Ideal for both beginners and those more experienced, The Art of Making Wine and Liqueurs is a comprehensive guide, with clear instructions and plenty of helpful diagrams and drawings. For those wishing to cultivate their own vineyard, there%u2019s even a section on the growing, care, and use of grapes.
The definitive, illustrated guide to the best food and wine partnerships, from two experts on the subject. The book is divided into food groups--such as vegetables, fish, meat--and is then broken down by individual ingredients. Recipes are used to demonstrate the points with the key matching wines. Useful boxes cross-reference to other ingredients and cookingtyles, while wine checklists allow quick-reference.
More than 100 photographs taken by well-known wine industry photographer Sara Matthews have been collected in this beautiful new book. Matthews creates striking images that emphasize the play of shape, color, light and shadow, and captures the unique diversity and spectacular beauty of Chile's vineyards and wineries.
Comprehensive definitions for more than 3500 wine-related terms. Overflowing with a rich blend of fact and detail, this intriguing guide makes the world of wine less mysterious and more enjoyable to everyone. Definitions are alphabetically arranged and include pronunciations. A broad range of listings features information on specific wines, grape varieties, ordering wine at a restaurant, storing left-over wine, the world's wine-growing regions, and more. Includes charts, tables, maps, and tip sheets on various subjects.
The author of the surprise hit Judgment of Paris uncorks another fascinating, extensively researched expos on wine: to cork or not to cork. Calling on his journalistic training and passion for wine, Taber traces the history of the cork and examines its modern substitutions.
Drive beyond the dusty provincial towns and the Chilean landscape is carpeted with 1?4 million acres of grapes that ripen perfectly in bright sunlight, warm days, and cool evenings. Labor, land, and grape prices are low, so Chilean wineries can make high quality wines at a fraction of the cost of those in California, Australia or Europe. Walker Elliott Rowe weaves a narrative of the Chilean people and culture, introducing the reader to many characters both inside and outside the wine business. The towering Andes Mountains are not the only item looming over the Chilean horizon-this progressive country, where the sentiment for socialism is strong, is still dealing with the ghosts of the former military dictator. Through his narrative, Rowe illustrates the irony of Chile's strong system of capitalism that leaves most people working long hours at low wages.
In the last decade, icewine has become a phenomenon among wine lovers. In the first comprehensive volume exploring this delicious dessert wine, John Schreiner reveals its fascinating history and tells the stories of the eccentric risktakers who have made it a favorite indulgence worldwide.<p< Like many good things, icewine had accidental beginnings -- an early frost caught grapes still on the vine. The desperate winemaker pressed the grapes anyway, and voila -- a rich, sweet dessert wine was discovered. At first, icewine was only made in Germany and Austria on those rare occasions when climate conditions permitted. Few winemakers dared to risk leaving grapes on the vine beyond the regular harvest. The necessary frost sometimes never came, the grapes were vulnerable to strong winds, and hungry birds and wild boar could devour entire crops in hours. But inventive and persistent winemakers found ways to protect the grapes. Industry standards were established to ensure a high-quality product. With the growth of the wine industry in North America in the 1970s and '80s, icewine became a natural for the vineyards of the northern United States and Canada, where winters produce the necessary deep freeze every year. And creative marketing made wine drinkers aware of this exciting new wine. Today icewine rivals Sauternes as the dessert wine of choice. Anyone with an interest in wine will delight in this absorbing tour through the world of icewine, and will find it an invaluable reference for purchasing, collecting and enjoying icewine. With his extensive knowledge of the current wine scene. John Schreiner is in an ideal position to write this the first authoritative guide to icewine
From aperitif to digestif, approach every meal with savvy and grace. We ve all experienced Fancy-Pants Restaurant Jitters at some point the fear that you will unknowingly commit some fine-dining crime, whether it s using the wrong fork, picking an amateur wine, mispronouncing foie gras, or gasping when your fish entre e arrives with its head still attached. Relax. The Mere Mortal s Guide to Fine Dining is the ultimate antidote to restaurant anxiety. Where does your napkin go when you leave the table? Should you sniff the wine cork? And why, pray tell, are there so many forks? This comprehensive and accessible primer answers these and dozens of other questions and offers the basics on every aspect of fine dining, including: * How to navigate a place setting* Speaking menu-ese and the language of fine food* A refresher on polite and polished table manners* 911 for wine novices* A carnivore s guide to beef, pork, lamb, and veal* What local, sustainable, and organic really mean* Japanese dining dos and don ts* Who s who on a restaurant s staff* How to be a regular or get the perks like one* Top restaurants across the country* What the food snobs know (and you should, too)* And much more With a little help, any Mere Mortal can order wine with confidence, get great, attitude-free service, decipher menus, and finally, truly, savor any dining experience.
