After reading this intriguing book, a glass of wine will be more than hints of blackberries or truffles on the palate. Written by the author of the popular, award-winning website DrVino.com, "Wine Politics" exposes a little-known but extremely influential aspect of the wine business - the politics behind it. Tyler Colman systematically explains how politics affects what we can buy, how much it costs, how it tastes, what appears on labels, and more. He offers an insightful comparative view of wine-making in Napa and Bordeaux, tracing the different paths American and French wines take as they travel from vineyard to dining room table. Colman also explores globalization in the wine business and illuminates the role of behind-the-scenes players such as governments, distributors, and prominent critics who wield enormous clout. Throughout, "Wine Politics" reveals just how deeply politics matters - right down to the taste of the wine in your glass tonight.

The author, Joan C. Martin, is a prize-winning wine writer and winemaker. This collection consists of articles, here translated into English, that originally appeared in Spain's "El Pais" newspaper, and is the best introduction available not only to the wines of the Comunidad Valenciana, but also to the people who make them and the landscape in which they are made. Almost uniquely for a wine writer, Joan C. Martin is also a winemaker, who as director of some of Valencia's leading wineries has been at the forefront of the transformation in the quality of the wines of the three Denominaciones de Origen of the Valencia region: Alicante, Utiel-Requena and Valencia.

This book takes you on a very different journey to wine country, inviting you to enjoy the remarkable stories of twenty dynamic women in the world of wine. These women share their lives, wine tips, pairings, and most important, enthusiasm for wine while imparting their rich life lessons and wine expertise--a wonderful way to share your love for wine with the enterprising women who help bring it to your table.

There are many famous wines selling for over $100 per bottle and there are far more unknown wines of remarkably similar quality and taste selling for under $10 and $20. How do you find the very finest wines for $5-$20? If you enjoy expensive wines, this book can save you 25%-75% with no decrease in quality. Consumers of bargain basement wines can improve the quality of their wine by 100% at no increase in price.

Embarrassed about your wine knowledge? Spit or swallow is written for those wishing to know a little bit more about wine in order for them to enjoy it a lot more. Wine, like foreplay, requires a little effort. With Spit or swallow, you will soon be right on the button, so to speak. Spit or swallow focuses more on the good life of food, wine and pleasure than it does on technical jargon contained in wine speak. It is a guide to living with wine as a healthy and integral part of your daily life. Wine makes food taste better, it makes occasions more memorable and it makes us happy. Spit or swallow is here to give a fresh approach and make the whole wine-thing less scary. Wine nerds talk about the characters of a wine as being cheerful, subtle and full of mystery, supple or well rounded. The descriptions are so ambiguous that sometimes you don't know whether to drink them or take them to bed. Wine is a simple subject that has been rendered complicated and boring over time by wine geeks. Although hours of wine babble about soils and vintages is important to the real professionals, all we really want to know is: does it taste good and can I drink it? It is not the intricacies and technicalities which interest us, but rather the enjoyment of drinking and sharing wine - the passion of it all! The great part about learning about wine is that it's fun! Although wine is created from a single fruit, the simple grape, this fruit can deliver a product, year after year, that is dynamic in so many ways - colour, texture, intensity, flavour, complexity, to name but a few. Above all, wine adds a dimension to our lives that many would not wish to live without. Imagine watching the sun go down without a glass of icy cold Sauvignon Blanc in your hand; imagine a rainy Saturday afternoon by the fire with your lover without a large glass of rich, luscious Shiraz. Spit or swallow focuses on good wine, good food, good friends, good laughs and good times.

First published in London 1903. A detailed and comprehensive treatise interspersed with sundry anecdotes and reminiscences in the author's own inimitable style. Contents Include: History of Drink Drinks Ancient and Modern Some Old Recipes Glorious Beer All Ale A Discourse on Spirits Cups Which Cheer Punch Strange Drinks Champagne Old and New Wines Cocktails Cider Cordials and Liqueurs Hangover Cures Temperance Index of Recipes etc.

The pleasures of wine are visual, olfactory and gustatory. The Wine Etiquette Guide explains the modern conventions for the enjoyment of the multitude of wine styles available to today's consumers. In truth, these behaviors are the result of an evolution through thousands of years of experience. All aspects of wine etiquette have been explained. From the selection of a suitable wine and removal of the stopper through to serving temperature, glass shape and size have been discussed with clarity. Here is a concise yet comprehensive guide to the appreciation of wine.
Wine is consumed in many contexts. The appropriate etiquette may vary according to the situation. The Wine Etiquette Guide has considered the possibilities. Readers will feel comfortable in any wine setting, from a formal dinner function to a casual wine tasting at a winery.
The Wine Etiquette Guide has been presented in an entertaining and encouraging manner. The reader will not only learn much about wine and its interaction with food, but will be stimulated to try more varieties and styles from the wonderful world of wine.

