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Best Wine – Grapes into Wine

Wineguy — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:00:16 +0000

Grapes into Wine
Customer Review: A review of Wagners “Grapes into Wine”
A great compliment to Wagner’s “A wine Growers Guide”.

These two books are virtually bibles to the grape grower and amateur winemaker. If you have one, you will no doubt enjoy and use the other as well. “A wine growers guide” has helped me immensely in establishing my seven acre vinifera vineyard near the Southeast shore of Lake Erie. “Grapes Into Wine” is as absorbing and informative as the previous work.

Customer Review: Nice exposition on the history and process of winemaking
Philip Wagner’s death in 1997 was a loss to the winemaking community. Wagner lived through a broad period of wine history. His significant life experience spans prohibition through an illustrious life as a successful commercial winemaker. Wagner practiced what he preached. His life honors a love for the grape and the art of turning grapes into wine.

His book, “Grapes into Wine,” chronicles the history of winemaking told from the perspective of one who knows the subject. This book is not a step-by-step guide towards the process of making a fine wine; it’s an exposition on the history and high-level science of grapes and grape growing (viticulture) and the cultivation of grapes, and the manufacture of wine (viniculture).

Wagner explains the origins of winemaking, from its earliest documented sources to the present. He describes the early French winemaking period, the effects of phylloxera and other diseases that practically wiped-out this industry, the emergence of east and west coast American wine making, prohibition, and winemaking in the modern world. He then delves into the process of winemaking, both commercially and in small lots. Sugar and bacterial (malolactic) fermentation are described historically and as a modern process. He discusses the entire process of winemaking, from pitching the yeast, to racking, cold stabilizing, fining, and finally bottling. Common pitfalls are cited with a description of how these problems are addressed on a small and large scale. Different wine types are discussed, including dry, sparkling, fortified, and sweet. The book ends with a brief discussion about wine tasting. A number of Appendices are also included as are numerous pictures that give a glimpse into historical periods, people, tools and machinery, and places.

While Wagner describes the winemaking process in some detail, it’s not written as a guide towards making wine. For this, I’d suggest Jon Iverson’s book, “Home Winemaking Step-by-Step.” Iverson takes amateur winemakers by the hand and guides them through the necessary steps towards the creation of a finished table wine. Wagner’s book describes this process topically, touching on the details but not describing them in a step-by-step fashion.

The cover of this book states, “A newly written, completely up-to-date version of his now-classic American Wines and Wine-making, with new maps, charts, and illustrations.” I think this was true at one time, but from my perspective in 2003, this book more closely reflects the 1976 revision.

For example, p.64 shows a chart of California wine production from 1956 to 1973 in millions of gallons. Yet on the p.67 a 1982 note references how production has increased in 1980. It seems this note was inserted to make it more current while the preceding text was left untouched. I would rather have seen the chart updated to include wine production into the 1980s or 1990s rather than end in 1973. Eliminate the note and update the text and graphic. Much of the book is from the perspective of 1976.

This aside, Wagner’s book is a superbly valuable text. I don’t mean to give the impression it is sorely outdated; it’s not outdated in a way that degrades the value of what he has written. Wagner has documented a snapshot of history and I have enjoyed the book immensely. Many chapters I’ve read numerous times. I especially enjoy the chapters on the history of viniculture and viticulture. Wagner is gifted in his historical knowledge and I think these beginning chapters are the book’s crowning achievement.

Highly recommended, I only wish Wagner was alive to provide an update that includes a look into the 21st Century.

Bar Wine – Vinifera: The World’s Great Wine Grapes And Their Stories

Wineguy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:00:29 +0000

Vinifera: The World’s Great Wine Grapes And Their Stories
Boxed Set of 40 Wine Grape Varietal Reference Cards. Featuring color photos, interesting history, lore and food pairings for 40 glorious wine producing varietals. A set of fascinating wine cards, or more specifically, wine grape reference cards. The information contained in these wine grape cards is fun, educational, informative and often obscure. The photographs are colorful and sumptous. An excellent wine gift for any host or hostess. A perfect Holiday gift such Mother’s Day, Father’s Day Valentines’ day or Christmas. Learn about Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Aglianico, Albarino, Viognier, Merlot, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, and many others. Ideal for wine tasting parties and blind wine tastings.

