Making Sense of Wine

by Matt Kramer

The paperback edition of this highly praised wine classic includes a new preface and an all-new chapter that covers changes and advances in winemaking since the book’s initial publication in 1989. Kramer explores connoisseurship through the practical devices of “thinking wine” and “drinking wine,” making for an engrossing journey through one of life’s great pleasures. Wine’s complexities are often glossed over in favor of sound bites tailored to the novice. Kramer embraces and celebrates these complexities. The superbly written text covers the basics, from food and wine pairings to setting up a wine cellar.

Genres: Wine, Nonfiction, Food, Audiobook, Food and Drink, Food and Wine

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Daniel2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Not what I would call an"introductory" work on wine like the name suggests, but very entertaining. Another thing, the author states facts and lets the reader know his opinion is, after all, only an opinion. This may seem like a common sense qualifier in a work of this kind, but it isn't. Most books on connoisseurship blend in their snobby opinion with fact so that it's difficult to tell which is which; a very sneaky trick that I despise in a book that's supposed to be introductory.

Mr. Kramer, however, will first shun snobbery, give his opinion, then ultimately create his own brand of snobbery. I like that. Snobbery is never the problem in these books. In fact you read them specifically because of their supposed ability to let you in on the secrets of such snobbery.

What IS a problem in these sort of works is the weaving of truth and opinion and the intentionally blurred line between them.

Kramer's formula is thus: 'Listen, folks, drink wine any way you want to if it makes you happy, but if you don't want to look like a goddamn loser here's the glass you should use and the meal you should have it with. But by all means, if you want to be a hack wino, be my guest.'

This works for me. Four stars.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool book/ taste over etiquette- tons of knowledge and attitude. Last chapter on recipes and parings was not appreciated.

[Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

legitimately one of the best books I've ever read on wine. it manages to bring up actual studies to support what it's saying rather than simply touting the same lines that you read everywhere else. the book offers something new and informs things that you may already know. this is all the more disappointing in that it came out in 1989 and is not referenced in the majority of more modern books that I've read.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book of essays for anyone who's interested in wine. The essays in the first half about connoisseurship, authenticity, and how wine is made are great. Goes a little off the rails at the end - the chapter on wine pairings is basically a list of food Kramer likes to eat and some suggestions of wines to go with it. Should've ended right before that, but overall certainly worthwhile.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read with lots of information. I read this for a book club at a wine shop and am glad it was chosen. Kramer does a good job of covering lots of different topics that are useful for choosing and serving wine, as well as including historical anecdotes.

[Anneli Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a really good book about wine that taught me a lot about history, storing, myths and problems with transportation among other things. I read it as an audio book and must say that the voice actor reading it made up a lot of the rating as he was superb.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It sounds like a Wine101 book, but the essays are WAY more interesting than that! Things you never thought you needed to know...

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for both the beginner and those who already possess a decent knowledge of wine. This book is written in an easy to read style and is both humorous and technical without being boring.

[Dirk Delahaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not making any sense of it yet, and neither are you.

[Ron Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kramer serves up a mix of history, enology, opinion, anecdotes, technology, biology, and bits of literature. It’s not at all like Karen McNeil’s The Wine Bible – "here are the major districts, wines, and makers of Italy, now here are the ones for France". Kramer’s chapters are thematic – What are the elements of connoisseurship? Why cellar wines? How should you serve and taste it? – so the two books complement each other.

If wine is your hobby you’ve already read similar books. But you always get something new from each, making them all fun in some way. Kramer gives a nice diatribe about modern wine technology homogenizing wines on a global scale, bringing them to the lowest common denominator of populist appeal, rather like the many beautiful artisanal breads that disappear to be replaced by Wonder Bread wherever you go.

There are also anecdotes like the one about Pepys sampling a new wine in 1663, “a sort of French wine called Ho Bryan, that had a good and most particular taste that I never met with.” One might come up with a better, but not a pithier, description of Château Haut-Brion today. All in all, Kramer’s writing is a nice blend of fact and common sense with little dogma.

[Brian Wehrung · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be something of a mixed bag. My initial reaction was that it was hugely pretentious, especially the first section “Thinking Wine”. The second section, “Drinking Wine” was less so. The discussion on cellaring was very interesting. Russian of transporting wine and it’s dilatory affect on the wine was interesting. It did not provide any actionable information. It just made me think that any wine you purchase has been damaged in the shipping and storage process. The final chapter on food and wine pairing was probably the best but could’ve been longer and more extensive.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the sections on history and chemistry of wine most interesting. A central message of Kramer’s seems to be forget all the rules you’ve heard and trust your senses. I did skim quite a bit of the text about specific wine producers and crystal glasses as this seemed pretentious and not in my price range.

[Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 of 5 stars...and I'm being generous. I thought I would get more out of this read than I did. There were some interesting facts and tidbits of useful information. But all in all, this was not a favorite topic book.
Unfortunately, this is the best I can do to compliment this book. It's done. Maybe one of the books in it's bibliography will be more interesting.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too pretentious and western in focus to coax four stars from me, but I did very much appreciate the discussion of wine storage and shipping, as well as the section on picking a wine glass.

[Eeculp · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Wine for rich people”

A little old fashioned.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would try a different kind of book than I usually listen to, on a topic I am somewhat interested in. I'm a wine novice, and thought I might see if a wine book would describe the tastes I read about in articles in wine magazines. Gratefully, Kramer keeps this a bit more basic and mostly more obvious. He only brings up a few tastes repeatedly, which is good since taste is so difficult to write about. He provides a lot of background on why wines might taste bad and on the process of making wine, warehousing, bottling and corking, decanting, the best glasses, and more. This was a very good book for learning these processes and where things can go wrong. The last chapter was about the author's favorite food/wine pairings, and at this he jumped the shark and reverted to more of a wine writer. The audio is narrated by what sounds to be a well-heeled English gentleman, so I was surprised the majority of the book was so accessible. In audio, the non-English wine names were just a blur, and there were quite a few. I can imagine seeing them in a book you might be interesting in writing down a wine name and investigating online or at your local wine shop, but the audio does not lend itself to that at all. The audio was worthwhile without understanding the wine names, though, if you are willing to forego that kind of follow-up.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat technical and unsexy approach to wine, but a thorough one. This book offers an overview of everything from vine cultivation, to yeast and fermentation, to an examination of the effects of light and heat on wine, to cellaring, serving (including specifications in glass shapes and brands), and a brief chapter on food and wine pairing. It's a bit overwhelming for a wine novice, but his underlying premise is a good one: snobbishness or fear of social faux pas should never get in the way of simply enjoying the wine that you can afford.

[Nyasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an informative book! I like that it's not just for those interested in wines, but also for the experienced wine drinkers. Kramer explains the history of wine making and the reasons we still uphold some traditions when drinking wine. He also shares some delicious sounding recipes in the end, so you can actually experience what he is talking about. However, be prepared for some complicated wine names though they will just make you realize just how little you know about wine!

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book prides itself on being an unpretentious and accessible book about wine. It’s not. What it does do is rail against the pretentions of the old guard of wine connoisseurs, but does so in a way which, to a wine novice like myself, is like hearing a passionate argument in a foreign language.

[Steven Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a number of books on the topic of wine, and this was the best. I read it ten years ago and recently read it for a second time. Kramer is an outstanding writer. He could write anything and make it entertaining. But he loves wine and does a fabulous job of explaining everything you need to know to fully appreciate it. One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.

[John Goodell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some excellent, unpretentious advice on wine from an author who seems to center everything in his life around the wonderful drink. The book ranges from wisdom on selecting wines, wine glasses, and cleaning decanters, to a brief overview of some major wine growing regions, the economy of wine, and a debunking of popular myths (such as that humidity is at all relevant to the storing of wine).

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaguely aware of the luxurious frivolousness of its subject; I liked most the parts about the history of estate bottling and the fermentation process. I grabbed this off our shelf to have something to read as filler, and this fit the bill.

[Sofia Hernandez]

I am still reading it, but it is a nice introduction not only to wine tasting, but also to rise of the wine production and appreciation in the US during the 1980s.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breezily written, enthusiastic and solidly informative look at wine history, types and obsession with same.

[Barbara]

Enjoyed the read, easy to follow.

[Sam Albala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved some of the technical and historical facts...and the chocolate truffle recipe in the back

[Simon Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable journey through some of the most storied names in hallowed wine cellars. Matt Kramer imbues envy on all oenophiles with his delicious descriptions of vinous nectar. The conversational tone of the book made for a casual and enjoyable read with a nice touch of technical and scientific knowledge. I found myself grasping more complex topics more easily through the clear descriptions and discussions. An unexpected and appreciated element was Kramers destruction of long-told wine myths, like the concerns regarding oxygenation of wine through corks, humidity in cellars, and the original reason for serving a splash of wine to the host at dinner before guests. Make Sense of Wine reminded my of Jay McInerney's, The Juice, albeit with less humour and a bit more dated, but none the less knowledgable, educational, or enjoyable.