Wine Knowledge
Equals Wine Enjoyment!
By Guy Bower,
Special to the Wichita Eagle, January 2003
Wine education is an interesting topic. Seems like all you need to do is buy wine and drink it, if you like it holler yeah, if you don’t holler boo. I tend to think that way too, but you wouldn’t know it to look at my wine book collection. As with any endeavor, be it gardening, cooking, or wine enjoyment…the more you know, the more you enjoy every aspect. Wine enjoyment is certainly enhanced by knowledge.
If knowledge is power,
then the wine enthusiast in you should have a book or two on your shelf to give
you the power to better enjoy the wines you drink, and get the most out of each
glass of wine your pour. I am
frequently asked, “What wine book is the best overall?” Good question.
Let me give you my take on some of the most popular, and then depending
on your current knowledge you can head to the bookstore and buy what best fits
your needs.
I have listed the books
in order, from the most basic to the more advanced, you be the judge on what
might best meet your needs. That
being said let me tell that I use the most basic books almost as much as the
more advanced. They all have lots
to offer.
If you are new to wine
enjoyment, a good basic book that has simple, entertaining answers covering a
broad array of topics is the humorous, irreverent Wine for Dummies, by
husband and wife team; Mary Ewing-Mulligan, and Ed McCarthy.
As with all the “For
Dummies” books, each topic is broken down to the simplest of terms, yet
covered in depth. This book is
perfect if you are new to wine.
Another husband and wife
team, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, authors of the Wall Street Journal’s
popular “Tastings” column, have a new and improved version of The
Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine. This
book has a lot of information and can be useful if you subscribe to the
author’s philosophy. They have been accused of over simplifying wine by some
gurus, but it’s still a good read. Great
if you like to experiment at your own pace.
How about a wine class
in a book? Andrea Immer’s Great
Wine Made Simple is just that.
It has all the facts in an easy to read format but I think the best part
is the individual tastings that she lays out for the reader.
If you follow here instructions, buy the wines she recommends and do the
tasting lessons, you will learn a lot! May
be a little advanced for the novice, but perfect for the mid-experience wine
drinker.
Karen MacNeil is the
author of The Wine Bible, a name that
says it all. 910 pages of world
wine facts that while broad brush in format, offer tidbits of information from
all over the wine world. A great
reference source that I use a lot. You
may not sit down and read this book cover to cover, but if facts and details
entertain you this book is a winner.
The Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America,
edited by Bruce Cass and Jancis Robinson is an interesting coffee table book
that is different from most wine books. The
first portion of the book is series of Introductory Essays covering an array of
topics by a “who’s who” of wine professionals.
All of course focus on wine in North America, from wine service,
auctions, and organic wines, to The US wine distribution system, advances in
winemaking, vineyard labor, and the Internet’s impact on wine sales, to name
just a few. The Essays are followed
by an A to Z alphabetical listing of topical wine information.
Good information, but a strange way to list it.
The book ends with a useful guide to matching wine with food and a series
of great regional maps of the various growing regions in America. Not as user-friendly as the others, this one is more for the
experienced wine geek.
Well, there you have it,
a few choices to add to your wine library or start one.
No matter how much you read and learn about wine the only essential thing
you need to know is what you like, so grab a glass and get busy!
Wine for Dummies $16.99
Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine $26
Great Wine Made Simple $25
The Wine Bible $19.95
The Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America $45