions
Terroir
by James E. Wilson, Hugh Johnson
Wine & Spirits magazine
"Fascinating.Taken in sips, like a fine, dense Bordeaux, it's a book worthy of long contemplation." Read more
Italy
The Italian Wine Guide : The Definitive Guide to Touring, Sourcing, and Tasting
by Touring Club of Italy
Book Description
The wines of Italy are a delightful part of any visit to the Bel Paese, and The Italian Wine Guide is the ultimate guide to the world of these wines. This practical handbook offers current information on wineries, tours, and tastings throughout Italy, plus listings for over 1,900 wine stores. For those visiting winery towns, over 60 detailed maps and itineraries are featured, with suggestions on where to enjoy the best wines and dine on the finest local cuisine...Read More
Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy
by Joseph Bastianich, David Lynch, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich (Contributor), Mario Batali (Contributor)
Book Description
An American guide to the wines of Italy. It surveys the country’s wine-producing regions; identifies key wine styles, producers, and vintages; and offers delicious regional recipes. Extensive reference materials—on Italy’s 300 growing zones, 361 authorized grape varieties, and 200 of the top producers.... Read More
U.S.
A History of Wine in America : From Prohibition to the Present
by Thomas Pinney
Publishers Weekly
In this comprehensive sequel to his History of Wine in America: From the Beginning to Prohibition (1989), Pinney delves into the legislation that has produced, and hampered, the creation of great American wine. It is a story of setbacks, confusing laws, bankruptcies and buyouts. Figures and statistics about all parts of the industry-from growers to wine makers to middlemen to connoisseurs-expand the focus beyond Napa. .... Read more
Wine Heritage: The Story of Italian-American Vintners
by Dick Rosano
Wine Business Monthly, March 2001
"A must for anyone interested in our wine culture, how we got here and how we can go farther."
Book Description
Foreword, Robert Mondavi Mondavi, Martini, Sebastiani, Gallo, Bargetto and Pirelli-Minetti. Who could deny the importance of Italians to the development of America's wine industry? It is little known that Italians have been planting vineyards and making wine in America since the early colonial days when Filio Mazzei was the vineyard consultant for Thomas Jefferson. Grapes were planted and nurtured in virtually every corner of America where Italians settled. Wine making was as sacrosanct as... read more
California
Wine
Spectator's California Wine
by James Laube (Preface)
Amazon.com
He may be employed by the magazine, but James Laube is no mere wine spectator. He's an active participant, as evidenced by Wine Spectator's California Wine, the completely revised second edition of his 1996 James Beard Award winner. Drawing on more than 50,000 personal tasting notes and two decades... Read more
Liquor
Scotland
and Its Whiskies : The Great Whiskies and Their Landscapes
by Michael Jackson
From Booklist
Rugged Scotland's climate is too chilly to grow wine grapes, but it does support fields of barley and rushing streams of crystal waters. These combine to make Scotch whisky, whose well-aged, single-malt varieties connoisseurs prize above all other distilled spirits save France's cognacs and... Read more
Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch
by Michael Jackson
Amazon.com
In Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, devotees of the dram can peruse the latest revised edition of the 1989 work. In 336 pages brimming with maps, photos, and informed overview of factors such as geography and flavor components--even proximity to the sea--Jackson sketches ...Read more
Cocktails
The Martini Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide
by Gary Regan, Mardee Haidin Regan, Steve Belkowitz
Ingram
Once the beverage of suave spies and millionaire socialites, the Martini is enjoying new-found popularity. Some consider it the ultimate drink of sophistication, with its crystal clarity and elegant glass. Here's the history of this inspiring cocktail, tasting notes for individual brands of gin... Read more
Bartender's Black Book, 7th Edition: 2,700 New and Classic Recipes
by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham
Book Description
The number-one, best-selling drink recipe book is updated in this new edition and has 100 new drinks; an expanded martini section (200 total) with tips, techniques and secrets (and a salute to the Big Apple); a huge list of dessert drinks and a piece on the world’s finest Cognac; a philosophical discussion on, and inventory of, Flavored Vodkas, Gins and Rums; and drinks that take a new slant on Floaters, Shooters and Layered Drinks.... Read more
The
World's Best Bartender's Guide : Professional Bartenders from
the World's Greatest Bars Teach You How to Mix the Perfect Drink
by Joseph Scott, Donald Bain
Book Description
Anyone can master the art of mixing the perfect drink--with all the confidence, style, and panache seen in the world's finest bars and restaurants. How? Ask the professionals. Now, for the first time, today's leading bartenders from the 50 best bars in the world reveal: the secrets of the classic... Read more
Beer
Ultimate Beer
by Michael Jackson
Amazon.com
With Ultimate Beer, Jackson homes in on the particulars: which beer, when, and why. After a concise overview of brewing ingredients and processes, Jackson explores a myriad of beers from every corner of the brewing world. His suggestions are organized by the situation in which they might best be enjoyed: from summer sippers to winter warmers, aperitifs to nightcaps. Enticing photography of each beer and its packaging accompanies Jackson's tasting notes, brief technical info, and product-specific tidbits. Then, Jackson indulges further with chapters on matching particular beers to particular dishes, and follows that up with a brief guide to cooking with beer... Read more
Michael
Jackson's Great Beer Guide
by Michael Jackson
Book Description
The world's 500 best beers!