Dispensing with the obscure and hard-to-find wines covered by so many critics and wine guides, Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson showcases the most popular and available wines in stores and restaurants. Her tasting notes and reviews include popular ratings from consumers and experts who contribute reviews on her website, www.andreawine.com. In addition to ratings of more than 800 wines, the book is packed with quick-reference tools including Best-Of lists of the top-scoring wines in each grape and style, Cuisine Complements wine and food pairing suggestions, an invaluable restaurant wine list decoder, and a mini-course to get readers quickly up to speed on wine basics. It's all in a fun-to-read, handy pocket-purse-glovebox-sized format.
Back in print! The story of Napa Valley winemaking is the story of its peopletheir triumphs and failures, their passion and commitment, and their ongoing struggle to produce world-class wines. In Michael Chiarello's stories and profiles, we meet the people who make the wine that gives Napa Valley its singular reputation. As Chiarello points out, the best wines are more than just grapes, soil, and weather; there is a hint of the winemaker's we can taste the history and effort that has shaped every glass. In addition, the book includes vignettes that explain the winemaking process as a series of critical decisionswhich varietals to plant where, how to trellis, whether to use barrel fermentation or stainless steel, what method of blending is best, even what kind of cork to use. Includes 6 menus, 20 recipes in all created by Chiarello for special Napa Valley celebrations with the profiled winemakers.
Not Too Long Ago, American wine was an object of ridicule. When compared to the great growths of Europe, it played in the minor leagues--if it even played the same game. All that has changed. At the start of the twenty-first century, the finest American wines hold their own with the best made anywhere. But which wines are these? And who are the people responsible for them? Because American vineyards are largely devoid of tradition, American vintners have had to make choices unknown to their Old World counterparts. These involve which grapes to grow, where best to plant the vines, and, most important, how to create rather than merely emulate truly distinctive wines. The Great Wines of America tells the story of how those choices, made successfully, have elevated American wine to unprecedented heights of quality and renown.
This reference tells the story of how American vintners' choices about which grapes to grow, where best to plant the vines, and how to create distinctive wines have elevated American wine to unprecedented heights of quality and renown.
A fascinating photographic tour of historic Napa wineries, more than a dozen which have come back to life. Extensively researched by a resident grape grower/historian. The historical details and photographs of more than 65 wineries bring vision of the vibrant California wine industry of more than 100 years ago. The roots of many of today's great vintners are exposed in these photos and historical vignettes.
This user-friendly and highly discerning Field Guide focuses on the Golden State's most popular and newsworthy wine regions--from Napa Valley to the Central Coast to fast-growing Baja. This full-flavored guide will please the palates and temperaments of beginning and experienced wine enthusiasts alike, with all the breadth and expertise readers expect from Sunset. Based on rigorous in-the-field research by two of Sunset magazine's most respected staffers, the recommendations are intentionally selective, rather than comprehensive, directing readers only to California's best wineries and wine-country travel experiences. California Wine Country has all the bells and whistles of a classic travel guide: compact size, gorgeous maps, concise itineraries, and colorful illustrations. Plus easy-to-follow listings for everything from can't-miss wineries to must-see, off-the-path discoveries. And, of course, all the essentials for planning an exceptional trip: information on lodging, restaurants, routes, destinations, and activities.