Customer Review: Wow!
I recieved this deck of cards as a hostess gift and was blown away by the detail and information that is on each card; the color photographs are absolutely stunning. The pairing suggestions on the back make choosing that perfect wine for your next meal a cinch and with 40 cards of different grape varieties, there are endless opportunities to explore… everytime I go to a friends house I bring a deck of these cards and a bottle of wine- they make for great conversation during the evening. These are a MUST!!!!!!!!!

Customer Review: CAN LEARN A LOT FAST
This is a really good wine guide, because it’s not like a wine guide at all. It’s fun. The photographs of the grapes are really beautiful. You’re not used to seeing the grapes themsleves in the field (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio…etc.), so that context kind of gives you a new appreciation of what’s in the bottle. The information is a fun read, too. It’s got historical notes, where the names of the grapes come from, fun little stories, plus its packed with wine knowledge, but totally accessable. I didn’t know all that much about wines and this reference pack has made me a lot more comfortable ordering and talking about wine.

Wine online – Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines: The definitive guide to the world’s great grapes and the wines they make

Wineguy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:13 +0000

Richard Sanford leads 2012 wine hall of fame inductees – Los Angeles Times
Central Coast wine pioneer Richard Sanford is among the inductees into the 2012 Vintner’s Hall of Fame, to be celebrated in February at the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in St. Helena, Calif. Sanford started one of the first

Food & Wine events: South Bay, Oct. 20-25 – San Jose Mercury News
Christopher Kimball: 7 p.m. Oct. 20. Meet the food guru, publisher and editor of “The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook: 2000 Recipes from 20 Years of America’s Most Trusted Food Magazine.” Books Inc., 301 Castro St., Mountain View. Free. 428-1234

Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines: The definitive guide to the world’s great grapes and the wines they make

First published in hardcover as Oz Clarke’s Encyclopedia of Grapes, Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines is newly revised and updated to provide the most current information on an even wider array of grapes. Oz covers chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and fifteen other “classic” grapes in depth, and includes features on tradition and innovation, methods used in the vineyard and the winery, and different wine styles around the world. He also provides vivid descriptions of more than three hundred grape varieties organized in his renowned A-to-Z format, as well as a glossary of technical terms and a wine decoder that lists which grapes go into which wines.

This authoritative volume by one of the world’s great wine writers is all you need to distinguish among grape varieties— the wines they create and the flavors they contribute—and to make an informed choice on selecting the most satisfying wines.

Customer Review: Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines: The definitive guide to the world’s great grapes and the wines they make
Excellent resource for understanding grape origins,vintages, and vintners. Many pearls of knowledge that will lead to exlporing great wines.

Customer Review: Grapes Galore
Completely updated, you can test this, learning the recent discoveries about the origins of Zinfandel and Primitivo grapes.(pag 293).
You can learn a little more about native portuguese grapes.
You would enjoy having a kind of glossary to “translate”:
which grapes make which wines !,
so you can travel Europe strange names in the wine label, either from terroirs, clos, crus, vineyards, vignerons or wine-makers and evem fantasy names. Perfect for you, who love choosing wine by their grapes.
Schiffini, J. P. (Founder member of The Century Club)

Make Wine – De Long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table

Wineguy — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:00:12 +0000

Utah families help with the comeback of historic Tokaj grapes at Hungarian winery – Salt Lake Tribune
This welcome infestation creates unique flavors and makes the grapes phenomenal for wine. Tokaj wines are made using only white grapes, mostly Furmint (similar to chenin blanc), Harslevelu (similar to gewürztraminer) and muscat. Located in the

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De Long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table
Learn about Wine the Visual Way.

