In "Thomas Jefferson on Wine," John Hailman celebrates a founding father's lifelong interest in wine and provides unprecedented insight into Jefferson's character from this unique perspective. In both his personal and public lives, Jefferson wielded his considerable expertise to influence the drinking habits of his friends, other founding fathers, and the American public away from hard liquor toward the healthier pleasures of wine.

An international wine judge and nationally syndicated wine columnist, Hailman discusses how Jefferson's tastes developed, which wines and foods he preferred at different stages of his life, and how Jefferson became the greatest wine expert of the early American republic. Hailman explores the third president's fascination with scores of wines from his student days at Williamsburg to his lengthy retirement years at Monticello, often using Jefferson's own words from hundreds of immensely readable and surprisingly modern letters on the subject. A new epilogue covers the ongoing saga of the alleged wine swindle involving bottles of Bordeaux purported to belong to Jefferson.

Is it naff to take a bottle of wine to a dinner party? Are red wine and cheese really a match? Should you stick to the house plonk in restaurants? What's so funny about wine? Is it the fact that we take it so seriously? Ned Halley's affectionately irreverent wine jaunt unearths some of the quaint histories and dark secrets of many of the world's most famous wines. Instead of lordly suggestions for the cellar, here is vulgar advice on investing in wine for profit. Wine and health also comes under the spotlight: is it good for us or bad for us? And then there's wine criticism: are writers who tell you what to drink, and what not to drink, simply insane? There's a look, too, at wine marketing: are the biggest-selling brands as good as the hype?

An epic, scandal-plagued story of the immigrant family that built--and then spectacularly lost--a global wine empire

Set in California's lush Napa Valley and spanning four generations of a talented and visionary family, "The House of Mondavi" is a tale of genius, sibling rivalry, and betrayal. From 1906, when Italian immigrant Cesare Mondavi passed through Ellis Island, to the Robert Mondavi Corp.'s twenty-first-century battle over a billion-dollar fortune, award-winning journalist Julia Flynn brings to life both the place and the people in this riveting family drama.

The blood feuds are as spectacular as the business triumphs. Cesare's sons, Robert and Peter, literally came to blows in the 1960s during a dispute touched off by the purchase of a mink coat, resulting in Robert's exile from the family--and his subsequent founding of a winery that would set off a revolution in American winemaking. Robert's sons, Michael and Timothy, as passionate in their own ways as their visionary father, waged battle with each other for control of the company before Michael's expansive ambitions ultimately led to a board coup and the sale of the business to an international conglomerate.

A meticulously reported narrative based on thousands of hours of interviews, "The House of Mondavi" is bound to become a classic.

Features:

• Exciting New Drinks
• Frozen Blender Drinks
• Beer and Wine
• Punch
• Low-Calorie Drinks
• After-Dinner Drinks
• Non-Alcoholic Drinks
• Hot Drinks
• Aperitifs
• Holiday and Seasonal Drinks

Plus...

• Stocking the Bar
• Selecting Barware
• A Guide to Ingredients
• Making Toasts
• Responsible Bartending
• Responsible Drinking
• Party Planning
• Creating Theme Parties

Wine drinkers are generally healthier and often live longer. They have less heart disease and diabetes, and are less likely to suffer from dementia in old age. Is this the wine, their diet or their lifestyle? THE WINE DIET is a complete nutritional lifestyle and contains the very latest groundbreaking research from an internationally renowned scientist and his team. * Proved at last: drinking red wine really is good for you. * Identified! The antioxidant that unlocks the real secret of the French Paradox. * As well as wine you can get the same benefits from a variety of delicious foodstuffs, including chocolate. * Lose weight - and keep it off - as a result of straightforward lifestyle adjustments. * Enjoy 40 delicious new recipes and benefit from the author's practical cooking tips and eating plans.

The perfect Christmas 2012 gift for everyone who enjoys life, love, laughter and good wine. Delightful, imaginative, full-colour illustrations with witty descriptions of winemakers' phrases and expressions.