Platter's Wine Guide celebrates a remarkable 46 years of showcasing South Africa's winegrowers and grape-spirit distillers in the new 2026 edition, with an alluring cover colour invoking sunsets over iconic Table Bay. All the best-selling features of the collectible editions - descriptions and ratings of around 6,000 wines, winery profiles, wine-country maps and more - are present and fully updated. Comprehensive yet engaging, welcoming of newcomers to the vine, it's the perfect independent companion for anyone who lifts a glass of South African wine.

Explore the history of brewing and beer culture in Louisville, Kentucky.

Colonial New England was awash in ales, beers, wines, cider and spirits. Everyone from teenage farmworkers to our founding fathers imbibed heartily and often. Tipples at breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner were the norm, and low-alcohol hard cider was sometimes even a part of children's lives. This burgeoning cocktail culture reflected the New World's abundance of raw materials: apples, sugar and molasses, wild berries and hops. This plentiful drinking sustained a slew of smoky taverns and inns--watering holes that became vital meeting places and the nexuses of unrest as the Revolution brewed. New England food and drinks writer Corin Hirsch explores the origins and taste of the favorite potations of early Americans and offers some modern-day recipes to revive them today.

Nestled in the heart of the Stellenbosch wine district lies Meerlust Wine Estate, producer of the iconic Rubicon. For over three centuries and seven generations, the land has been tended to by the Myburgh family, who transformed it into one of the country’s most revered wine estates.

For the first six generations of the Myburgh tenure, the vineyards were grown for making bulk batches of wine for selling on to the big traders dealing in the relatively unsophisticated world of South African wine at the time. In 1975 the estate produced its first vintage – a Cabernet Sauvignon – under its own label.

The Rubicon red Bordeaux blend, first made in 1980 by Nico Myburgh and his Italian-born winemaker Giorgio Dalla Cia, set Meerlust on a new trajectory. It announced not only a new path for Meerlust and the Myburgh family, but also a revolution in wine style. Today, this legacy lives on under owner Hannes Myburgh and cellar master Wim Truter.

Meerlust: Beyond the Rubicon delves deeper than the acclaim of a single blend. It is a celebration of the timeless bond between land, time, and artistry. Discover the tale of Meerlust, where time, terroir and tradition converge to craft wines that honour both the legacy of the past and the promise of the future.
 
Includes 5 recipes from 5 of South Africa’s top chefs, paired with a signature Meerlust wine.

Montana's brewing history stretches back more than 150 years to the state's days as a territory. But the art of brewing in Montana has come a long way since the frontier era. Today, nearly forty craft breweries span the Treasure State, and the quality of their output rivals the best craft beer produced anywhere in the country. Maybe it's because there's also a little piece of Montana in every glass, as the state's brewers pride themselves on using cold mountain water and locally sourced barley harvested from Montana's ample fields. From grain to glass, " Montana Beer: A Guide to Breweries in Big Sky Country" tells the story of the brewers and breweries that make the Treasure State's brew so special.

Galaxy Bar, created by renowned restaurateur Natasha Sideris, has been one of the World’s 50 Best Bars for the past three years and was named Campari’s One to Watch in 2020. What began as a storage room behind a restaurant was transformed into an exclusive, late night lounge bar that paved the way for Dubai’s flourishing luxury cocktail bar scene.

Galaxy Bar Cocktails is inspired by the bar and by Natasha’s Greek heritage, the intimate interior design features plush, midnight blue velvet seating with accents of gold, a Lemurian marble back bar, and a glittering canopy of stars mimicking the night sky above Athens.
With beautifully crafted cocktails and a seductive, exclusive interior Galaxy Bar offers a chic, and unique experience. This book with its two metallic inks, black edges, gold foiling and extraordinary photography is an ode to this.

Galaxy Bar Cocktails features 60 signature cocktails grounded in the timeless recipes of bartending pioneers but elevated through invention, reinvention, innovation and creativity. With pro tips on essential bar tools, techniques and glassware as well as recipes to make cordials and syrups, this book will take readers understanding of mixology into a whole new world of cocktail art.

Go beyond the bottle and step inside the minds- and vines- of Virginia's burgeoning wine industry in this groundbreaking volume. Join grape grower and industry insider Walker Elliott Rowe as he guides you through some of the top vineyards and wineries in the Old Dominion. Rowe explores the minds of pioneering winemakers and vineyard owners, stitches together an account of the wine industry's foundation in Virginia, from Jamestown to Jefferson to Barboursville, and uncovers the fascinating missing chapter in Virginia wine history. As the Philip Carter Winery's motto explains, 'Before there was Jefferson, there was Carter.'

Rowe goes behind the scenes to interview migrant workers who toil daily in the vineyards, makes the rounds in Richmond with an industry lobbyist and talks shop with winemakers on the science and techniques that have helped put the Virginia wine industry on the map. Also included are twenty-four stunning color photographs from professional photographer Jonathan Timmes and a foreword by noted wine journalist Richard Leahy.