It was while enjoying a friend's bottle of out-of-state wine that renowned Napa Valley wine photographer Charles O?Rear and his wife, Daphne, decided to embark on the ultimate wine road trip. Eighteen months and 50, 000 miles later, WINE ACROSS AMERICA presents the fruits of their journey, documenting the passion and pride of winegrowers, winemakers, and wine drinkers from New England to Florida, Alaska to Hawaii, and everywhere in between. The first photography book to showcase American wine country, this lavishly illustrated tribute will inform, entertain, and inspire readers to see and taste the American wine revolution for themselves.
New in paper! Entertaining and accessible, this guide illuminates the meaning of wine through the ages?which like gold, has consistently generated passions that verge on mania. Variously regarded as a sacred, religious drink, and inebriant, and even the work of the Devil, wine has always been much more than a commodity. Spanning the globe, from Hunter Valley to the Rhine, from Napa Valley to Burgundy, this volume is an astonishingly enjoyable guide to the social, cultural, and economic worlds in a bottle. Phillips recreates each of the great eras of wine consumption, with their very different values and palates, and vividly conveys the sheer formidableness of much that has been drunk and enjoyed.
Sniff the bouquet, take a sip; do you have enough knowledge to judge the quality of the wine in your glass, and appreciate its sublime flavors? One of the most respected lecturers on wine tells you everything you need to know from understanding the grape to reading a bottle to doing an actual tasting--all in a comprehensive, structured course.
Taste is a funny thing. Not ha-ha funny, but peculiar funny. Even the definition of the word is a little confusing. It is both a verb and a noun. It means to eat or to drink; to have or to get experience; a manner or a style.This, then, is the first barrier to enjoying wine. All too often the wine lover is fed information from a taster rather than from his own palate because the tools necessary, the how-tos of tasting itself, aren't readily available. Sure, we all know what we like and dislike, but the world of wine, once it is opened up, is a wondrous and varied one. What is needed to capture the full breadth of wine is a knowledge of how to read your own senses and an understanding of what factors determine your preferences.Winetaster's Secrets focuses on this very facet of wine. Step by step, this book reveals how it's done; how the experts, and now you, can determine and evaluate wine quality. It does so in a manner that neither simplifies or complicates the subject.The object is threefold: -- to encourage the reader to expand the use of his/her natural senses, increasing the enjoyment of all wines-- to help develop the ability to judge consistently and accurately the quality of a wide array of wines, independent of the tastes of others-- to foster appreciation of the differences in qualitative and nonqualitative wine characteristics-- In addition, Winetaster's Secrets addresses the issues that have often been avoided in previous publications, including: -- age in the taster and the wine-- burnt wine -- brandy -- how to taste and judge it-- a chilling experience -- ice wine -- tasting techniques-- scoring systems, how they work and which system work better than others-- The result is a precise, enjoyable book.
This book takes an irreverent look the development of Britain's national tastes. The eclectic scope of the book includes a discussion of the wine list at the coronation of George VI, the impact of French Chateau legislation in 1855 upon the obsessive Victorian claret fiends of the day, the explosion of Hock as the typical plonk of the 1970s, and the many frauds, marketing ploys, and outrages perpetrated on the traditionally naive British market over the years. Lavishly illustrated with paintings, photographs, labels, and woodcuts, this light-hearted journey through the cultural history of wine is a wonderful book for anyone who enjoys a glass or two.
Pinney covers new ground and new research, and treats the entire period in a new way. [ History of Wine in America] will be welcomed by scholars and by wine enthusiasts. --Dr. James Lapsley, University of California, Davis A worthy successor to Pinney's landmark H istory of Wine in America: From the Beginnings to Prohibition, and like that volume evidencing a wealth of knowledge, presented with grace and style. In addition to telling fascinating stories, both of these books are invaluable references. Anyone interested in the history of American wine should read them.--Paul Lukacs, author of American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine I am confident the term definitive will apply to this work for innumerable vintages to come. Wine lovers from New England to California now have one place to turn for the history of their favorite beverage, wherever in America its grapes are grown. --Charles L. Sullivan, author of A Companion to California Wine and Zinfandel An essential reference book for anyone wishing to sound authoritative at the dinner table. --Bruce Cass, editor of The Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America
A concise and accessible history of a true American, and Californian, wine grape varietal that illuminates its mysterious origins and relates its compelling journey from humble obscurity to cult following.
