Wine Blog

Do you love wine but not know much about it? Do wine lists (and wine snobs) make you nervous? Is your default order at a bar or restaurant, “Gee, I guess I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay”? Well then, it’s time you learn your ABC—“Anything but Chardonnay!”—and join the other budding oenophiles who are discovering that there’s a whole wide wonderful world of wine beyond that mundane old standby.

Wine and food journalist Laura Holmes Haddad guides your exploration of scores of other well-known and not-so-well-known varieties of wine grapes: albariño and falanghina, riesling and tempranillo, carbernet franc and malbec (and many, many more). Haddad recognizes that gaining knowledge about wine can be an intimidating prospect, and so she’s written her timely new guide in a style that’s smart, lively, and very accessible to the non-expert reader.

Anything But Chardonnay is organized by the basic types of wine: red, white, bubbly, and dessert. In addition to her clear descriptions of each grape and the typical characteristics of the wines made from it, Haddad provides valuable information on wine regions, producers, prices, and pairing wines with food—all enlivened with splashes of fascinating wine trivia and lovely illustrations.