You consider yourself fairly open minded about wine. You’re familiar with the big five — Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay — and are getting comfortable with more obscure grape varieties: the occasional Albarino, Petite Sirah, or Viognier. But just when you thought you had the situation under control, your waiter suggests a Lagrein, your local liquor store is pushing Xynomavro, and your friends now swear by Pineau d’Aunis. What to do?

The popular wine reference, De long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table has been improved and expanded. Just as with the first edition, the world of wine grapes is organized in a clear, concise and easy to use reference similar to a periodic table. The table contains 184 red and white grape varieties organized by both body (vertically) and acidity (horizontally). The Wine Indexes, which help to answer the bacchanalian question “what grape are you drinking?”, now include all wine regions worldwide. To fit all the additional information in, the table is now 24 x 36 inches (printed on 110 lb. acid-free archival paper), and the indexes now comprise an 88 page perfect-bound book. The table and index book are packaged in an attractive and sturdy gift box.

It makes a great gift for novice or expert lovers of wine and is the first in the De Long’s Wine Info Series, a concise set of wine information guides.

Customer Review: top chart
An excellent tool for training, eduction or just curiosity. It is very easy to understand and reference.

Customer Review: Fabulous Chart.
I have many friends who enjoy wine, some of them in the food/hospitality business. They are all jealous of this chart.

Best Wine – Backroads of the California Wine Country: Your Guide to the Wine Country’s Most Scenic Backroad Adventures (Backroads of …)

Wineguy — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:00:15 +0000

Backroads of the California Wine Country: Your Guide to the Wine Country’s Most Scenic Backroad Adventures (Backroads of …)

Wine Grapes have been cultivated in California’s verdant valleys since the days of the Spanish missions in the eighteenth century. Since the 1970s, the California wine country has been among the world’s premier wine-growing regions, and California wines hold their own against the best of Europe and elsewhere. Beyond the well-known vintners of the Sonoma and Napa valleys, the Golden State is home to quality wine producers from Mendocino to Santa Barbara. The temperate climate and lush landscapes that make this state an ideal locale for wine production also offer spectacular scenery for leisurely drives and backroads adventures. A tour through the wine country is a tour through the history of California, a journey back to the Old West, a wilderness adventure, an encounter with American literary icons, and much more. The mystique and history of California’s wine regions are captured in full glory in Backroads of the California Wine Country. From the misty northern appellations of Mendocino County to the hot, dry flatlands of Paso Robles, in the wilds of the Santa Cruz Mountains and along the placid Russian River, writer Karen Misuraca and photographer Gary Crabbe lead you on an informative and colorful tour of the most spectacular landscapes of California, offering myriad excursions for wine-lovers and weekend adventurers alike.

Customer Review: Past the Tasting Rooms into the Gorgeous Hills!
When many people visit California to tour wineries, they head for Napa Valley on the weekend and sit in traffic jams for hours on route 29. Realizing that everyone in the slowly moving train may not be totally sober, the visitors think about how much they would like to be someplace else. A little known fact is that there are back roads into virtually every wine region in California that offer stunning vistas, gorgeous greenery and constantly changing scenes around every curve.

Backroads of the California Wine Country is a great resource for those inexperienced visitors. Otherwise, these well-meaning travelers will miss the best of what the wine country has to offer: Scintillating scenery!

The photographs do a great job of picking up on the amazing sights. Here are a few of my favorites:

p. 6 — The moon rises over vineyards in Napa County’s Carneros region

p. 11 — A dramatic sunset over Napa Valley wine country

p. 13 — Cirrus clouds float above the hills of the Redwood Valley of Mendocino County

pp. 18-19 — The early morning sky glows orange in the hills above Ukiah

p. 22 — Orr Springs Road twists and turns through some of the most pristine and dramatic landscapes in wine country

p. 30 — This lovely tree-lined drive leads to Fetzer Vineyards, a wholly organic winery and the sixth-largest premium wine producer in the country

p. 31 — The warm valleys around Hopland offer an ideal climate for growing grapes as well as apples and pears

