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The Goode Guide to Wine: A Manifesto of Sorts
This guide to Jamie Goode’s philosophy divulges what you need to know (and what you don’t) about the world of wine.
Who will have the last word on wine, if not Jamie Goode? Over the last decade, Goode has embarked on almost nonstop travel through the world’s vineyards in an effort to understand the beautifully diverse and complicated world of wine. His hard-nosed pursuit of the most interesting stories to tell about wine has led us here, to The Goode Guide to Wine.
This book - a sort of manifesto - distills many of the observations, lessons, and opinions that have made Jamie Goode a renowned voice within the wine world. In a series of short, pithy, and often rather blunt chapters, he celebrates what is exciting and interesting about wine, asks how we could do things better, and points out some of the absurdities of wine culture. Jamie Goode has a distinct philosophy when it comes to wine, and he knows you may disagree; if you do, that means it’s working. The Goode Guide to Wine is a book designed to provoke and inspire in equal measure, encouraging the listener to be critical and to see the world of wine through fresh eyes.
Who will have the last word on wine, if not Jamie Goode? Over the last decade, Goode has embarked on almost nonstop travel through the world’s vineyards in an effort to understand the beautifully diverse and complicated world of wine. His hard-nosed pursuit of the most interesting stories to tell about wine has led us here, to The Goode Guide to Wine.
This book - a sort of manifesto - distills many of the observations, lessons, and opinions that have made Jamie Goode a renowned voice within the wine world. In a series of short, pithy, and often rather blunt chapters, he celebrates what is exciting and interesting about wine, asks how we could do things better, and points out some of the absurdities of wine culture. Jamie Goode has a distinct philosophy when it comes to wine, and he knows you may disagree; if you do, that means it’s working. The Goode Guide to Wine is a book designed to provoke and inspire in equal measure, encouraging the listener to be critical and to see the world of wine through fresh eyes.
- GenresNonfictionWine
Audible Audio
Published October 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 20, 2021
Nothing is less profound than a person deeply concerned with their own profundity, and Jamie Goode is obsessed. I would not recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about wine, rather it’s a collection of somewhat tired aphorisms and anecdotes. I’ve given it one extra star for the chapter on tastebuds and individualism, which I found very interesting, but other than that this was boring. He sets out to pull apart the pretension of the wine world, but IMO this book epitomises the worst of it 🤷🏼♀️
September 6, 2020
“The Goode Guide to Wine” is the newest book from long-time wine blogger, prolific and well-regarded British author, Jamie Goode that sees release in September. Having a PhD in plant biology, most of his books to date generally focus on the science of wine as well as various aspects of winemaking. Quite interesting stuff for those of us interested in the topic which is why this title posits something of a change in that it’s more philosophical in nature, more as something designed as a discussion starter. It’s a book presented as Jamie’s own, personal “guide” to wine. Definitely a hefty undertaking which is why I was quite curious to read it.
Upon having finished the book, I had to take a moment to think about how to best describe it given that it defies general definitions and doesn’t really fit into any one genre of wine book. What I ultimately came up with is that if you like Jamie’s Twitter account, then you’ll most probably enjoy this book.
That’s admittedly a bit of a strange statement but I can’t think of one more apt as the chapters in this book are overall exceedingly short (maybe 3-5 pages in general) and read much more like slightly fleshed-out tweets than anything else. I mention this as for some time, Jamie has been using Twitter as way to post thoughts or musings that don’t really take a stance one way or the other, but are put out purely with the idea of generating some debate attention–that often drifts into polemics. I’m sure that there will be those who find not just this short snippet format, but also the type of content appealing and perhaps this rapid-fire churning of words is exactly what some people want in this day and age of social media, constant distractions and short-attention spans. I have to admit that I’m not one of them and prefer books that really grab my attention and make me forget about everything else around me.
Personally, I tend to avoid these kinds of debates on Twitter and I generally prefer much more developed and well-argued thoughts in a book, which is not really what I’m finding here as this is not trying to be an in-depth essay. I was particularly frustrated with the tendency of whenever something had a hint of getting interesting, getting towards taking a stand or making an argument, it often ended with an abrupt sentence like, “Soil matters”, or “Make your wines taste truer. Not nicer”, or “This is a problem”, or something else just as pithy. I suppose it’s to be expected from a book which has the subtitle of “A manifesto of sorts” in that ideas may be presented which then don’t really carry through to the “declaration” aspect of an actual manifesto, playing much more to the “of sorts” bit. There’s just no commitment and really getting behind anything as shown no better in Chapter 20 where he says, “I score wines, but I don’t like scores.” That’s not really a stance one way or another.