In this provocative new book, Owen Bird writes frankly and with authority on the German wine industry; how it got into trouble and how it can rescue itself. He gives considerable insight into the pre-eminence of Riesling as driving the future of the industry. An in-depth analysis of German wine laws, labelling, competition from the New World and the advent of "flying winemaking" are all presented from a winemaking point of view. The steps taken by the German Wine Institute and the Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter (VDP) to renew the image of German wine are compared and contrasted. For the first time in English, the new "Great Growths" Classification system launched by the VDP is explained and the individual terroirs discussed making this an ideal reference book and providing a current overview of the German wine industry.

The purpose of this book is twofold: to supply the reader with a basic knowledge about wine, and to develop the expertise necessary to successfully match wine with food. It is a book of concepts, not a long list of wine-food pairings. The concepts are simple, logical, and easy to understand. After reading this book, the pleasure you derive in pairing wine with food will be greatly enhanced by your newly acquired knowledge of the culinary arts. " This book is extremely readable. I especially like the organization, which makes it a great educational tool for wine novices as well as connoisseurs." -David Rosengarten, author of Red Wine with Fish

1909. A wonderful collection of recipes and tips for making wines. The idea of compiling this little volume occurred to me while on a visit to some friends at their summer home in a quaint New England village. The social customs of this Adamless Eden were precise and formal. As with the dear ladies of Cranford, a call was a very serious affair, given and received with great gravity, and had its time limit set with strict punctuality. Cake and wine were invariably served as a preliminary warning toward early departure. Here came in my first acquaintance with many varieties of homemade wines, over whose wealth of color and delicacy of flavor my eyes and palate longed to linger. Vulgar curiosity made me bold to inquire the names of a few; imagine my astonishment when graciously told that the gay dandelion, the modest daisy, the blushing currant, had one and all contributed their nectar to the joy of the occasion. Flattered by my interest, my gentle hostess broke strict rules of etiquette and invited me to linger, showing me rare old gardens aglow with flowers, fruits and vegetables that in due time would contribute to their store, and at parting various timeworn recipes were urged upon me, with verbal instructions and injunctions upon the best methods of putting them to test...With a gentle hand I tie my little bunch together and present you my bouquet.

Beer is just a beverage, but wine is an experience. There's an aura of romance, a hint of the sublime, to bringing a bottle up from your own cellar, carefully drawing out the cork, pouring the wine into a goblet, and taking the first delectable sip.

Now Jeff Cox, author of From Vines to Wines (89,000 copies in print) and a connoisseur well respected in wine circles, shows you how easy it is to have a wine cellar of your own.

But Cellaring Wine is not a home-building project book. In some cases, the would-be wine collector doesn?t have to do much building at all. Rather, Cellaring Wine teaches anyone who loves wine how to create a working system of selecting wines that will age well, know how to lay them down properly, and recognize when they have matured to their full glory and are ready to be savored.

Cox pinpoints the optimum conditions of temperature, light, and humidity for a wine cellar. He walks you through possible locations for your wine cellar ? whether in the basement, an old root cellar, the back of your garage, or even a closet or room in your house ? and what each location requires. He explains when you?ll need a climate-control device (and how much they cost). And he discusses the pros and cons of buying a freestanding unit that is much like a refrigerator.

Then Cox tackles the question that most troubles wine lovers: Which wines will improve with age, and which won?t? This chapter alone is worth the price of the book, since nothing is more disappointing to a wine lover than waiting years to open a bottle of wine only to discover that it was at its peak when it was laid down.

Cox shows you how to keep accurate records so you know at a glance ? without having tohunt through the wine racks ? what you have, where it's located, and how much to buy so the cellar doesn?t become depleted. And he gives you a crash course in appreciating the fragrance and flavor of a fine wine.Perhaps best of all, Cox gets readers excited about the possibilities of having their own wine cellar. After all, a cellar is not just a storage room, it's a university where good young wines become great.

