Buying Guides Books - Page 11

A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire (Veuve Clicquot-Wine Book of the Year)

Jacqueline Friedrich

List Price: $27.50 By: Henry Holt and Co. Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $6.82

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Loire Valley Wine 4 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This book was very helpful in our tour of the Loire Valley. We used it to visit wineries in both Chinon and Vouvray. As there are quite a few places to visit, Ms. Friedrich's commentary about each vignoble and her rating system were very useful.

One place in particular we did visit was SCEA Charles Joguet in the Chinon region. We mentioned the nice write-up he received in this book, and he said that he had the book and that Ms. Friedrich only lived right around the corner, this story really brought the book and the region to life for me. His facility includes a cave towards the back of the property where we tasted several wines and purchased some as well. As a professional, he took the name and address of the English friend, who resides in France, with whom we were visiting, in order to add her to his mailing list. He then told me how to purchase his wines in Pennsylvania.

Without Ms. Friedrich's book we would never have gone to this property as it is off the beaten path, but well worth the visit.

If you're headed to the Loire and want to do more than the usual tourist visiting of the chateaux then this book is indispensable.

Editorial Review:

Veuve Clicquot-Wine Book of the Year
Winner of the Julia Child Award
Winner of the James Beard Award

Here, finally, is the first comprehensive guide to the five wine regions of the Loire. It is written with passion, understanding, and authority. Friedrich explores the Loire's sixty-odd appellations, explaining each one's history, soils, climate, and vintners. The author rates over six hundred wineries, giving tasting notes and lively sketches of the individual producers. Friedrich describes the food traditions of each of the five regions--the Nantais, Anjou and Saumur, Touraine, the Sancerrois, and the Auverngne, introducing fishermen, charcutiers, cheesemakers, and farmers. There are maps, a glossary, and wine itineraries for travelers. It will remain a classic well into the twenty-first century.

South of France: How to Find Great Wines Off the Beaten Track (Discovering Wine Country)

Jonathan Healey

Amazon Price: $15.56 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Mitchell Beazley Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Don't leave home without this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I learned a lot about the South and France and its wines from this book. The author makes you feel like you're there - and he tells you what wines are worth buying, and why. The book is beautifully illustrated too, with fabulous photographs and loads of maps with suggested wine routes. I like the fact he takes you off the beaten track and adds lots of quirky details that other guides overlook. He obviously knows his stuff. There are great recommendations about what to eat, where to eat, and where to stay, too. Highly recommended!

Not a Complete Survey of Southern France 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

There are numerous wine areas of Southern France that are referenced and given wonderful details....Yet, the author has completely left out one of the most magnificent areas of what is definitely part of "Southern France"..... the Chateauneuf du Pape area, and almost the entire Northern and Southern Rhone region..... If he had included this area,..... he would have created a MASTERPIECE.

Editorial Review:

An essential guide to exploring the best wines from southern France, with wine tours of both the most popular and lesser-known regions, and details of top producers and local tourist attractions. There is expert advice on how to choose the top wines and transport them home safely, and useful tips on local culture, eating out, where to stay, and the best ways of traveling around. 
 

How to Choose Wine: A Complete Guide to Buying, Storing, And Serving Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Made Easy)

Susy Atkins

Amazon Price: $9.31 List Price: $10.95 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Mitchell Beazley Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $0.01

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Editorial Review:

Beaujolais or Bordeaux? Chianti or Côtes de Rhone? Sauvignon Blanc or Vinho Verde? Choosing a wine can be so hard—but this guide will make life a lot easier. It covers wines from almost every country in the world; clears up the mysteries of labels, brands, appellations, and grape varieties; and interprets the language of labels. Find out about the three key wine issues you must know; which wines will improve with time; how to store wines at home; and how to open a bottle. There’s an A to Z of reds, whites, rosés, sparkling wines, and sweet and fortified ones—and advice on sticking to a budget, too!
 
