Wine Books

It's National Drink Wine Day!  Here are 10 books to get you started.

Complete Wine Selector: How to Choose the Right Wine Every Time by Katherine Cole - Complete Wine Selector aims to remove the fear and restore the fun and confidence in buying and enjoying wine. Presented in a compellingly original, visual "info-bites" format, it strips away wine's intimidating facade to convey all the information needed in a truly helpful way. Wine drinkers will be able to choose wine in any setting with complete confidence.
The book's features include:
Introduction to Wine Styles -- How to determine your top 10 preferred wine styles
Buying Wine -- How to find and buy the 10 wine styles from supermarkets, specialist wine shops, internet retailers, and at auction
The Greatest Wine Shops -- 20 best wine shops in Europe, the USA, Australia & New Zealand, and Asia
Restaurant Wine Lists -- Expert advice from sommeliers on how to use a wine list, what to look for, choices by cuisine, plus Q and As
Do Vintages Matter? -- 10 top sommeliers and chefs reveal their favorite matches in style terms
Storing Wine -- Top 10 dos and don'ts, wine cellars, wine fridges
Tools of the Trade -- Wine accessories, tips on opening, decanting, pouring and serving; glasses and serving temperature for 10 wine styles; the 10 most common wine faults; a host's checklist
The World of Wine Made Simple -- Visually arresting, easy-to-read charts for an at-a-glance guide to how red, white, sparkling and fortified wines are made; vineyard years
Rules to Remember -- Easy-to-read graphical reminders summarize the most important points for easy reference.
Packed with expert advice from some of the world's best sommeliers and winemakers, and using vivid, content-rich layouts and graphics, Complete Wine Selector is a new classic guide for a new generation of wine drinkers. Older (and still anxious) wine drinkers will benefit too!

Drink This: Wine Made Simple by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl - Ever been baffled by a wine list, stood perplexed before endless racks of bottles at the liquor store, or ordered an overpriced bottle out of fear of the scathing judgment of a restaurant sommelier? Before she became a James Beard Award--winning food and wine writer, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl experienced all these things. Now she presents a handy guide that will show you how to stop being overwhelmed and intimidated, how to discover, respect, and enjoy your own personal taste, and how to be whatever kind of wine person you want to be, from budding connoisseur to someone who simply gets wine you like every time you buy a bottle.
Refreshingly simple, irreverent, and witty, Drink This explains all the insider stuff that wine critics assume you know. It will teach you how to taste and savor wine, alone, with a friend, or with a group. And perhaps most important, this book gives you the tools to learn the only thing that really matters about wine: namely, figuring out what you like.

The History of Wine in 100 Bottles: From Bacchus to Bordeaux and Beyond by Oz Clarke - Winemaking is as old as civilization itself, and this illuminating volume takes a unique approach to that history: by exploring 100 bottles that have had the biggest impact on the evolution of wine. Moving from the first cork tops to screw caps, renowned wine writer Oz Clarke presents such landmarks as the introduction of the cylindrical wine bottle in the 1780s; the first estate to bottle and label its own wine (formerly sold in casks to merchants only); the most expensive bottle sold at auction and the oldest unopened bottle; the change in classifications; and the creation of numerous famous vintages.

A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry From the Stone Age to the Present by Mark Forsyth - Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there's drink there's drunkenness. But in every age and in every place drunkenness is a little bit different. It can be religious, it can be sexual, it can be the duty of kings or the relief of peasants. It can be an offering to the ancestors, or a way of marking the end of a day's work. It can send you to sleep, or send you into battle. A Brief History of Drunkenness traces humankind's love affair with booze from our primate ancestors through to Prohibition and modern Japanese Nomikai. On the way, learn about the Neolithic Shamans, who drank to communicate with the spirit world (no pun intended), marvel at the beer King Midas was buried with, and attempt to resist the urge to try the Aztecs' alcoholic hot chocolate. From Australia's only military coup - the Rum Rebellion - to the gin epidemic of eighteenth-century London, Forsyth elegantly presents a history of the world at its inebriated best.

Stuff Every Wine Snob Should Know by Melissa Monosoff - Wine may be one of the world's oldest beverages, but it's never been a better time to pour a glass. Whether you prefer robust reds or crisp, zippy whites, you'll find lots to drink in in this pocket-sized guide packed with information, how-tos, and trivia for wine enthusiasts of every variety. Seasoned sommeliers and newbie wine fans alike will learn expert tasting techniques, which glassware to use and when, how to pair wine with food, how to build a wine collection (no fancy cellar needed!) and even how to open a bottle of wine when no one brought a corkscrew. Plus, guides to wine lingo, proper serving temperatures, and the best wines for every price point.