p. 34 — Mount Konocti, illuminated by the setting sun, looms large above this Lake County vineyard

p. 35 — Peaceful at sunrise, Clear Lake State Park

p. 35 — The vibrant flower gardens of Tulip Hill Winery

p. 38 — A distant moon sets beyond a winter vineyard in the Valley of the Moon

pp. 42-43 — Vineyards stretch across the Alexander Valley in northern Sonoma County

p. 47 — Downtown Geyserville is lined with charming buildings

p. 83 — A rainbow forms

p. 90 — Hot air ballooning

p. 94 — Winery at Groth Vineyards

p. 99 — Grape vines and mustard plants

Nice work, Mr. Crabbe!

The text is equally inspired with a nice mix of California history, wine background, local features, and suggestions for activities you can enjoy. The text is also well endowed with maps to show you the directions of the backroads that you are being encouraged to pursue.

Here are some of the unexpected materials:

p. 24 — Seabiscuit’s home in Willits

p. 36 — Organic farming methods

p. 45 — Cyrus Alexander’s founding of the Alexander Valley

p. 61 — Jack London in the Sonoma Valley

p. 89 — The soil of Rutherford

p. 108 — Apple Hill, east of Placerville

p. 117 — The Gold Rush

p. 125 — Covered bridges

p. 133 — Steinbeck’s world

Here are the areas covered:

The Redwood Valley in Mendocino County
Anderson Valley
Hopland and the McDowell Valley
Lake County
Alexander Valley
Dry Creek Valley
The Russian River Valley
Green Valley
Valley of the Moon
Sonoma Valley
Northern Napa Valley
St. Helena
Eastern Napa Valley
Yountville
Oakville
Mount Veeder
Town of Napa
Wooden Valley
Los Carneros
El Dorado County
Shenandoah Valley
Calaveras County
Santa Cruz Mountains
Carmel Valley
Salinas Valley
San Juan Bautista
Paso Robles
Edna Valley
Santa Barbara County
Santa Ynez Valley

Nice work, Ms. Misuraca!

Don’t miss this gorgeous volume. It’ll transform your life if you follow its advice.

Customer Review: Excellent Value
I lived in the Bay Area for several years and to be honest, the Wine Country is not really my cup of tea. However, the images in this book by Gary Crabbe are amazing and makes me feel as if I were there and enjoying myself. It takes a truly dedicated photographer to make such a wonderful collection of images of Wine Country. Many photographers have published photos of the Wine Country but these are some of the best photos I’ve seen from there.

The text by Karen Misuraca is well-written as well. It’s informative going over a touch of history without over doing it and takes you on a literary road trip through the heart of the Wine Country. The photos and text compliment each other well and the book has a fair amount of both. In 160 pages, it’s packed with meat as it works both as a photo book and travel guide.

If you’d like a personally signed copy, Mr. Crabbe is selling them through his website as well.

From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes & Making Your Own Wine

Wineguy — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:00:13 +0000

Exploring grapes from southwestern France – The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

Exploring grapes from southwestern France
The Star-Ledger – NJ.com
By John Foy Enjoy your Labor Day party with these tasty, inexpensive wines from southwestern France made from unique grapes. Rose' is summer's color and the 2010 Chateau Bellevue La Foret Rose' has the bright crimson-orange glow of a pure sunset. …

From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes & Making Your Own Wine
Customer Review: The only book of its kind, it helps to have a chem degree!
This is an excellent book, I recommend it to anyone who wishes to prepare wine from scratch. The book is written for the reader with knowledge of basic science concepts, especially a chemistry degree.

Customer Review: Whether planting one vine or one thousand, read this book!
Jeff Cox does what so few writers can do; he makes viticulture so interesting that you won’t want to put this book down. That’s saying a lot!

The whole book is a masterful handbook for the home or small commercial grower. From selecting the vines and a growing site to planting, growing, pruning, and harvesting to making wine, Cox literally packs the pages with useful information, tables and how-to illustrations. Even his appendix on grape pests and their control is written as a trouble-shooting guide based on symptoms rather than cause. This is both refreshing and useful.