 

The World's Greatest Wines

Michel Bettane, Thierry Desseauve

Amazon Price: $34.20 List Price: $45.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: "Stewart, Tabori and Chang" Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $7.67

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A superlative wine for every day of the year—is that so much to ask? As the French say, pas du tout. With The World’s Greatest Wines, two of the wine world’s most respected authorities, Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, present a calendar’s worth of wines that, in their expert judgment, every wine lover will want to experience. Longtime editors of France’s top wine guide, La Revue du Vin de France, Bettane and Desseauve have an unsurpassed knowledge of their home nation’s wines. But here they broaden their sights, embracing an array of fine wines—red and white, sparkling and still, dry and sweet—from all over the globe. Every major kind of wine and wine-growing region is represented on the author’s meticulously chosen list—from the cabernets of California, to the malbecs of Argentina, to the sauvignon blancs of New Zealand, to the rieslings of Germany’s Mosel region.

Much more than just a catalog of producers and labels, the book contains a detailed profile of each of the wine estates selected, notes on the recent vintages the authors prefer, and a series of spectacular images of some of the world’s most renowned vineyards and wineries.

Overstreet's New Wine Guide: Celebrating the New Wave in Winemaking

Dennis Overstreet, David Gibbons

List Price: $40.00 By: Clarkson Potter Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $0.86

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

There has never been a more exciting time to explore the pleasures of fine wine. Thanks to a new generation of talented winemakers who are marrying the best of traditional viticulture with innovative technologies, today premium wine is being produced in more places, giving the consumer an unprecedented array of choices in every price range.

Dennis Overstreet, whose store, The Wine Merchant, Beverly Hills, has been a Los Angeles fixture for more than a decade, feels wine has for too long been veiled in a shroud of elitism and arcane language. As one of the foremost wine retailers in the country, he is on a mission to show would-be connoisseurs at every level of sophistication how to increase their enjoyment of wine and challenge their palates with new experiences.

Unlike other wine guides, Overstreet's does not offer ratings; instead he provides road signs that help guide readers through a thrilling journey of discovery of their own. He introduces some of the most important people and places in the wine world today, and offers pointers on searching out intriguing, little-known wines. He then goes on to break down what exactly we mean when we say a wine is good--or even great--so readers can expand their wine vocabulary and communicate their preferences more effectively. And because he believes there is no substitute for popping corks--that is, tasting, tasting, and more tasting--he provides guidelines for starting a wine collection and organizing a wine tasting at home or in a restaurant.

Overstreet also addresses the often-tricky business of matching wines with food, drawing on the expertise of some of the country's foremost sommeliers and chefs, and shares his recommendations for getting the most from a wine retailer or restaurant wine list. And in an extensive directory of wines and winemakers by country, Dennis Overstreet offers his highly subjective nominations for the world's best wines.
Filled with insights gleaned from a life dedicated to the appreciation of this intriguing and rewarding beverage, Overstreet's New Wine Guide will help novices and experts alike derive more pleasure from their wine and encourage them to expand their horizons with every bottle.

Dennis Overstreet, California's premier wine merchant, presents his shortcuts to making every glass a moment worth savoring, spotlighting the most exciting new names and places in wine today. He shows how to: spot wines that are beyond their prime, stock a wine cellar, host a wine tasting, build a relationship with a wine retailer, seek out little-known vintages and makers, get the best service from a sommelier, pair wine with a variety of foods, and much more.

Overstreet also includes his exclusive hit list, The Wine Merchant's Selections, of best bottles from around the world.

The Wine Collector's Handbook

Linda Johnson

List Price: $25.00 By: The Lyons Press Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A book for beginners at best 2 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

For anyone who has been into wine for more than a month, this book will show you nothing new. I found it interesting that Linda refers to Robert Parker's "The Wine Advocate's Vintage Guide" as one of the best guides she has come across. This is the one peice of advice that I could use. Save the 21.00 you will spend for this book and put that amount towards the purchase of ANY book by Robert Parker.

