Wine & Winemaking Books - Page 11

The Grail: A Year Ambling & Shambling Through an Oregon Vinyard in Pursuit of the Best Pinot Noir Wine in the Whole Wild World

Brian Doyle

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Rich in atmosphere, bright in taste, no regrets in the morning 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

As a friend of the author, having read many of his tomes, most of his essays and all of speeches, I have to say this is the one that tugged at my taste buds. Reading this book is a heady little journey through the Oregon Hills that I love so much. As the story meanders on and the work gets harder you cannot help but want to be a part of the Lange family (or is that just me?) Yes, I know owning a great vineyard is hard damn work, but look at the harvest. Each bottle contains so much potential for great memories, great hopes, great conversations. Makes me wish I could go back in time 20 years and buy a pinot block in the Red Hills myself.

A Storyteller's Engaging Year in Pursuit of Great Pinot Noir 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I am one of those wine drinkers who has found American Pinot Noirs so thin that I've stopped exploring them. How could the great Burgundy grape descend to such an insipid level in American soil and American hands? This summer, the owner of a fine wineshop in Hatteras, NC, (there is such a thing) tried to educate me that Oregon Pinot Noirs are Burgundian, as he tried to sell me one of his Lange Winery Pinot Noirs. I demurred, so he said, "Let me let you borrow this book. It's a great read." I found the book so, bought it, and one of the aforementioned Lange Pinot Noirs to lay down for a while. Doyle is an engaging writer, a teller of stories (the book is a series of 1-3 page stories), a great describer of people and activities and environments. He is fond of long series of phrases that move poetically. Indeed his first chapter is a single sentence with many commas and one period, running almost two pages--and you don't get lost as you do with a similar Kantian sentence! My only complaint is that Doyle tells you everything about the "farming" of the grapes, and all of the work and sociology and geography and climate and geology that entails, but not much about what is done TO the wine once crushed and how it goes through its various changes in barrel and bottle. I'd have liked more of that. But, nonetheless, it is a fine, enjoyable read, hard to put down; and I recommend it highly. Ask me in a couple of years about the wine! (Though maybe I'll find one in a restaurant somewhere to try before I open my own--or taste one or more when we visit the Lange Winery this fall on a planned West Coast trip. If they're not picking, that is. The book makes clear not to visit then.)

Côte D'Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy

Clive Coates M. W.

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The heart of Burgundy, the Côte D'Or, produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines that are unrivaled in their quality, intensity, and ability to age in the bottle. On this "golden slope" in eastern France, with its unique terrains and climats, grow the vines for some of the world's finest wines, among them such heralded names as Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Puligny- and Chassagne-Montrachet, and Aloxe-Corton. Clive Coates, Master of Wine, has spent much of the last fifteen years in the Côte D'Or, and this book is the splendid result of his assiduous exploring, tasting, and assessing of the region's wines.
With his unique access to each clos and domaine, and to individual negociants and vignerons, Coates may know more about the Côte D'Or and its wines than any other living writer. In Part One, he describes the Côte D'Or's famous villages, introduces every manor grower and his wines, and evaluates each grand and premier cru, recommending the best sources in every climat. Part Two profiles the top sixty domaines, with notes on a vertical tasting of one of their wines. Part Three consists of vintage assessments on the best red and white years since 1945 and includes thousands of detailed tasting notes.
Côte D'Or is a work of love and passion, praise and criticism, understanding and scholarship. Above all, it is a celebration of one of the world's great wine regions, the people who live there, and their fabled wines. It is an essential addition to every wine library and an inviting read for any wine lover.

The Ripening Sun: One Woman and the Creation of a Vineyard

Patricia Atkinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A wonderful voyage 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This was such a wonderfully spellbinding book that I couldn't put it down but at the same time did not want it to end. I really felt like the author was sitting down with me telling the story of her life. Unlike other books of this genre, there is some real life stuff going on, some of it truly heartbreaking. I would highly recommend this book over some of the others like "Bon Courage." I hope Patricia Atkinson is writing a sequel between all her other busy moments in life.