If you can only buy one book on the subject, this is the one to buy.

Best Wine – Wine on Tuesdays: Be a Serious Wine Drinker without Taking Wine Too Seriously

Wineguy — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:00:16 +0000

Pot Farmer Joins Farm Bureau – msnbc.com
The Napa Valley is legendary for its rolling vineyards and wine grapes, guided by some of the world’s greenest thumbs. Crane Carter owns one of those green thumbs. Only he doesn’t grow grapes with it. He grows marijuana. Carter scampered through the

Cheers! NY hands out most coveted wine awards – Newsday
Quick ReadCheers! Martha Clara Vineyards, Lamoreaux Landing are big winners at annual NY wine awards (AP) — Martha Clara Vineyards was awarded the coveted Governor’s Cup on Tuesday for best New York state wine — a 2010 Riesling from the North Fork of

Wine on Tuesdays: Be a Serious Wine Drinker without Taking Wine Too Seriously

Wine on Tuesdays focuses on the basics of wine so readers can feel comfortable buying, ordering, and drinking it, and on helping readers relax around wine and integrate it into everyday life.

Americans have uncorked a new enthusiasm for wine. For the generations of Americans who want wine to be a regular part of their lives, Wine on Tuesdays eschews the esoteric language of oenology for practical guidance, humorously written from the perspective of wine lovers rather than wine pedants. Wine on Tuesdays doesn’t focus on number ratings, “big names,” or five different ways to describe the taste of a Cabernet. Instead, it guides wine novices and experts alike through the basics of enjoying wine-from developing a palate to understanding food pairings-so that a once-in-awhile indulgence becomes a regularly rewarding pursuit.

Customer Review: Finally a non-snobby wine book
I love wine, but I know nearly nothing about it. I mean, I know red vs white and I know I generally like cabernet. That’s the extent of my wine knowledge… until very recently when I read Wine on Tuesdays. First things first: Deb is a colleague. I say that upfront because I hate reading amazon reviews that are obviously written by friends of an author who are trying not to appear as if they are friends. I always know the “this is the best book I’ve ever read” lines come from friends and family though. So, I’m not trying to do a cover up here. I love Deb, but I wouldn’t review her book unless it was good… and it is.

Deb and Keith found a way to educate me about all things wine without making me feel stupid (and it’s easy to make me feel stupid about wine because I actually AM stupid about wine). I especially valued their discussion about French wine because I generally get nervous at the wine store whenever I pick up a bottle of the French stuff. I never can figure out the label… it’s a complete crap shoot regarding what to buy. I usually do it with an eeny meany miney moe. Half the time, I can’t even figure out if it’s a French red or a French white. So I generally stick with Napa wines instead. But Deb and Keith explain all wine labels, and then even explain why French labels are so confusing! They break wines into different grape varieties, and, among each variety, give best picks for three categories: 1) affordable every day wines, 2) higher end Friday night wines 3) super expensive wines that we all dream of tasting but few of us can actually afford.

They also break down those descriptions about the taste of wine that often make me laugh. Like mineral. What? Well, duh. I now know that a mineral wine tastes like rocks.

They also enlightened me as to how to taste wine. That was helpful because I often get nervous when a waiter is staring me down, waiting for me to take that first sip. I learned about which wines should breathe and why. I also learned why some wines taste better as you drink them. I always thought it was because I was getting drunker and less picky about the taste, but there’s a scientific reason for this phenomenon!

From how to pair wine with food to what type of glass to use, they’ve covered all of the confusing bases about wine. I enjoyed the book so much that it’s now in my purse, so I can consult it at the wine store and when dining out. Oh, yeah, another nice feature of the book: it’s small enough to fit in your standard Mom-sized purse.

