Collecting Books

The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine

Benjamin Wallace

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 43 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

It was the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold.

In 1985, at a heated auction by Christie’s of London, a 1787 bottle of Château Lafite Bordeaux—one of a cache of bottles unearthed in a bricked-up Paris cellar and supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson—went for $156,000 to a member of the Forbes family. The discoverer of the bottle was pop-band manager turned wine collector Hardy Rodenstock, who had a knack for finding extremely old and exquisite wines. But rumors about the bottle soon arose. Why wouldn’t Rodenstock reveal the exact location where it had been found? Was it part of a smuggled Nazi hoard? Or did his reticence conceal an even darker secret?

It would take more than two decades for those questions to be answered and involve a gallery of intriguing players—among them Michael Broadbent, the bicycle-riding British auctioneer who speaks of wines as if they are women and staked his reputation on the record-setting sale; Serena Sutcliffe, Broadbent’s elegant archrival, whose palate is covered by a hefty insurance policy; and Bill Koch, the extravagant Florida tycoon bent on exposing the truth about Rodenstock.

Pursuing the story from Monticello to London to Zurich to Munich and beyond, Benjamin Wallace also offers a mesmerizing history of wine, complete with vivid accounts of subterranean European laboratories where old vintages are dated and of Jefferson’s colorful, wine-soaked days in France, where he literally drank up the culture.

Suspenseful, witty, and thrillingly strange, The Billionaire’s Vinegar is the vintage tale of what could be the most elaborate con since the Hitler diaries. It is also the debut of an exceptionally powerful new voice in narrative non-fiction.

The Oxford Companion to Wine

List Price: $65.00 By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $28.20

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Total reviews: 52 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hailed by Frank J. Prial in The New York Times as "a required reference for anyone who is serious about wine," and by Anthony Dias Blue as "one of the definitive reference books on the subject," The Oxford Companion to Wine won every major wine book award, including the Julia Child and the James Beard awards. Now, Jancis Robinson has completely revised this masterpiece, adding over 500 new entries and thoroughly updating most of the rest.
Lavishly illustrated, with over 200 black and white pictures, 31 full color plates, and 31 maps of every wine region in the world, the Companion is the only wine volume to combine science, history, geography, wine varieties, social and cultural information, and much more. Ranging from Abruzzi and armagnac to Zimbabwe and Zinfandel, from Dionysian revels in ancient Greece to today's leading wine research centers, its 3,400 alphabetically arranged entries explore all aspects of wine, including the latest advances in viticulture and enology. There are in-depth discussions of the climates and grape varieties of great wine regions of the world, and numerous biographies ranging from Dom Perignon to Robert Parker. The book discusses vintner's terms, business and legal aspects, and related topics such as distilled and fortified wines. All technical terms are fully explained, and the hundreds of useful drawings and photographs illustrate key processes. New features include a complete guide to geographical names, a vintage chart, an overview of recent wine prices and investment, and a navigation chart to the Companion.
The ultimate reference on wine and wine-making, The Oxford Companion to Wine is the perfect volume to enhance a lifetime's enjoyment of this intoxicating topic.

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2009: 32nd Edition (Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book)

Hugh Johnson

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: MITCH Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $8.21

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hugh Johnson is the world’s pre-eminent writer on wine; he’s won legions of fans with his keen ability to make this sometimes complex topic wonderfully lucid. Every year his popular pocket guide is a global bestseller, reaching number one in the market. For 2009, this classic gets a complete revision. Maintaining the same authoritative tone and clarity of presentation that have always characterized his work, Johnson now includes a special 16-page, full-color article on food and wine as well as new introductions and feature boxes for every country. In addition, the guide boasts up-to-date news on more than 6,000 wines, growers, and regions from world experts, with invaluable vintage information, and special indications of which wines Johnson has especially enjoyed over the past 12 months. Plus, this is a great key reference for wine-investors and collectors, with four levels of vintage information detailing which wines to drink now and which to cellar. It’s the perfect companion and format for the travelling wine enthusiast.
Hugh Johnson and his galaxy of expert contributors have refreshed the text more than ever to ensure that this book remains the definitive annual guide to wine.