This 44th edition of the authoritative South African wine guide features Five Star wines out of over 8,000 wines reviewed.

Platter’s features descriptions of over 900 producers across the vibrant wine regions of South Africa and also offers the 100-point equivalents for the familiar star ratings, as well as useful information for learning about and travelling in these beautiful wine lands.

Italian Wines is the English-language version of Gambero Rosso's Vini d'Italia, the world's best-selling guide to Italian wine, now in its 30th edition. It is the result of a year's work by over 60 tasters, coordinated by three curators. They travel around the entire country to taste 45,000 wines, only half of which make it into the guide. About 2,400 producers are selected. Each entry brings together useful information about a winery, including a description of its most important labels and price levels in Italian wine shops. Each wine is evaluated according to the Gambero Rosso bicchieri rating, with Tre Bicchieri awarded to the top labels. This guide acts as an essential reference tool for both wine professionals and passionate amateurs around the globe: it provides the instruments for finding one's way in the complex panorama of Italy's wine world.

This captivating narrative tells the story of Beyers Truter, a world-renowned South African winemaker known for his expertise and dedication to crafting some of the finest wines. From his early days at Kanonkop to his rise as the proud owner of Beyerskloof, Beyers' journey is one of triumph, vision, and a profound love for his craft. In 1991, his exceptional skill earned him the prestigious title of International Winemaker of the Year.

At the heart of this story is Pinotage, the uniquely South African grape that Beyers championed with unmatched passion. His connection to this cultivar goes beyond winemaking—Pinotage became a symbol of his unwavering dedication to quality and innovation.

But Beyers' story is not just about wine. It’s a tale of a man who lives with a heart full of passion, generosity, and humility. His personal narrative is woven with humor, touching moments, and vivid anecdotes, whether recounting his nervous first harvest at Kanonkop or his dream of owning his own vineyard—a dream he realized with the creation of Beyerskloof.

Through this memoir, Beyers shares stories of deep friendships, camaraderie with fellow wine legends, and the simple joys of life, such as his love for dogs, diving, seafood, and the people of Namibia. This is not a conventional biography, but rather an exploration of Beyers Truter’s zest for life, his unwavering commitment to his craft, and the relationships that shaped him along the way.

Traildust In A Wine Glass is a celebration of passion, perseverance, and the beauty of living fully—one glass of wine at a time.

For everyone who wants to understand more about coffee and its wonderful nuances and possibilities, this is the book to have. This expanded and fully updated 3rd edition contains new chapters on decaffeination and steep and release brewers, as well as additional origins of note such as Australia, Japan and Puerto Rico.

Coffee has never been better, or more interesting, than it is today. Coffee producers have access to more varieties and techniques than ever before and we, as consumers, can share in that expertise to make sure the coffee we drink is the best we can find. Where coffee comes from, how it was harvested, the roasting process and the water used to make the brew are just a few of the factors that influence the taste of what we drink. Champion barista and coffee expert James Hoffmann examines these key factors, looking at varieties of coffee, the influence of terroir, how it is harvested and processed, the roasting methods used, through to the way in which the beans are brewed.

Country by country - from Bolivia to Zambia - James identifies key characteristics and the methods that determine the quality of that country's output. Along the way we learn about everything from the development of the espresso machine, to why strength guides on supermarket coffee are really not good news. This is the first book to chart the coffee production of over 35 countries, encompassing knowledge never previously published outside the coffee industry.

From historic gabled manor houses to contemporary wineries, quirky family-run farms to iconic estates, country picnics to world-class fine dining restaurants, this 3rd edition of Wineries Of The Cape profiles 58 of the very best visitor experiences in the winelands.

All are within easy reach of Cape Town, and a top-notch wine selection is at the core of each of the wineries chosen for inclusion in the book.

In the 1970s, South Africa’s wine industry was a closed shop – dominated by monopolies, Afrikaner nationalism and Apartheid-era control. Red Tape tells the remarkable story of Tim Hamilton Russell, a maverick entrepreneur and founder of Hamilton Russell Vineyards, who was determined to challenge this status quo. Defying restrictive laws, industry boycotts, and scepticism from the establishment, Tim pursued his vision to plant noble grape varietals in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – a region few believed in – proving the country could produce world-class table wines.

This richly detailed account, written by his daughter Bridgid Hamilton-Russell, uncovers the political obstacles he faced, the court battles he waged, and the legacy he built in establishing a wine region now recognised worldwide. Blending biography, social history, and an insider’s view of a transformative era, Red Tape reveals how courage and vision can reshape an industry.

A booming popularity has produced endless wine selections to choose from. Our wine expert Fred Swan (WSET, CS, CWAS, CSW, FWS, IWP, WSET L3 Sake, Sud-France Wine Master) has authored the ultimate cheat sheet. Every important descriptor, wine vocabulary word, region and grape is covered so you can pin point the tastes you are searching for. Enough experience is packaged in these 6 laminated pages that you can be knowledgeable enough to swirl glasses with a wine master or sommelier at the vineyard, dinner with friends, or your own tasting party. Whether a new wine drinker or a connoisseur this reference is a must-have. 6-page laminated guide includes: How to Taste Wine Common Wine Descriptors Selecting & Buying Wines Serving Wine Food & Wine Pairing Conducting a Wine Tasting Grape Profiles Climate Regional Profiles Grape Growing Making Wine

Sam Heughan’s acting career has led him on a unique journey around the world and his love of craft spirits, history, and travel is distilled into this personal collection of cocktail recipes.