This book demystifies viticulture in a way that helps the reader understand the environmental and economic conditions necessary in the art and practice of wine making.
A fun and fascinating examination of a vineyards geography, this book takes connoisseurs--and would-be connoisseurs--on a tour of wine regions and explains the principles geographers use to understand the critical factors that make up the wine character of a place. Illustrated.
Winescapes are unique agricultural landscapes that are shaped by the presence of vineyards, wine-making activities, and the wineries where wines are produced and stored. Where viticulture is successfu
There is no better way to enjoy wine than at its source, and it is in Europe, the birthplace of wine, that you can find still the most beautiful vineyards in the world. Wine Country Europe is a dream tour of the Old World's most celebrated regions, from the famed areas of France and Italy to lesser-known discoveries in Austria and Hungary. These breathtakingly picturesque wineries make for perfect travel destinations, and in full-color photographs throughout, the book reveals the amazing variety of landscapes that foster vineyards throughout the continent. The authors, both Italian natives, give insider's tips on which vintners give the most entertaining tours, what to ask for in the tasting rooms, and how you can experience firsthand the terroir that makes each region unique. Each of the twenty chapters focuses on a particular region and includes not just descriptions of the wineries and labels, but also recommendations for nearby restaurants, hotels, and attractions. Whether indulging in armchair travel or embarking for a real trip of tasting and touring, Wine Country Europe offers an irresistible look at Europe's most inviting wineries.
More than any other country in the world, it is Italy that we turn to for gastronomic inspiration. 101 Beautiful Towns of Italy: Food and Wine takes readers along on a one-of-a-kind tour through the tantalizing tastes of Italy's varied landscape to explore hilltop and seaside towns, where the flavors of Italy scent the air, a good meal is considered the highest form of art, and a fine bottle of wine is never hard to come by. In Alba, savor the refined taste of the white truffle accompanied by a hearty glass of Barolo. Head to Parma for a sampling of prosciutto di Parma, and don't forget to pick up a wheel of parmigiano-reggiano. Travel to the hills of Tuscany, where a glass of red Vino Nobile di Montepulciano accompanies your meal of filetto d'anatra con tartufo (truffled duck breast) and to Campania, home of Naples, the Amalfi coastline, and, of course, pizza, in its many forms, but almost always topped with mozzarella di bufala. Descriptive sidebars key readers in to the best restaurants in town, where to buy the ingredients to prepare the dishes featured (and where to shop for the wine to accompany them) as well as tips on what to see during a visit. A sprinkling of recipes rounds out this information-packed resource. Included is an appendix with in-depth listings to help travelers plan their culinary journeys: what wine cellars to visit, where to dine, and how to navigate a busy market.Whether you're an armchair traveler or an Italophile planning another trip, this volume provides an excellent guide.
A beautifully illustrated book that brings together the unique story of over fifty-five of France's most beautiful wine villages. Provides information about the communities and their history, wines, and grape varieties. There is an an extraordinary diversity of regions, villages, and vineyards that together comprise one of the world's best-loved and best-known wine countries. The Most Beautiful Wine Villages of France show cases over fifty-five of the most beautiful of France's wine villages. From Chablis to Sancerre to St-Emilion to Menerbes the book explores the character and geography of the villages through the eyes of one of France's most respected wine writers combined with over 200 beautiful full-color photographs. There are also useful boxes and full-colour illustrations that highlight key wine facts about each village.
A sequel to the highly successful One Hundred and One Beautiful Small Towns in Italy, this book expands the series to include the most enchanting hamlets of France.