Editorial Review:

For anyone who has fallen under the spell of wine, starting a collection of high-quality, ageable wines is the inevitable next step. Whether one wants to assemble a simple collection of a few favorite wines, or make a significant investment in a collection of hundreds of bottles, the information in The Wine Collector's Handbook will save time and money. This handbook will teach you: how to analyze a wine's potential; how to taste wine like a professional; what and when is maturity; which wines to drink now, and which later; which wines to cellar and for how long; how to get the most for your money. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 206 pages, charts)

Chardonnay: A Complete Guide to the Grape and the Wines it Produces (Mitchell Beazley Wine Made Easy)

Dave Broom

Amazon Price: $9.31 List Price: $10.95 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Mitchell Beazley Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $0.01

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Editorial Review:

How did Chardonnay become the most popular white grape variety in the world? Award-winning author Dave Broom—honored as the Glenfiddich Drinks Writer of the Year—charts its evolution, covering where the grape grows and why; who the top winemakers are; how to buy, serve, and store the wine; and what food goes well with it. He provides an international perspective, looking not only at the traditional producing countries in Europe (France, Italy, and Spain), but also at Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, South Africa, and wherever else in the world the wine is found.  
 

Wine Spectator Magazine's Guide to Great Wine Values $10 and Under

Wine Spectator Magazine

List Price: $9.95 By: Wine Spectator Press Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $0.01

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Editorial Review:

The premier magazine source for wine tasting notes, best buys and winery profiles offers a selection of outstanding books to increase your knowledge and appreciation of wines of every type and vintage. These titles proudly distributed by Running Press. This convenient paperback pocket guide shares a collection of more than 1,000 tasting notes and ratings for wines priced at $10 and under. The book highlights all the major types of wine, from California Chardonnay to French Beaujolais, plus exciting new wines like Merlot from Washington State and Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa.

Best Wine Buys for $12 and Under:: A Guide for the Frugal Conoisseur

Barbara Ensrud

List Price: $9.95 By: Villard Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent pocket wine reference for trips to wine store. 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This slim guide is an excellent wine bargain listing with tons of depth in international wines, pointing out excellent wines from both famous and smaller wineries.

I've used this guide for 2 yrs and add my own comments along the way. A bargain for the info and advice.

Editorial Review:

From Bordeaux to Chablis, from Merlot to Zinfandel, this thoroughly updated guide to the world's best wine buys provides an indispensable pocket resource for anyone who wants to drink quality wines--without emptying his or her pockets.

Wine by Style: A Practical Guide to Choosing Wine by Flavor, Body, and Color

Fiona Beckett

Amazon Price: $15.96 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Mitchell Beazley Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $2.09

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A nice book to have around 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have really enjoyed having this book. It's a joy to read and doesn't require me to go from cover to cover. It's not an exhaustive study, but rather has enough information to get me started in understanding a particular style. The book is divided into sections on each style (medium-bodied reds, full-bodied reds, rarities, dessert wines, etc) and in each section she provides an informative listing of the better-known wines in that style. The book itself is of very high quality and has lovely photos so it's fun to flip through.

Editorial Review:

This fully revised and updated edition of Wine by Style groups wines by taste rather than country of origin to extend your wine-drinking knowledge and guide you to the bottles you’ll enjoy most. It’s a refreshingly simple and unique way of exploring wine, and a down-to-earth and lively approach to a vast subject. Each chapter covers a main style—from whites and reds to rosés, from champagne and sparkling wines to fortified wines. Fiona Beckett explains the different flavors, and includes a comprehensive list of wines for each style with descriptions of where they are produced, the grapes they’re made from, and what they taste like. There are also useful tasting notes, keys to flavors and price, and a practical chapter on matching wine and food, serving and storing wine, and spotting faulty wines. The influence of climate and soil, and the effect of different winemaking techniques, are explored in full.