The Cocktail Diaries includes chapters on Sam’s Top 10 all-time favorites, "Simple and Timeless" recipes for those easy crowd-pleasers, "Complex and Conversational" for something a bit more sophisticated, and a final section, "Made by Friends", featuring imaginative recipes created by international bartenders for Sam and his brand Sassenach Spirits—a tailormade tour of the world’s best cocktails.

Sam’s expertise and enthusiasm shine through, as he regales tales of tasting cocktails—from the historic Boulevardier in Paris and a Bramble in New Orleans to a Papaya Margarita in the back of a van in the Oaxaca mountains—and delights in sharing his favorite adventures (and drinks!) with the reader.

Supermarket wines now win Gold Medals in International Challenge. Best Wines in the Supermarkets, identifies these superior wines, often at bargain prices. It also has its own secure website extension, in which to search and sort more wines. This is unquestionably the best source of wine drinking through the year. Now with its own secure website for searching and sorting- at www.bestwinesinthesupermarket.uk. The book provides plenty of interesting knowledge and for each wine, tasting and style notes, for readers to use in finding what they enjoy. Now that supermarkets deliver Internet wine orders, you need a guide through the amazingly, wonderful, wide range they offer. The perfect wine guide for you to find the wines you enjoy at the price that suits the budget of the occasion. The huge buying power of the supermarkets - and the fact that they employ the finest wine tasters - means that they can buy the very best of every type of wine. The trick is knowing which is the best of their best. * For Best Wines in the Supermarkets, Ned Halley tastes, and rates 2000 wines. * His rating system includes, uniquely, a factor for VALUE. * He recommends only wines of character in each category. * Every year, Ned works with the supermarkets to identify their best wines for you. * Excellent, insightful, reviews reveal award winning own label wines taste wonderful. * Handy, pocket size is ideal to tuck in a pocket or bag and use while browsing the shelves. * Helps you navigate the bottles in supermarkets and sift between the regions and grapes. * Discover 26 wines that are rated a perfect 10 and 137 wines rated at high 9s. * What Wine Words Mean is a wonderfully simple, down-to-earth guide to wine terms * Ideal stocking-filler-gift that will constantly throughout the year. * Supermarkets own the wine markets. Ned Halley's help to find the best of their best

A collection of 50 fragrant, floral, fruity and herbal cocktail recipes.

From anise to yuzu, the natural world provides an astonishing variety of flavours. Created with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, The Botanical Bar is an eclectic exploration of 50 seasonal ingredients and the cocktails they inspire. Mix your own aromatic blends including new twists, old favourites and refreshing non-alcoholic options - from bay negroni and walnut martini to ginger and honey switchel and muscat grape crush.

In Dave Arnold s world, the shape of an ice cube, the sugars and acids in an apple, and the bubbles in a bottle of champagne are all ingredients to be measured, tested, and tweaked.

With Liquid Intelligence, the creative force at work in Booker & Dax, New York City s high-tech bar, brings readers behind the counter and into the lab. There, Arnold and his collaborators investigate temperature, carbonation, sugar concentration, and acidity in search of ways to enhance classic cocktails and invent new ones that revolutionize your expectations about what a drink can look and taste like.

Years of rigorous experimentation and study botched attempts and inspired solutions have yielded the recipes and techniques found in these pages. Featuring more than 120 recipes and nearly 450 color photographs, Liquid Intelligence begins with the simple how ice forms and how to make crystal-clear cubes in your own freezer and then progresses into advanced techniques like clarifying cloudy lime juice with enzymes, nitro-muddling fresh basil to prevent browning, and infusing vodka with coffee, orange, or peppercorns.

Practical tips for preparing drinks by the pitcher, making homemade sodas, and building a specialized bar in your own home are exactly what drink enthusiasts need to know. For devotees seeking the cutting edge, chapters on liquid nitrogen, chitosan/gellan washing, and the applications of a centrifuge expand the boundaries of traditional cocktail craft.

Arnold s book is the beginning of a new method of making drinks, a problem-solving approach grounded in attentive observation and creative techniques. Readers will learn how to extract the sweet flavor of peppers without the spice, why bottling certain drinks beforehand beats shaking them at the bar, and why quinine powder and succinic acid lead to the perfect gin and tonic.

Liquid Intelligence is about satisfying your curiosity and refining your technique, from red-hot pokers to the elegance of an old-fashioned. Whether you re in search of astounding drinks or a one-of-a-kind journey into the next generation of cocktail making, Liquid Intelligence is the ultimate standard one that no bartender or drink enthusiast should be without."