This fascinating book provides a wealth of information on the uses of herbs by homemakers of the past and gives more than 500 authentic recipes exactly as they appeared in their original sources. The recipes cover the use of herbs for medicinal, culinary, cosmetic, and other purposes. Readers will discover not only how herbs were used in making vegetable and meat dishes, gravies and sauces, cakes, pies, soups, and beverages, but also how our ancestors employed them in making dyes, furniture polish, insecticides, spot removers, perfumes, hair tonics, soaps, tooth powders, and numerous other products. More than 100 fine 19th-century engravings of herbs add to the charm of the text-an invaluable reference and guide for plant lovers and herb enthusiasts that will "delight and astound the 20th-century reader." (Library Journal). Index. Bibliography. 113 black-and-white illustrations.

Here is the book that Frank J. Prial in the "New York Times Book Review" called "delightful...it weaves history, geography, wine, and some of the fascinating people who make it into a downright enthralling tale." It is the grape that has been stepped on, but never crushed. Long thought to produce workaday wines at best, the zinfandel grape has triumphed in the last decade, with stylish, sophisticated wines from the Ravenswood and Ridge wineries, among many others. In "Zin," David Darlington delves into the murky and curious history of the wine and takes the story right up to the present, with portraits of the eccentric artisans who engineered the ascension of America's "native" wine. With an unerring eye for detail (a bedraggled vineyard in Sonoma County is described as looking "like a collection of fright wigs") and a gift for the on-target characterization (Sutter Home, for example, is called "the Sylvester Stallone among wineries"), Darlington has created a classic transcending its genre.

Join Joy Sterling on a stroll through the vineyards and gardens of California's Iron Horse Vineyards, into her kitchen and to her table. Filled with charming anecdotes, a year's worth of news from the grapevine, and imaginative menus and recipes, this is a delightful window into her life as wine lover, epicure, philosopher, and hostess. Vintage Feasting February 14. The vineyards are asleep. Our Valentine's Day feast is fresh, cracked Dungeness crab soup cooked with Fume Blanc, served with garlic mayonnaise and bubbly.... In settings suffused with the scents of Giverny-like gardens, Joy shares secrets of tasting and cooking with wine, reveals her own experiments with menus and vintages, and explains why certain pairings of food and wine endure. And she exults in life's surprises, like the magical cluster of rare morels that appeared one day under a century-old Douglas fir and became an exotic ragout. Whether it's savoring the intense aromas of crushed violets in a young Cabernet Sauvignon; recalling a culinary adventure at Paul Bocuse's restaurant; drinking in the Provence scents of zinnias and lavenders; or concocting a Halloween dinner of turban squash, Vintage Feasting is a treasure of fascinating lore, succulent menus, memorable wines -- and a zest for enjoying life that leaves us refreshed, delighted, and inspired anew.

Slow Wine Guide USA is a new and revolutionary guide to the wines of California, Oregon, New York, and Washington. Thanks to the help of a handful of expert contributors, we've selected the best wineries from each state and reviewed their most outstanding bottles. The idea behind Slow Wine is simple: it acknowledges the unique stories of people and vineyards, of grape varieties and landscapes, and of their wines. The awareness that wine is more than just liquid in a glass helps wine lovers make better, more conscious choices and enhances the very enjoyment of this beverage. Since its beginnings in Italy twelve years ago, Slow Wine has combined its tasting sessions with equally important moments of exchange and debate with producers. The direct contact with winegrowers and winemakers allows for a genuine, authentic, and always up-to-date report on what's happening in America's vineyards and cellars. Each winery receives a review divided in three sections: the first one is dedicated to the people who live and work at the winery, the second to the vineyards and the way they're farmed, and the third to the finest wines currently available on the market. The very best wines are awarded the Top Wine accolade. Among these we have the Slow Wines - which beyond their outstanding sensory quality are of particular interest for their sense of place, environmental sustainability or historical value - and the Everyday Wines, representing excellent value at prices within $30. The most interesting wineries on the other hand are awarded the Snail, for the way they interpret Slow Food values (sensory perceptions, territory, environment, identity) while offering good value for money; the Bottle, to wineries whose wines are of outstanding sensory quality throughout the range; the Coin to those estates offering excellent value for money.

For over 20 years the most widely used wine textbook in higher education courses, The University Wine Course provides a 12-week program for learning about wine in-depth, from sensory evaluation to the science of viticulture and winemaking. Written and organized in a user friendly style, this book serves as a comprehensive-yet-easy resource for self-tutoring. Includes chapter exams and answers, study guides, lab exercises, final exams and extensive references and bibliography. Illustrated with appendixes on Wine & Food, Label Reading, Do-It-Yourself Labs, Student tasting notes and more. Dr. Baldy is a USDA award-winning professor of sciences who has operated her own vineyard and winery and has taught wine appreciation for academic credits to university students for over 20 years. A Teacher s Manual is available from the publisher."