The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia, Third Edition

Tom Stevenson

List Price: $50.00 By: DK ADULT Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $4.41

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Authoritative, international and up-to-date, The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia is arranged geographically and combines maps and photographs with information on all wine-growing areas, profiles of distinguished producers and assessments of individual wines. The book's easy-reference style, and wealth of practical advice, make it an unrivaled source of information for all lovers of wine -- from the occasional drinker to the connoisseur. Wines of the World. Distinguished wine authority Tom Stevenson examines the viticultural history of each wine-making country, discussing its wine-producing regions and the current reputation of its wines. He analyzes the factors affecting the taste and quality of each region's wines -- location, aspect, soil, microclimates, grape varieties, and methods of viticulture and vinification -- before assessing its appellations, the individual wine producers (chateaux or wineries), and, of course, the wines themselves. Enjoying Wine. Tom Stevenson provides practical guidelines on wine tasting, while an "author's choice" chart at the end of each section lists the very best wines. A star-rating system identifies the finest producers and highlights those offering the best value. A "taste chart" explains how to identify the flavors in a wine, and a "troubleshooter's guide" spots common wine flaws. Whether you are a newcomer wanting to explore the pleasures of wine or a wine enthusiast looking for inspiration, The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia is the book to consult again and again.

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2008: 31st Edition (Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book)

Hugh Johnson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Thank God for Pockets 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Wow, what a great little wine guide. Has saved my pallet many times over the past couple of months by steering me towards much better wines. Fun, easy and quick to use. I use it at the wine shop, the grocery store and online. An easy way to meet people in the wine aisle! You may leave the store with more than a bottle of wine and a wedge of cheese!! Cheers!!!

Editorial Review:

Hugh Johnson has won a legion of fans with his keen ability to make the sometimes complex topic of wine wonderfully lucid—and every year, his popular pocket guide is a bestseller. That makes it number one in the market. Here, he has completely revised and updated this classic, offering more current news than ever on over 6,000 wines, growers, and regions, along with up-to-the-minute vintage information, recommended wines (including budget options), and star ratings. With this book in hand, wine lovers won’t need anything else to help them select anything from a bottle for an everyday dinner to a prestige vintage for investment. A new section showcases Johnson’s special, personal choices, and there are plenty of quick-reference maps, charts, and fact boxes for a little extra guidance.

Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine

Barry C Smith

Amazon Price: $15.95 List Price: $15.95 Not yet published By: Oxford University Press, USA

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Interest in wine has steadily increased in recent years, with people far more sophisticated about wine than they used to be. And, inevitably, those who take a serious interest in wine find themselves asking questions about it that are at heart philosophical.
Questions of Taste is the first book to tackle these questions, illuminating the philosophical issues surrounding our love of wine. Featuring lucid essays by top philosophers, a linguist, a biochemist, and a winemaker and wine critic, this book applies their critical and analytical skills to answer--or at least understand--many thorny questions. Does the experience of wine lie in the glass or in our minds? Does the elaborate language we use to describe wine--alluding to the flavors of cheese or fruit, or to a wine's "suppleness" or "brawniness"---really mean anything at all? Can two people taste one wine in the same way? Does a wine expert enjoy wine more than a novice? These questions and others are not just the concern of the wine lover, but go to the heart of how we think about the world around us--and are the province of the philosopher.
With a foreword by leading wine authority Jancis Robinson (editor of the highly acclaimed Oxford Companion to Wine), this volume will be of interest to anyone who thinks seriously about the experience of enjoying wine, as well as those interested in seeing philosophy applied to the world of the everyday.

Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide

Paul Gregutt

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

During the thirty-five years wine critic and writer Paul Gregutt has lived in the state of Washington, its wine industry has ballooned from a mere half dozen wineries to nearly five hundred. Washington Wines and Wineries offers a comprehensive, critical, and accessible account of the nation's second largest wine-producing region. Gregutt, who has covered Washington wine in books, newspapers, and magazines since the mid-1980s, enthusiastically dispenses information along with his editorial opinion, displaying the depth of his knowledge of the area, the players, the regions, and the wines. He points out the best vineyards, the most accomplished winemakers, the must-have wines, and the newcomers to watch. He rates wineries--not wines--with a unique and detailed 100-point scale, providing an insider's view of the best that Washington state has to offer. As the global wine industry reinvents itself for twenty-first-century palates, Washington is poised to become as important and influential as California on the world stage. Washington Wines and Wineries is the definitive reference book on the subject.