Wild Winemaking: Easy and Adventurous Recipes Going Beyond Grapes by Richard Bender - Making wine at home just got more fun, and easier, with Richard Bender's experiments. Whether you're new to winemaking or a seasoned pro, you'll find this innovative manual accessible, thanks to its focus on small batches that require minimal equipment and use an unexpected range of readily available fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs. The ingredient list is irresistibly curious. How about banana wine or dark chocolate peach? Plum champagne or sweet potato saké? Chamomile, sweet basil, blood orange Thai dragon, kumquat cayenne, and even cannabis rhubarb wines have earned a place in Bender's flavor collection. Go ahead, give it a try.

The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil - Wine is more popular than ever. And Karen MacNeil's revised second edition of The Wine Bible is the indispensable guide for novices, experts, and everyone in-between. Like the first edition, MacNeil opens with a chapter on 'Mastering Wine,' including sections on What Makes Wine Wine, How to Taste Like a Professional, and What Are the 10 Important Questions Every Wine Drinker Asks (with their answers). She goes on to explore the wine regions of each wine-producing country--including sections on the vineyards, grapes, history and culture, foods, wineries and flavours and characteristics of wine regions. She write about the classic regions (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany) and also the newer regions in China, Japan, Mexico, and Slovenia. In her friendly, conversational tone, that made her first edition so popular, she answers questions like 'Are Women Better Wine Tasters than Men?' and explains 'The Myth of Cabernet and Chocolate'.
The Wine Bible is a comprehensive, accurate, painstakingly re-researched source for all people interested in wine, that inspires and educates through the passion of Karen MacNeil.

Wine Folly: The Master Guide by Madeline Puckette - The expanded wine guide from the creators of WineFolly.com, packed with new information for devotees and newbies alike.
Wine Folly became a sensation for its inventive, easy-to-digest approach to learning about wine. Now in a new, expanded hardcover edition, Wine Folly: The Master Guide is the perfect guide for anyone looking to take his or her wine knowledge to the next level. Wine Folly: The Master Guide includes:
  *  more than 100 grapes and wines color-coded by style so you can easily find new wines you'll love;
  *  a wine region explorer with detailed maps of the top wine regions, as well as up-and-coming areas such as Greece and Hungary;
  *  wine labeling and classification 101 for wine countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Austria;
  *  an expanded food and wine pairing section;
  *  a primer on acidity and tannin--so you can taste wine like a pro;
  *  more essential tips to help you cut through the complexity of the wine world and become an expert.
Wine Folly: The Master Guide is the must-have book for the millions of fans of WineFolly.com and for any budding oenophile who wants to boost his or her wine knowledge in a practical and fun way. It's the ultimate gift for any wine lover.

Wine Isn't Rocket Science: A Quick and Easy Guide to Understanding, Buying, Tasting, and Pairing Every Type of Wine by Ophelie Neiman - Rocket science is complicated, wine doesn't have to be! With information presented in an easy, illustrated style, and chock-full of the fool-proof and reliable knowledge of a seasoned oenophile, Wine Isn't Rocket Science is the guide you always wished existed. From how grapes are grown, harvested and turned into wine, to judging the color, aroma, and taste of the world's most popular varietals, to understanding terroir and feeling confident ordering and serving wine at any occasion, this book explains it all in the simplest possible way. Every page, every piece of information, and every detail is illustrated in charming and informative four-color drawings that explain concepts at a glance.

Wine: A Tasting Course by Marnie Old - Can't smell honeysuckle in that glass of sauvignon blanc, or wondering which end of a bottle of chianti is the "nose"? With this immersive guide to all things wine you'll soon become an expert. Discover which wines you like and why, read about the journey from grape to glass, and build on your understanding with vibrant infographics in this fresh take on the world of wine.
Easy to understand and jargon-free, this no-nonsense book will help you to appreciate talking, tasting, and enjoying wine in everyday life. Explore red wines and white, and those all-important food and wine pairings, then get to grips with grape varieties and regions. Drink alongside your discoveries with fun wine tasting tests that cover wines from all over the world and learn key wine facts in "Did you know" boxes.
Wine: A Tasting Course is perfect for anyone looking for a practical guide to wine tasting that focuses on enjoying and understanding wine for yourself, rather than for others.