With exclusive insight from the owners of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, this monograph traces the fascinating history of their prestigious Burgundy vineyards and rare wines.

Romanée-Conti, the world’s finest and rarest pinot noir Grand Cru, hails from the gently-sloped vineyards of Burgundy’s Côtes de Nuits. The story of this unique vineyard dates back some 1500 years and is inextricably tied to its UNESCO world heritage Climat (the ideal position and soil conditions that grace its location) combined with annual weather conditions. Together, they significantly define the character of a given vintage. The saga of successive vintages recounted here―and illuminated through co-owner Aubert de Villaine’s detailed harvest reports since 1996―bears witness to the vigilance and thoughtful decision-making throughout the growing cycle and harvest season that is necessary to ensure that the vines produce the finest grapes.

This engaging monograph traces the history of winemaking on the site and pays homage to the colorful Prince de Conti who added―in addition to his name―fame and prestige to the wine’s already celebrated reputation. This volume offers new insight into this exceptional, cult wine.

Here is a practical, comprehensive guide to winemaking, wines, and wine appreciation, written by an expert uniquely qualified by many years of experience in the field. Looking at winemaking as a craft as well as an art, Philip Jackisch augments a wealth of information and theory with many detailed examples. "It is now possible for anyone with access to grapes or other ingredients of decent quality to make consistently palatable or even excellent wines," he writes.

In clear language aimed at the amateur winemaker, Jackisch explains the science behind wine and its application to winemaking. At the same time, he includes important material for commercial winemakers. Jackisch covers each step in the process of winemaking, from growing or purchasing grapes; choosing equipment; fermenting, aging, and storing the wine; to keeping records. By exploring in detail the various factors that affect wine quality, he shows which elements in wine production can be controlled to achieve certain sensory results.

Among the other subjects he discusses arc specific types of wine, ways of evaluating wine, common problems in cellar operations and how to prevent or correct them, and wine competitions. Five appendixes supply additional technical information. Since 1985, Modem Winemaking has proven invaluable for winemakers, both commercial and amateur, for wine educators and students, and indeed, for anyone who wants to know more about wine.

French Wine For Dummies explores all the major wine regions of France -- from The Rhone Valley to Alsace, with special emphasis on the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, the most important wine regions of France (and possibly the world). This friendly guide explains how France names its wines and decodes French wine labels. It describes classic combinations of French wine with foods, with a new look at some versatile French wines with various types of food. Plus, it details how to buy, drink, and store French wines.

Americans learned how to make wine successfully about two hundred years ago, after failing for more than two hundred years. Thomas Pinney takes an engaging approach to the history of American wine by telling its story through the lives of 13 people who played significant roles in building an industry that now extends to every state. While some names - such as Mondavi and Gallo - will be familiar, others are less well known. These include the wealthy Nicholas Longworth, who produced the first popular American wine; the German immigrant George Husmann, who championed the native Norton grape in Missouri and supplied rootstock to save French vineyards from phylloxera; Frank Schoonmaker, who championed the varietal concept over wines with misleading names; and, Maynard Amerine, who helped make UC Davis a world-class winemaking school.

Wine critic and writer Steve Heimoff, inspired by Robert Benson's "Great Winemakers of California" (1977), traversed the state of California to record lively and informative conversations with more than two dozen winemakers and grape growers who represent today's leaders and visionaries. While Benson's book captured a wine industry on the brink of exponential growth and recognition, Heimoff surveys a multibillion-dollar business with a global reputation and new issues to face. Heimoff has followed this industry for more than twenty-five years, visiting all parts of the state and monitoring changing styles and trends, and his interviews provide an oral history of contemporary California winemaking. He reveals the personalities, intellects, philosophies, and passions of the individual winemakers, as well as their opinions on recent high-alcohol vintages, globalization, and the 'cult' wine phenomenon. Through this intimate and engaging book, wine lovers can sit in on the back and forth as Heimoff and his vintner subjects talk informally about their favorite subject: wine. The interviewees include: John Alban, Mark Aubert, Heidi Peterson Barrett, Andy Beckstoffer, Greg Brewer, Merry Edwards, Elias Fernandez, Gina Gallo, Rolando Herrera, Genevieve Janssens, Kathy Joseph, Greg La Follette, Adam and Dianna Lee, Dan Morgan Lee, Bob Levy, Rick Longoria, Javier Tapia Meza, Gary, Jeff, and Mark Pisoni, Kent Rosenblum, Ted Seghesio, Doug Shafer, Justin Smith, Tony Soter, Brian Talley, Michael Terrien, Randy Ullom, Margo van Staaveren, and Bill Wathan.