Vines, Grapes & Wines: The Wine Drinker’s Guide to Grape Varieties

Wineguy — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:00:30 +0000

Grapes of rapture – New York Post

The Times of Trenton – NJ.com

Grapes of rapture
New York Post
But a sober student of fermented grape juice should go directly to the source — local vineyards and wineries. New York State, surprisingly, is the No. 2 wine producer in the country (after California). New Jersey holds a respectable seventh place. …
Wine makers say Arizona brand won't wither on the vineInside Tucson Business

all 6 news articles »

Vines, Grapes & Wines: The Wine Drinker’s Guide to Grape Varieties

As more and more wine consumers become grape conscious, they identify and buy wine according to its grape—and this is the guide to help them choose. Written by one of the world’s most highly respected wine writers, Vines, Grapes, & Wines covers the numerous grape varieties that are grown internationally, examining an extensive range of the varieties that the enthusiast is likely to encounter both as a plant and as a wine style. Each one is described in its geographical context, and there are hundreds of inspiring illustrations throughout.

Winner of the Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year and André Simon Drink Book of the Year awards

Customer Review: Still a valuable resource
While not as exhaustive as “Oz Clarke’s Encylopedia of Grapes”, this does contain information that Clarke’s book does not. Before the three sections on grapes (Classic Varieties, Major Varieties, Other Varieties) there is a section entitled “Where Grapes Grow and Why” that provides valuable insight. Some of the information is dated, however, and that should be a caution to anyone reading this for use as a text. For example, the book uses a 1979 “census” of the varieties grown in Champagne. The figures quoted in 1979 are far different than those today. So be careful if you quote this book with specific regard to data.

Customer Review: A reference book no-one should be caught without
Simply put, this is one of the classics and a must-have for anyone with more than a passing interest in wine. Although it is several years old now and certain parts are out of date in terms of trends and the planting patterns of some younger wine-producing countries, the important bits are still are relevant as ever. The most comprehensive and invaluable book on grape varieties, purely for its reference fact value. Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand have written a more up-to-date bok covering the same topic, but that is less focussed on the grape itself as the wines made around the world with the particular grape. If you can have both, all the better, but if you had to choose one, this one would be it.

Vinifera The World’s Great Wine Grapes 2009 Calendar: 12 Glorious Varietals : Their History, Description, Curious Lore and Food Pairings

Wineguy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:09 +0000

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Vinifera The World’s Great Wine Grapes 2009 Calendar: 12 Glorious Varietals : Their History, Description, Curious Lore and Food Pairings
Customer Review: serious and entertaining wine education
glamorous, entertaining and informative. a pleasure to see sensuos wine grapes and read short and to the point facts and legends. gave many of 2008 editions to friends as gifts and they all love it.

Anything but Chardonnay: A Guide to the Other Grapes

Wineguy — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:00:31 +0000

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Developers of Rosebrook Vineyards in Oklahoma City turn to Europe for heat-tolerant grape varieties – Daily Oklahoman
The Odoms are biding their wine. They’re in no rush to get the winery going at Rosebrook Vineyards. First things first. Grapes are growing at Rosebrook, a half-mile east of Interstate 44 on SW 134. But the vines weren’t first. First came the homework

Anything but Chardonnay: A Guide to the Other Grapes

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.

Customer Review: Accessible, fun and informative
Tired of chardonnay? Yeah, me too. And that’s why this book is such a treat. If you’re not a wine snob and you want to broaden your palate, this book is like having a friend (and wine expert) hold your hand. It introduces you to wine varieties you’ve never heard of, and puts a new face to some you know well. The writer’s style is totally accessible–there’s no wine snob attitude here; just friendly, hip advice that so far (for me) has been 100% spot on. I refer to it when entertaining or going to a friends for dinner and find the food-pairing information really helpful as is the nifty “dinner party trivia” which gives you nuggets of wine trivia to drop on your friends. Pair the book with a bottle of an unusual variety (there’s plenty listed) and you’ve got a fab hostess gift.

Customer Review: great gift idea

I have a lot of friends who are enthusiastic about new wines and this is the best gift for men or women. It is written with a breezy insider’s voice that is informed but fun and “quotable”. Also like the hints for easy recipes that would complement the wine.