The Ripening Sun 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This is a "must read" for anyone dreaming of owning a vineyard or wishing for a winery! It is the story of Patricia's journey from a novice to a wine expert in 15 short years. She has an ability to tell her story in a way that won't allow you to put the book down until you have read it through. Her characters are fascinating and the best part is that they are real people. You will want to visit Patricia in France and tour her vineyard and winery after reading this book. Book 2 promises to be even better!

Editorial Review:

In 1990, Patricia Atkinson and her husband moved to the Dordogne, planning to earn their living as financial consultants, while an employee tended their small vineyard. Then disaster struck—the stock-market crashed and a debilitating illness sent her husband back to England—and Patricia was left to salvage their life savings from the vineyards. What follows is a remarkable tale of transformation and triumph.

Matt Kramer's New California Wine

Matt Kramer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent and Entertaining Info on California Wine 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 29 people found this review helpful.

Matt Kramer's New California Wine starts with a section that describes the thinking and mentalities behind the California wine industry (he named this part "Thinking California"). He then goes on to describe California's American Viticultural Areas (AVA) and different activities going on in each in a part named "Drinking California". He mentions quite a number of wineries - in ways that offer details that go beyond the usual, dry descriptions often found elsewhere. The "Thinking California" part of the book provides the reader with an excellent overview of the state of California wines - the thinking that has evolved the European wine mentality/tradition as opposed to the California approach to the crafting of fine wines. Kramer's writing style is quite entertaining - he's descriptive with word choices that vividly portray California. At the start of key parts of the book he sets the scene with a quote and then moves into descriptions that inform and entertain. In "Thinking California" his insights into changes and evolutions that have transpired in California wines through descriptions of the history, the wine plant, the climate, and the soil provide an overview helpful when thinking about California wines. In "Drinking California" he gives descriptions of areas (AVA) and different wine operations. Quite a lot of detail that I'll use when planning my next visit to California - the kind of detail one might want when doing advance planning - necessary when visiting wineries. As a native Californian who now lives in Europe I've tried to answer questions about California wines - what I've learned from Mr. Kramer gives an understanding of and a perspective about California wines that I'll find helpful. I'm glad I bought the book and consider its price to be a good investment.

Editorial Review:

California has become the hottest wine producing area in the world, and it happened in less than 25 years. Now the acclaimed Wine Spectator columnist and critic Matt Kramer traces the dramatic progress of the California winemaking industry—the who, how, why, what, and where. No one is better equipped to provide insight into the ways in which West Coast vintners are working to create extraordinary wines, and to explain the myriad developments in character, quality, and technology that have taken place. Kramer’s book provides the first comprehensive look at how new approaches to wine making have contributed to California’s current high status in the world order of wine.

Everyday Dining with Wine

Andrea Immer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Andrea Immer has one of the world's best, and least pretentious, wine palates. In her debut cookbook she proves that her taste in food is just as finely honed and down-to-earth. Presenting 125 recipes that pair magnificently with wine, she shows how to bring these great flavor combinations to the dinner table—with minimum fuss and at minimal cost. Her food and wine matches are guaranteed to make even weeknight meals special occasions.

Wine enthusiasts and epicures alike could not be in better hands: World-renowned Master Sommelier Andrea Immer is also a graduate of the French Culinary Insitute, where she refined her already formidable cooking skills and understanding of food flavors, and where today she is dean of wine studies. In her new book, she solves that most vexing dinner dilemma—which wines to serve with what foods.

Drawing on her sophisticated understanding of tastes, she offers up internationally inspired delicacies like Cumin-crusted Lamb; Fettucine with Proscuitto, Sage, and Mushrooms; or Tarte Tatin with Bourbon and Vanilla. She also offers down-home dishes like Fast-Track Baby Back Ribs, Turkey Quesadillas with Sesame Sweet Potato–Mole Sauce, or Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Chorizo. Everyday Dining with Wine is filled with recipes emphasizing a robust harmony of flavors for every course from soup to dessert.

