Fear of Wine: An Introductory Guide to the Grape

by Leslie Brenner, Lettie Teague (Illustrator)

In this friendly introductory guide, food and wine writer Leslie Brenner tells how
Pour and taste wine
Develop a taste memory
Order from a wine list
Select a wine at the store
Match food with wine

In addition, helpful sidebars illuminate such subjects
How--and why--to swirl without sloshing
Disarming a snotty waiter
Ten great wines to bring to a dinner party
Going beyond California Chardonnay
Starting your own cellar for under $100

Along the way, Lettie Teague's funny and informative cartoons enhance the text and make great devices for remembering the most important facts. Before long,
your old standby, Chateau Screwtop, will be a distant memory. Accessible and concise, Fear of Wine will appeal to anyone who wants to know a little bit about a subject that can bring great pleasure.

At last, a guide that is as fun to read as wine is to drink!

Genres: Cookbooks, Wine, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in a wine class I took. If you are interested in wine and want to read an informative book that isn't snobby, you will like this book. I learned so much and it's explained in a semi-sarcastic way with illustrations and in a tone for folks who are interested in this culture but are but are not condescending.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure I was crazy about this book when I started reading it. However, in a very short period of time, I started feeling confident when reading wine labels and understanding terms I saw on those labels. I started feeling curious and adventurous instead of nervous, and I found something I want to try. I’m going to buy it tomorrow. If I like it, that’s great. If I don’t, I can use it as a guideline to help me find something different that I might like.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up Fear of Wine on the having-something-to-read principle. It wouldn't be my first choice in wine books (indeed, Christina got me a wine book that I've been enjoying). But it's nice to pick up a few tips (like the difference between the Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate) from different sources. This book went into a little bit too much detail about the different regions (in that way, it might work better as a reference work), but it had a lot of stuff I was glad to read.