Flawless: Understanding Faults in Wine

by Jamie Goode

A New York Times Best Wine Book of 2018

Flawless  is the first book of its kind dedicated to exploring the main causes of faults in wine. From cork taint, to volatile acidity, to off-putting aromas and flavors, all wine connoisseurs have encountered unappealing qualities in a disappointing bottle. But are all faults truly bad? Are some even desirable? Jamie Goode brings his authoritative voice to the table once again to demystify the science behind what causes a good bottle to go bad. By exposing the root causes of faults in wine,  Flawless  challenges us to rethink our assumptions about how wine should taste and how we can understand beauty in a glass.

Genres: Wine, Nonfiction, Science

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2018

Reviews

[Adrian Kidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A comprehensive review of what go wrong in the magical process of transforming the humble grape into the elixir of the gods. From the well known issues of Brett, VA, oxidation, TCA and reduction to the much more esoteric Geosmin, mousiness and ladybug taint! Did I mention it was comprehensive. Very detailed, particularly in respect of the chemistry involved which definitely lost me in places. Ultimately perhaps more aimed at winemakers as opposed to consumers but nonetheless a worthwhile read for those with a keen interest in wine.

[Manuel Alamo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technical book, written for wine-students or real wine lovers who want to go in deep with chemical explanation about different faults. It is not a book for those who want to learn how to identify the different faults in wine, but to understand what is going on with the molecules in the wine when it presents some faults. It is a necessary complement when studying winemaking processes.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed full of info! This was my first foray into wine science and I found it really enlightening. You really only need a small memory of high school chemistry to understand what he is talking about, but I did find myself wanting to look up a few things. Will be worth a second read!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like wine and understand chemistry, this is a great book. If you don't know much chemistry, it's still a good book, but it's harder to get into. Some chapters are very chemistry-heavy and I got a little lost. That being said, I learned a few things and enjoyed the book overall.

[Gaby Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and interesting if you are studying wine and want to go into deep details about faults and the chemistry behind them

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information, poorly edited.