Andrea believes that wine should be a part of everyday dining—for both pleasure and health. With this book in hand, you can choose a recipe and then find the wine that complements it best, or start with a special bottle and discover its perfect food partner. Here, too, are Andrea’s answers to such common and perplexing questions as “Where should I store my wine?”; “Once I open a bottle, how long will it be good?”; “Does the shape and quality of glassware matter?”

Wine and food belong together, whether for a weeknight meal or a dinner party. With Everyday Dining with Wine there is no guesswork involved in making any meal a cause for celebration.

De Long's Wine Grape Varietal Table

Deborah De Long, Steve De Long

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Learn about Wine the Visual Way.

You consider yourself fairly open minded about wine. You're familiar with the big five -- Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay -- and are getting comfortable with more obscure grape varieties: the occasional Albarino, Petite Sirah, or Viognier. But just when you thought you had the situation under control, your waiter suggests a Lagrein, your local liquor store is pushing Xynomavro, and your friends now swear by Pineau d'Aunis. What to do?

The popular wine reference, De long's Wine Grape Varietal Table has been improved and expanded. Just as with the first edition, the world of wine grapes is organized in a clear, concise and easy to use reference similar to a periodic table. The table contains 184 red and white grape varieties organized by both body (vertically) and acidity (horizontally). The Wine Indexes, which help to answer the bacchanalian question "what grape are you drinking?", now include all wine regions worldwide. To fit all the additional information in, the table is now 24 x 36 inches (printed on 110 lb. acid-free archival paper), and the indexes now comprise an 88 page perfect-bound book. The table and index book are packaged in an attractive and sturdy gift box.

It makes a great gift for novice or expert lovers of wine and is the first in the De Long’s Wine Info Series, a concise set of wine information guides.

Bacchus and Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar

Jay Mcinerney

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Jay McInerney on wine? Yes, Jay McInerney on wine! The best-selling novelist has turned his command of language and flair for metaphor on the world of wine, providing this sublime collection of untraditional musings on wine and wine culture that is as fit for someone looking for “a nice Chardonnay” as it is for the oenophile.

On champagne: “Is Dom Pérignon worth four bottles of Mo‘t & Chandon? If you are a connoisseur, a lover, a snob, or the owner of a large oceangoing craft, the answer . . . is probably yes.”
On the difficulty of picking a wine for a vegetarian meal: “Like boys and girls locked away in same-sex prep schools, most wines yearn for a bit of flesh.”
On telling the difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux: “If it’s red, French, costs too much, and tastes like the water that’s left in the vase after the flowers have died, it’s probably Burgundy.”
On the fungus responsible for the heavenly flavor of the dessert wine called Sauternes: “Not since Baudelaire smoked opium has corruption resulted in such beauty.”

Includes new material plus recommendations on the world’s most romantic wines and the best wines to pair with a meal

Oregon: The Taste of Wine

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Editorial Review:

Both a photographic tour through the burgeoning Oregon wine country and an in-depth discussion of winemaking in the region. Elegant in design and featuring beautiful photography, highlighting many of the most well known wineries as well as the smaller lesser well known gems. It is a tribute to both the pioneers and newcomers of the Oregon wine industry who have made a mark in the international world of wine.

Bordeaux/Burgundy: A Vintage Rivalry

Jean-Robert Pitte

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Seeking to penetrate the mysteries of two great wine regions--"two opposite civilizations, two distinct ways of feeling"--Jean-Robert Pitte embarks upon an evocative and fascinating exploration of the land, people, and wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. His account is a rich tapestry of terroir, history, culture, and economics from Roman to modern times. The unique qualities of the wines of each region, Pitte believes, cannot be entirely explained by the differences in their physical environments: they have social origins as well. Beginning with an entertaining look at the remarkable variety of insults exchanged by partisans of the two regions, Pitte delves into the key role played by medieval monks, dukes, and peasant vignerons in building their respective reputations and in creating the rivalry between bourgeois Bordeaux and earthy Burgundy that we know today. His sparkling, fair-minded narrative, engaging the senses and the mind alike, conveys a deep appreciation of two incomparable winegrowing cultures, united despite their differences by a common ambition to produce the best wines in the world.

Oz Clarke's Grapes and Wines: The definitive guide to the world's great grapes and the wines they make

Oz Clarke, Margaret Rand

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

More problems than advantages 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Oz Clarke's Grapes & Wine takes a different tact than other large definitive coffee table-style wine books like Hugh Johnson and Janice Robinson's World Atlas of Wine, Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia, and Peter Forrestal's The Global Encyclopedia of Wine. Those books (and, indeed, Mr. Clarke's own New Encyclopedia of Wine) are organized based on countries and regions, while this book is organized by major grape varieties, which are arranged in alphabetical order.

As such (and despite what the title says), that makes this more of a guide to grapes than to wine. And that offers some advantages for a lover of, say, Chardonnay, who with this book can read and learn about they way the grape is used in California, France, and New Zealand, without having book markers protruding from three different chapters. The style of organization also allows for the history of a certain grape to be traced even when it crosses national borders, as is the case for every significant variety grown in the U.S. and many classic varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Nior, and Shiraz that have made names for themselves far from where they were originally cultivated.

But I believe the grape-oriented organization ultimately presents more problems than advantages.

From a purely logistical standpoint, it can be confusing because many grapes are known by different names in different places: what the Americans, Australians, and South Africans call Shiraz, the French call Syrah; what the French call Pinot Nior the Italians call Pinto Nero; and what people in one part of Tuscany call Sangiovese is referred to as Brunello, Prugnolo, and Morelino in other parts of the same region. Mr. Clarke solves this by listing the grape by its best-known name and making references to the others in the text (Shiraz and Syrah are listed in hyphenated form), but it might still be confusing to someone who became familiar with a grape by one of its lesser-known appellations.

Also, for a novice, it's not clear what grapes are tied to what kinds of wine in regions that don't reflect the variety on the label. So while the book does explain that red Burgundies are made from Pinot Nior and white Burgundies from Chardonnay, that Barolo and Barbaresco are both crafted from Nebbiolo, and that Chianti comes mostly from Sangiovese, the reader must first know these things before delving into the appropriate chapter.

But the most serious problem, I think, is that organizing chapters by variety presents a false choice: a light and crisp Chardonnay grown in New Zealand, for example, has more in common with the Sauvignon Blanc grown down the street than it does with a powerful and buttery Chardonnay from California. And what about regions known for blending varieties? In Bordeaux most wines are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (Lafite Rothschild, Haut-Brion), but some very significant wines (Le Pin, Petrus) are made predominantly from Merlot.

That said, the book is packed with compelling writing and important and interesting information, and the photography is very strong (even if photos are for the most part a little small for my taste). This book, the last of three editions, was published only three years ago. Afterwards, editors divided the contents into two books: the aforementioned New Encyclopedia of Wine and Mr. Clarke's famous Encyclopedia of Grapes -- both of which I ought to be more familiar with. But after familiarizing myself with the high-level of Mr. Clarke's knowledge and his strong writing and at the same time being somewhat stymied by the way the book is organized, I can't imagine that the decision to divide these riches into two books wasn't a wise one.

Editorial Review:

First published in hardcover as Oz Clarke’s Encyclopedia of Grapes, Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines is newly revised and updated to provide the most current information on an even wider array of grapes. Oz covers chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and fifteen other "classic" grapes in depth, and includes features on tradition and innovation, methods used in the vineyard and the winery, and different wine styles around the world. He also provides vivid descriptions of more than three hundred grape varieties organized in his renowned A-to-Z format, as well as a glossary of technical terms and a wine decoder that lists which grapes go into which wines.

This authoritative volume by one of the world’s great wine writers is all you need to distinguish among grape varieties— the wines they create and the flavors they contribute—and to make an informed choice on selecting the most satisfying wines.