I’m rather surprised by all this given that Jamie Goode’s last full-length book (besides his foray into fiction), “Flawless” was much more in-depth and continues to be a go-to reference in terms of understanding wine faults. I don’t find that sense of authority, despite a lot of the text feeling like it’s talking down to me. While there are perhaps some scattered portions on natural wine that people may enjoy, I could never find a real thread, overarching theme, or really anything to grab on to and sadly feel as if I’ve come away from reading it with nothing more than I had going into it.
Again, for those who follow and enjoy his Twitter and blog, this is a light read that will most likely appeal to them along the same vein.
Read the original review here
Upon having finished the book, I had to take a moment to think about how to best describe it given that it defies general definitions and doesn’t really fit into any one genre of wine book. What I ultimately came up with is that if you like Jamie’s Twitter account, then you’ll most probably enjoy this book.
That’s admittedly a bit of a strange statement but I can’t think of one more apt as the chapters in this book are overall exceedingly short (maybe 3-5 pages in general) and read much more like slightly fleshed-out tweets than anything else. I mention this as for some time, Jamie has been using Twitter as way to post thoughts or musings that don’t really take a stance one way or the other, but are put out purely with the idea of generating some debate attention–that often drifts into polemics. I’m sure that there will be those who find not just this short snippet format, but also the type of content appealing and perhaps this rapid-fire churning of words is exactly what some people want in this day and age of social media, constant distractions and short-attention spans. I have to admit that I’m not one of them and prefer books that really grab my attention and make me forget about everything else around me.
Personally, I tend to avoid these kinds of debates on Twitter and I generally prefer much more developed and well-argued thoughts in a book, which is not really what I’m finding here as this is not trying to be an in-depth essay. I was particularly frustrated with the tendency of whenever something had a hint of getting interesting, getting towards taking a stand or making an argument, it often ended with an abrupt sentence like, “Soil matters”, or “Make your wines taste truer. Not nicer”, or “This is a problem”, or something else just as pithy. I suppose it’s to be expected from a book which has the subtitle of “A manifesto of sorts” in that ideas may be presented which then don’t really carry through to the “declaration” aspect of an actual manifesto, playing much more to the “of sorts” bit. There’s just no commitment and really getting behind anything as shown no better in Chapter 20 where he says, “I score wines, but I don’t like scores.” That’s not really a stance one way or another.
I’m rather surprised by all this given that Jamie Goode’s last full-length book (besides his foray into fiction), “Flawless” was much more in-depth and continues to be a go-to reference in terms of understanding wine faults. I don’t find that sense of authority, despite a lot of the text feeling like it’s talking down to me. While there are perhaps some scattered portions on natural wine that people may enjoy, I could never find a real thread, overarching theme, or really anything to grab on to and sadly feel as if I’ve come away from reading it with nothing more than I had going into it.
Again, for those who follow and enjoy his Twitter and blog, this is a light read that will most likely appeal to them along the same vein.
Read the original review here
August 23, 2022
First off, my thanks to GoodReads and the U of CA Press (Go Bears!) for an ebook ARC. My apologizes for it taking me so long to get to it!
But every now and then I like to pick up a book on wine and give it a read. I do have a collection of about 800 bottles, mostly CA, and some other New World.
Goode was a scientist for years before he came to wine, and while he does emphasize that angle when writing about wine (he has other books out on wine - again, emphasizing the science of it), he realizes it is not an objective subject, or all "just the facts, ma'am".
I have some minor disagreements with him - I think most any wine maker is concerned with earth and soil, and one of the first things they do before buying a parcel of vineyard is to taste it themselves and have it tested.
Also, he never really defines what an "interesting" wine is. A term he uses constantly.
Although I do like that he hammers down the point that wines should taste like their locale.
I am not a big fan of "big" wines either, but I have drunk (drank?) more than a few, but don't get his "sweetness" complaint about them.