The Best Cellar

Jeff Smith

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Stuff for the Wine Lover Unorganized or Not 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

As most of my friends and family know, I love wine. I most partial to the Cabs, BUT if the mood and food call for it I like a Shiraz too. However, they also know I'm too busy to keep anything in any kind of order. This book is great. Offering insight to collectors and how to keep inventory. I am now proud of collection and more importantly I know what's in it. The Best Cellar is smart, funny, and great for any wine lover from a 'perfectionist' to a 'wannabe'.

Practical but off-putting 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Beyond the valuable practical advice offered in this book, particularly in using Excel to organize a wine collection, and helpful delineation of wine collector "types", I was put off by the obvious focus on über expensive wines and the sexist nature of many of the comments and stories.

Editorial Review:

If it happens in a wine cellar, Jeff Smith has done it. In The Best Cellar, Smith lays out step-by-step advice on how to buy and sell wine, how to maintain your collection, and how to prepare a Carte du Vin wine cellar inventory. His adventures in the wine trade are both insightful and riotously funny reading. A must-have book for wine lovers.

Michael Broadbent's Vintage Wine

Michael Broadbent

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

Editorial Review:

Unquestionably unique, demonstrably delightful, Michael Broadbent's Vintage Wine is the culmination of one of the most extraordinary careers in the world of wine. Michael Broadbent quite possibly knows more about fine, old wines than anyone else alive, and he writes about them with unparalleled expertise.
Hired by Christie's in 1966 to revive their wine auctions, Broadbent threw himself into his work, searching out great collections of the world's finest wine--and keeping meticulous tasting notes. Here are evocations of Chateau d'Yquem from 1784--one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites--and hundreds of vintages and thousands of wines right up to the present.
Years of "cellars visited and pillaged, involving the checking and packing of dust- and grime-laden bottles in distinctly dank and chilly conditions," jet-set auctions around the world, legendary tastings and society events, have all helped to create an unrivalled store of vinous anecdotes as well as an unsurpassed wine-tasting history.


EXCERPT

From a tasting of 1784 Chateau Yquem:
"The most renowned vintage of the late 18th century and well-documented thanks mainly to the original copies of the letters and orders of Thomas Jefferson. . . . Jefferson did not trust wine merchants and insisted on bottling at the chateau. . . . The wine has a warm mahogany-amber colour with a pronounced yellow-green rim. Initially, the nose, unsurprisingly, was creakingly old but after fifteen minutes settled down to reveal a remarkably rich, tangy, honeyed scent."

Jancis Robinson's Wine Course: A Guide to the World of Wine

Jancis Robinson

Amazon Price: $24.85 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Abbeville Press Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $12.85

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The enormous variety of wines available today can be baffling even to an experienced buyer. Anyone who enters a wine store is immediately confronted by rows and rows of racks filled with a myriad of choices. Where do you begin when all you want is a reasonably priced quality wine to serve with dinner? Jancis Robinson can make anyone an expert, or at least an informed buyer, in short order. In this comprehensive guide to the wine-producing countries of the world, she captures the flavor of each region’s wines and presents her personal recommendations on the best names from around the world, with thirty-two completely new pages covering the latest developments in South America, South Africa, and Eastern Europe. Robinson also describes the distinctive characteristics of hundreds of different grape varieties and studies the traditional and innovative methods employed in the creation of great wines. A fully updated vintage guide makes selection even easier.

Dedicated to ensuring that you get the most out of every glass, Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course explains how to taste and store wine, what to serve on special occasions at home, and how to order the best value from a restaurant wine list. Full of infectious enthusiasm and heaps of personal tips, this book will soon have you reaching for the corkscrew.