Which beers are the best? Get the inside stories on Czech pilseners, German lagers, Belgian wheat beers and Trappist brews, classic British ales, Irish stouts, and American microbrews. The shelves of the supermarkets are packed with an every-changing array of beers from... Read more
Grossman's Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits
by Harold J. Grossman
Book Description
Turn to Grossman's Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits for quick answers to your questions about any alcoholic beverage and for insights into the history and origins of liquor. Whether you're looking for technical advice or interesting conversation pieces, this resource is sure to meet all of your needs.... Read more
Saké
Sake A Modern Guide
by Beau Timken, Sara Deseran, Scott Peterson (Photographer)
Book Description
This fun and informative guide demystifies an age-old wine and explains the many types of sake and how to properly taste their complex flavors. Beau Timken's foolproof TasteMatch system profiles 50 suggested sakes and provides their beer and wine flavor equivalents, creating a simple-yet-effective resource for finding a perfect match. Plus, recipes for 30 sake cocktails and 15 sake-friendly dishes make sake appropriate for any occasion... Read more
Sake Handbook
by John Gauntner
Book Description
This is simply the best and most comprehensive guide to sake, written by a leading expert on the subject of the fermented Japanese rice beverage that has exploded in popularity in the United States. ... Read more
Books for Novices
How to Taste : A Guide to Enjoying Wine
by Jancis Robinson
Amazon.com
Whether Montessori or Merlot, kindergarten or Cabernet, the importance of a good instructor during the formative years is crucial. That's why newcomers to the world of wine could do a lot worse than having a corkscrew in one hand and a copy of Jancis Robinson's How to Taste in the other. A revision of 1983's Masterglass and published in the U.K. under the superior title Jancis Robinson's Wine-Tasting Workbook, How to Taste is a primer by a certified Master of Wine and star of the PBS series Jancis Robinson's Wine Course. From acidity to Australian Shiraz, oak to Oregon Pinot, Robinson delivers chapters of information and theory, intermingled with shaded "Practice" exercises, presented in a style as off-dry as one of the author's beloved Rieslings (the tannin in a lesser vintage Barolo is "like sucking on a matchstick"). ... Read more
Perfect Pairings : A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food
by Evan Goldstein
Book Description
Perfect Pairings combines in-depth explorations of twelve grape varietals, sparkling wines, and dessert wines with guidance about foods that enhance the wide range of styles for each varietal. Whether the Chardonnay is earthy and flinty; rich, buttery, and oak-infused; fruity and tropical; or aged and mature, Goldstein explains how to match it with dishes that will make the wine sing. His clear, educational, and entertaining approach towards intimidating gastronomical questions provides information for all readers, professional and amateur alike.... Read More
Wine for Dummies
by Ed McCarthy, Mary Ewing-Mulligan
Amazon.com
By providing the context in which to begin exploring wine, Wine for Dummies can easily become the send-off for a lifelong education. The practical, jovial mentoring the authors provide encourages readers to chart their own course toward drinking great wine (although the authors naturally recommend dozens of their own favorites along the way)... Read More