When talking about the wine market segments (and I appreciate his appreciation of the part marketing and sales plays in any wine company) I wish he had also included "mid-range". Those wine drinkers who don't go for the "cheapest", or the expensive wine with a cult following, but a mid-range priced wine, about $20-60. There is some quality there, and large part of the wine drinking community as well. I find them to be more inquisitive, even if not being wine "experts" themselves.
His quick description of yeast and fermentation has been the best explanation I have had of that pricess yet!
He considers himself a rebel of sorts. And to some degree he is (he hates Parker ratings, but also realizes they are necessary - but they have also become inflated). And his "chapters" on tastings are helpful as well. "Double blind" tastings are great - but it is later when you know what the wine is that you can appreciate it even more.
Mostly talking about French wines, I do wish he had named more names when criticizing some wine making,
An enjoyable read over a couple of evenings. He is at his best when he does what he stresses in the last chapter - tells stories. And, a nice, acerbic at times, humor about him.
I may go read another of his titles.
But every now and then I like to pick up a book on wine and give it a read. I do have a collection of about 800 bottles, mostly CA, and some other New World.
Goode was a scientist for years before he came to wine, and while he does emphasize that angle when writing about wine (he has other books out on wine - again, emphasizing the science of it), he realizes it is not an objective subject, or all "just the facts, ma'am".
I have some minor disagreements with him - I think most any wine maker is concerned with earth and soil, and one of the first things they do before buying a parcel of vineyard is to taste it themselves and have it tested.
Also, he never really defines what an "interesting" wine is. A term he uses constantly.
Although I do like that he hammers down the point that wines should taste like their locale.
I am not a big fan of "big" wines either, but I have drunk (drank?) more than a few, but don't get his "sweetness" complaint about them.
When talking about the wine market segments (and I appreciate his appreciation of the part marketing and sales plays in any wine company) I wish he had also included "mid-range". Those wine drinkers who don't go for the "cheapest", or the expensive wine with a cult following, but a mid-range priced wine, about $20-60. There is some quality there, and large part of the wine drinking community as well. I find them to be more inquisitive, even if not being wine "experts" themselves.
His quick description of yeast and fermentation has been the best explanation I have had of that pricess yet!
He considers himself a rebel of sorts. And to some degree he is (he hates Parker ratings, but also realizes they are necessary - but they have also become inflated). And his "chapters" on tastings are helpful as well. "Double blind" tastings are great - but it is later when you know what the wine is that you can appreciate it even more.
Mostly talking about French wines, I do wish he had named more names when criticizing some wine making,
An enjoyable read over a couple of evenings. He is at his best when he does what he stresses in the last chapter - tells stories. And, a nice, acerbic at times, humor about him.
I may go read another of his titles.
January 25, 2021
Good book. It's more like a collection of small (self contained) essays about the many facets of wine. As the author says in the subtitle, it's a Manifesto. Definitely, NOT a guide to wine. And not for beginners. I liked many of the chapters and it wasn't repetitive. I really enjoyed the chapter in which he provides a template for writing an article for a wine magazine, hilarious! Good insights into the world of wine and the things that happen behind the scenes in the industry.
April 5, 2023
Good book. It's more like a collection of small (self contained) essays about the many facets of wine. As the author says in the subtitle, it's a Manifesto. Definitely, NOT a guide to wine. And not for beginners. I liked many of the chapters and it wasn't repetitive. I really enjoyed the chapter in which he provides a template for writing an article for a wine magazine, hilarious! Good insights into the world of wine and the things that happen behind the scenes in the industry.
October 13, 2023
good book with hot takes on wine. ones i mostly agree with - like sense of place, honesty in marketing, and abolishing the wine scores system. definitely better for reading personal essays on the wine industry rather than a guide to understanding wine on an educational level. luckily there are plenty of books for that.
September 27, 2020
As a ignorant wine drinker, I found this book delightfully informative. The author clearly wields experience in in wine. Although I don't think my taste buds will ever be able to differentiate the qualities, the author's lucid guidance made me wish I had the less dull taste buds.
February 2, 2021
Some good points and interesting thoughts, but could be said in half as many words.
May 26, 2025
2/5 collection of tweets on how snobby the wine community is when people should just trust their gut and drink the wine they like. There saved you a few hours.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews