What do you think?
Rate this book
How to Drink Wine: The Easiest Way to Learn What You Like
From grape to glass, this highly readable, charmingly illustrated guide will teach you everything you need to know to enjoy wine. “How to Drink Wine demystifies this topic, taking out the BS and replacing it with fun.”—Mike D, the Beastie Boys NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BON APPÉTITEverybody knows that the world of wine can be vast and intimidating and complex. But what few people seem to know is where to start when it comes to learning the basics. How to Drink Wine solves that problem. The path to drinking wine with confidence begins with this very informative, very relatable, very entertaining book, thanks to award-winning sommelier and restaurateur Grant Reynolds and acclaimed writer and founder of The Infatuation, Chris Stang. By reading How to Drink Wine, you • Acquire some foundational terminology. Cuvée, maceration, sul tes . . . what does it all mean?
• Learn of the twenty-nine wines you need to know—and about important producers.
• Find answers to questions you might be embarrassed to ask, like exactly how is rosé made?
• Start to pair wines with your life instead of your plate.
• Be able to navigate a wine list and/or store. You probably already know what you like to drink. This book will help you better understand why. And as a result, your knowledge, curiosity, and wine collection will expand. So will your number of friends.
153 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2020
75 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 10, 2024
Книжка про все і ні про що водночас. Якась субʼєктивщина від авторів які вважають свій смак абсолютним. Все доповнюють жартики 20-річної давності та необґрунтований хейт pino grigio чи виробника yellow tail. Два бали за непоганий початок та кілька плюс-мінус зрозумілих пояснень про регіони та сорти.
May 13, 2024
This is much more of an reference book than an instruction manual. And I'm not sure its format actually helps many people "learn what you like".
It starts off by throwing you in the deep end. The very first chapter is "The Words You Need" and gives you a strangely eclectic glossary of many typical wine snob words. Some of these are fairly esoteric -- not at all suitable for the first thing a beginner learns. I've never heard anyone say Crémant instead of just "sparkling wine". I've never heard anyone say Cru instead of just "vineyard". No beginner is going to be buying a Magnum.
But the bigger problem is that I don't think throwing a bunch of definitions without context is a great way to start learning about any subject.
Next comes a section called "Infrequently Asked Questions" that covers "How is wine made?", "What is natural wine?", "What is skin-contact wine?". I can't imagine any beginner cares overly much about that. But then after those esoteric questions you get actually useful things (which I doubt are "infrequently asked") like "Why do people swirl wine?", "How do I taste wine?", and "What's the right temperature for wine?"
Side note: They introduce the "15-minute rule" which I had never heard before (I am, at best, a very casual wine drinker) and is honesty the single best thing in the book. Take white wine out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before drinking. Put red wine in the refrigerator 15 minutes before drinking.
The bulk of the remainder are two reference sections. One on places and the other on types of wines. France, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc. The wine section is "29 Wines: Just the ones you need to know". And I highly doubt anyone who is learning wine actually needs to know 29 wines. Some of these I've never heard of (see, again, I'm just a very casual wine drinker; still I have been drinking wine for 25 years at this point). Albariño, Brunello di Montalcino, Etna Rosso, Montepulciano, Vermentino.
These are presented in alphabetical order, which makes it hard for the information to sink it. If they were grouped in some other way (red vs white, lightest to fullest) it would have been a vast improvement to actual learning. Instead the book's reference roots win through.
The section on each wine isn't likely to help you much. Will you like Rioja? This is what the book has to say,
"If you like it, here's why: you are aroused by the smell of an old bookstore; you're a savvy buyer who found an inexpensive bottle of old wine".
I like Rioja but neither of those applies to me. It is honestly a bit of a fail that they inserted irreverent humor into what is otherwise a pretty straightforward reference book.
It concludes with "some of our favourite producers" which is always a bit useless in a wine book. Who knows if your tastes align with the authors? A beginning wine book should be about helping you figure out what you like, not just copying what the author likes. Besides, it quickly turns into another "memorise 100 names" section. There are 19 different Natural Wines listed. What's a beginner really going to do with that information?
Having read this a while ago, been pretty dissatisfied, and having gone in search of something better...I think people (like me) who want to go from casual wine drinker to someone who knows something are much better served by a book like Drink This: Wine Made Simple or Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier.
Both of which take the approach of "you just need to taste wines and find what you like and then explore". Both of them offer a somewhat structured approach to wine tasting. For instance, Drink This starts out by having you buy and try 5 different kinds of Zinfandels: an inexpensive one, two different single-vineyard bottles from different vineyards but the same producer, a more expensive polished Zinfandel, and a late harvest "Port" Zinfandel. Then she recommends, if you find you like Zinfandels, to spend one or two or three months just trying different Zinfandels.
Both books also don't try to convince you that you need to know 29 different wines. Drink This focuses on 9 varietals. Great Wines Made Simple focuses on 6.
The easiest way to learn what you like is by a semi-structured tasting. Not by reading a reference book like this.
It starts off by throwing you in the deep end. The very first chapter is "The Words You Need" and gives you a strangely eclectic glossary of many typical wine snob words. Some of these are fairly esoteric -- not at all suitable for the first thing a beginner learns. I've never heard anyone say Crémant instead of just "sparkling wine". I've never heard anyone say Cru instead of just "vineyard". No beginner is going to be buying a Magnum.
But the bigger problem is that I don't think throwing a bunch of definitions without context is a great way to start learning about any subject.
Next comes a section called "Infrequently Asked Questions" that covers "How is wine made?", "What is natural wine?", "What is skin-contact wine?". I can't imagine any beginner cares overly much about that. But then after those esoteric questions you get actually useful things (which I doubt are "infrequently asked") like "Why do people swirl wine?", "How do I taste wine?", and "What's the right temperature for wine?"
Side note: They introduce the "15-minute rule" which I had never heard before (I am, at best, a very casual wine drinker) and is honesty the single best thing in the book. Take white wine out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before drinking. Put red wine in the refrigerator 15 minutes before drinking.
The bulk of the remainder are two reference sections. One on places and the other on types of wines. France, Italy, Spain, Australia, etc. The wine section is "29 Wines: Just the ones you need to know". And I highly doubt anyone who is learning wine actually needs to know 29 wines. Some of these I've never heard of (see, again, I'm just a very casual wine drinker; still I have been drinking wine for 25 years at this point). Albariño, Brunello di Montalcino, Etna Rosso, Montepulciano, Vermentino.
These are presented in alphabetical order, which makes it hard for the information to sink it. If they were grouped in some other way (red vs white, lightest to fullest) it would have been a vast improvement to actual learning. Instead the book's reference roots win through.
The section on each wine isn't likely to help you much. Will you like Rioja? This is what the book has to say,
"If you like it, here's why: you are aroused by the smell of an old bookstore; you're a savvy buyer who found an inexpensive bottle of old wine".
I like Rioja but neither of those applies to me. It is honestly a bit of a fail that they inserted irreverent humor into what is otherwise a pretty straightforward reference book.
It concludes with "some of our favourite producers" which is always a bit useless in a wine book. Who knows if your tastes align with the authors? A beginning wine book should be about helping you figure out what you like, not just copying what the author likes. Besides, it quickly turns into another "memorise 100 names" section. There are 19 different Natural Wines listed. What's a beginner really going to do with that information?
Having read this a while ago, been pretty dissatisfied, and having gone in search of something better...I think people (like me) who want to go from casual wine drinker to someone who knows something are much better served by a book like Drink This: Wine Made Simple or Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier.
Both of which take the approach of "you just need to taste wines and find what you like and then explore". Both of them offer a somewhat structured approach to wine tasting. For instance, Drink This starts out by having you buy and try 5 different kinds of Zinfandels: an inexpensive one, two different single-vineyard bottles from different vineyards but the same producer, a more expensive polished Zinfandel, and a late harvest "Port" Zinfandel. Then she recommends, if you find you like Zinfandels, to spend one or two or three months just trying different Zinfandels.
Both books also don't try to convince you that you need to know 29 different wines. Drink This focuses on 9 varietals. Great Wines Made Simple focuses on 6.
The easiest way to learn what you like is by a semi-structured tasting. Not by reading a reference book like this.
May 11, 2022
This was fun to read but I still don’t understand wine. Before reading this book I knew I liked Beaujolais, Cabernet, and Chardonnay and that I did not like Riesling.
After reading this book I know……… the same. Idk it’s probably hard to put this stuff into words but with the knowledge that there are 29 basic wines I feel even less equipped to handle the wine list at my next fancy restaurant.
After reading this book I know……… the same. Idk it’s probably hard to put this stuff into words but with the knowledge that there are 29 basic wines I feel even less equipped to handle the wine list at my next fancy restaurant.
June 22, 2023
So much fun to read because it's practical but so down to earth and full of wit. Seriously, I laughed a lot.
The subtitle accurately states the intent of the book: "The Easiest Way to Learn What You Like." The book is not meant to be encyclopedic but instead is meant to encourage wine-rookies (like myself) to embark on their wine-journey by teaching them one simple thing: to discern and describe what they like. Everything else comes with time and experience, but at the end of the day the journey boils down to knowing what you like and how to find more of what you like.
P.S. Never before have I ever enjoyed laughing so much at my own inexperience and ignorance while also feeling so confident. It's an artfully and comedically crafted book.
The subtitle accurately states the intent of the book: "The Easiest Way to Learn What You Like." The book is not meant to be encyclopedic but instead is meant to encourage wine-rookies (like myself) to embark on their wine-journey by teaching them one simple thing: to discern and describe what they like. Everything else comes with time and experience, but at the end of the day the journey boils down to knowing what you like and how to find more of what you like.
P.S. Never before have I ever enjoyed laughing so much at my own inexperience and ignorance while also feeling so confident. It's an artfully and comedically crafted book.
May 26, 2020
Fun! Was hoping for more information as opposed to reference, but I realize it's very difficult to communicate these things.
One thing they did well but could have really nailed was establishing mental models -- it starts with some interesting points about latitudes but then seems to devolve into a reference book where each region is totally different. In an ideal world I'd be able to reverse-engineer what you get from a specific location without having to memorize the qualities of the different regions. I'm guessing that that's just not how it works in reality, but I don't know. They did a good job of _limiting_ the amount of "reference book", but it's still too much for me.
One thing they did well but could have really nailed was establishing mental models -- it starts with some interesting points about latitudes but then seems to devolve into a reference book where each region is totally different. In an ideal world I'd be able to reverse-engineer what you get from a specific location without having to memorize the qualities of the different regions. I'm guessing that that's just not how it works in reality, but I don't know. They did a good job of _limiting_ the amount of "reference book", but it's still too much for me.
November 14, 2020
Not much else to do these days other than drink wine at home, so I figured I should actually learn a thing or two about it. This is a short, fun, and accessible book for wine beginners. I even found what should be my perfect wine-Rioja. According to this book, "If you like it, here's why: You are aroused by the smell of an old bookstore. You're a savvy buyer who found an inexpensive bottle of old wine." Sounds right up my alley! Now I just have to go buy a bottle of Rioja to see if it meets expectations.
May 4, 2025
Дуже легка, доступна і з хорошим гумором книга. Для новачків, саме те що потрібно, щоб наблизитись до світу вина та його розуміння.
September 27, 2025
#спільне_читання
#книга_навчання
Грант Рейнольдс, Кріс Стенг
«Як пити вино»
Невеликий за об'ємом, але доволі місткий "підручник", яки дозволить початківцям розібратися в загальних поняттях виноробства, регіонах, видах вина та пропозиції, коли і що пити.
Також можна дізнатися, від чого походить назва вина, що зображено на етикетці, що таке рожеве вино, а що таке шампанське. Дасть відповідь чи потрібні різні келихи для різного вина. Пояснить, що означає ноти вино і як і чому потрібно нюхати вино.
Вся інформація подана у легкій формі, книга має багато гарних ілюстрацій.
Звичайно, що все наврядчи можливо запамятати, проте, якщо потрібно буде обрати вино на якийсь захід типу дня народження, весілля, то книга стане у пригоді.
Єдиний мінус книги, оскільки видана вона в Америці, мені здається, що ціни на вино в Америці і Україні можуть різнитися. Також, на мою думку, деякого вина на полицях України не зустріти. А також забудь про Мікадо, чи Тамянку, таке там навіть і не згадують:)
****
Екстактивність вина.Тут ідеться про те, яке відчуття вино викликає в роті. Уявіть, що хтось усівся вам на коліна. Це худенький друг чи повний? Але в контексті вина ми говоримо не про вагу, а про насиченість смаку.
Вино – це виноградний сік, перетворений на алкоголь під час шумування, коли цукор взаємодіє з дріжджами.
Більшість рожевих вин роблять із червоного винограду, який іще не повністю дозрів на момент збирання врожаю.
Вам однозначно не треба купувати спеціальні келихи для бордо та піно-нуар. Різьбленого кришталю теж не треба. Вам потрібен один-єдиний келих.
Є ще два типи проблем із корком, які свідчать про те, що вино неправильно зберігали.Перший- це коли корок фактично розсипається на порох. Другий- коли його частинки прилипають до стінок пляшки. Обидва свідчать про те, що з вином щось не так і цілком ймовірно воно зіпсувалося.
Навіщо люди крутять вино в келихах? У такий спосіб можна донести аромат до носа, замість встромляти цей ніс у келих.
Французькі вина завжди називають на честь місць, де їх виробляють, а не на честь сорту винограду.
Бордо-найбільший і найвідоміший виноробний регіон. Щороку в Бордо виготовляють понад 700 мільйонів пляшок вина.
В Італії назви винам дають за різними принципами.
Основне місце виробництва вина на Сицилії- це величезний вулкан Етна. Він має власний клімат.
Найкращі вина Каліфорнії народжуються в долині Напа.
Шардоне – один з найпопулярніших сортів винограду у світі.
Шираз в Австралії – одне з найбільш алкогольних вин у світі.
Золоте правило звучить так: спершу треба визначити, у якій ви крамниці – винній чи просто алкогольній, де зокрема продають вино Роззирніться. Бачите на полицях віскі?Якщо бачите, це не винна крамниця.
Вірите чи ні, але є чудові вина й крім рожевого, які можна потягувати на пляжі. Власне, існ��є ціла палітра білих вин, які ідеально доповнять ваш бутерброд з індичко та піском.
Обирайте вино, що пасує до вашого стилю життя, а не до вашої їжі.
#книга_навчання
Грант Рейнольдс, Кріс Стенг
«Як пити вино»
Невеликий за об'ємом, але доволі місткий "підручник", яки дозволить початківцям розібратися в загальних поняттях виноробства, регіонах, видах вина та пропозиції, коли і що пити.
Також можна дізнатися, від чого походить назва вина, що зображено на етикетці, що таке рожеве вино, а що таке шампанське. Дасть відповідь чи потрібні різні келихи для різного вина. Пояснить, що означає ноти вино і як і чому потрібно нюхати вино.
Вся інформація подана у легкій формі, книга має багато гарних ілюстрацій.
Звичайно, що все наврядчи можливо запамятати, проте, якщо потрібно буде обрати вино на якийсь захід типу дня народження, весілля, то книга стане у пригоді.
Єдиний мінус книги, оскільки видана вона в Америці, мені здається, що ціни на вино в Америці і Україні можуть різнитися. Також, на мою думку, деякого вина на полицях України не зустріти. А також забудь про Мікадо, чи Тамянку, таке там навіть і не згадують:)
****
Екстактивність вина.Тут ідеться про те, яке відчуття вино викликає в роті. Уявіть, що хтось усівся вам на коліна. Це худенький друг чи повний? Але в контексті вина ми говоримо не про вагу, а про насиченість смаку.
Вино – це виноградний сік, перетворений на алкоголь під час шумування, коли цукор взаємодіє з дріжджами.
Більшість рожевих вин роблять із червоного винограду, який іще не повністю дозрів на момент збирання врожаю.
Вам однозначно не треба купувати спеціальні келихи для бордо та піно-нуар. Різьбленого кришталю теж не треба. Вам потрібен один-єдиний келих.
Є ще два типи проблем із корком, які свідчать про те, що вино неправильно зберігали.Перший- це коли корок фактично розсипається на порох. Другий- коли його частинки прилипають до стінок пляшки. Обидва свідчать про те, що з вином щось не так і цілком ймовірно воно зіпсувалося.
Навіщо люди крутять вино в келихах? У такий спосіб можна донести аромат до носа, замість встромляти цей ніс у келих.
Французькі вина завжди називають на честь місць, де їх виробляють, а не на честь сорту винограду.
Бордо-найбільший і найвідоміший виноробний регіон. Щороку в Бордо виготовляють понад 700 мільйонів пляшок вина.
В Італії назви винам дають за різними принципами.
Основне місце виробництва вина на Сицилії- це величезний вулкан Етна. Він має власний клімат.
Найкращі вина Каліфорнії народжуються в долині Напа.
Шардоне – один з найпопулярніших сортів винограду у світі.
Шираз в Австралії – одне з найбільш алкогольних вин у світі.
Золоте правило звучить так: спершу треба визначити, у якій ви крамниці – винній чи просто алкогольній, де зокрема продають вино Роззирніться. Бачите на полицях віскі?Якщо бачите, це не винна крамниця.
Вірите чи ні, але є чудові вина й крім рожевого, які можна потягувати на пляжі. Власне, існ��є ціла палітра білих вин, які ідеально доповнять ваш бутерброд з індичко та піском.
Обирайте вино, що пасує до вашого стилю життя, а не до вашої їжі.
February 11, 2024
Років з п’ять тому ми вирішили подосліджувати винний світ, й я почала читати різне й саме так ми почали бути уважнішими до етикеток й до того, що й чому подобається, а що - ні.
Це початкова книга, легко й часом смішно написана, американізована у подачі інформації. В тому сенсі, що все спрощене, але ключові речі покриті. Якщо хочете скласти картину винного світу, прокласти основні магістралі з понять й назв - вас сюди :)
Насправді трохи знатись на вині вигідно з багатьох причин, ви з високою вірогідністю купите/замовите те, що вам зайде, ви зможете проконсультувати друзів при виборі, ви зможете подорожувати через вина, це додає окрему грань до життя гедоніста-обивателя.
Та й просто життя надто коротко, або пити погані вина. А хороші не тотожне дорогі. Така от мантра усвідомленого алкоголіка 😜
Це початкова книга, легко й часом смішно написана, американізована у подачі інформації. В тому сенсі, що все спрощене, але ключові речі покриті. Якщо хочете скласти картину винного світу, прокласти основні магістралі з понять й назв - вас сюди :)
Насправді трохи знатись на вині вигідно з багатьох причин, ви з високою вірогідністю купите/замовите те, що вам зайде, ви зможете проконсультувати друзів при виборі, ви зможете подорожувати через вина, це додає окрему грань до життя гедоніста-обивателя.
Та й просто життя надто коротко, або пити погані вина. А хороші не тотожне дорогі. Така от мантра усвідомленого алкоголіка 😜
February 17, 2024
It didn't teach a ton of information about wine. It covered some key terms and definitions which included words on how to describe the taste of wine. This was all helpful, but other than that, it was largely a book on the authors' opinions and recommendations of different wines, and I've tried to look up just a few of them; it's not very straightforward on how to access them. It just says, "Go to a wine shop!". I'll look into it a bit more, but overall I feel like this means the wines the subjectively suggested aren't very accessible to normal people.
November 19, 2021
Great easy-to-read introduction to the key things you need to know to start growing your wine knowledge. Doesn't try to cover everything but gives an overview of some common wines with suggestions of what else you'll enjoy based on your favourites. Concise, humorous style. Only downside for me is that it's US-centric.
December 6, 2022
super annoying. It's a small book and it wastes so much time and space on unfunny jokes. In the "you might like this wine" section, several of its notes are "because it's fancy". What am I supposed to do with that? That's leaving out the 15+ yr old pop culture references. I went and bought a different wine book that would actually teach me something.
July 13, 2024
It may be a fun book to start as wine drinker but there are so many misconceptions and wrong information, I would recommend anyone who is serious enough to look away.
Finally, it doesn’t help “learn what one’s like in the easiest way”.
A secondhand WSET level 1 or level 2 textbook will be much much better.
Finally, it doesn’t help “learn what one’s like in the easiest way”.
A secondhand WSET level 1 or level 2 textbook will be much much better.
May 28, 2025
Хочеться відсканувати цю книгу собі в мозок:) бо одразу запам'ятати інформацію та користуватися при покупці або замовленню вина, досить складно... буду поки тримати її як настільну і при нагоді звертатися за порадами.
Рекомендую людям, які зовсім профани у світі вина, але хотіли б привідкрити шибку у цей величезний світ.
Рекомендую людям, які зовсім профани у світі вина, але хотіли б привідкрити шибку у цей величезний світ.
August 7, 2020
Our AirBnB host's son wrote this book. It is a hilarious primer on wine types, regions, and vocabulary. I'm no oenophile, but now I may be (slightly) better equipped when it comes time for fancy dinner parties again... so, like, 2022.
October 30, 2020
You know how most guides promise to be easy and then your head spins anyway and you feel stupid? Well, this one is not like that. It's perfect and hilarious and incredibly useful. It makes you feel no pressure and you end up feeling excited to explore wine. Truly good work. Truly.
March 2, 2021
This book was quite informative, but also fun to read. While the authors taught you about wine and what to expect when shopping for or ordering at a restaurant they added in fun tid-bits. A great read!
July 7, 2022
Смешно, задорно, но прям сильно по верхам.
Есть много другой литературы для новичков, которые в не менее простом формате дают больше полезной информации.
Но Рой Бургунди в качестве иллюстрации бургундских вин - це ❤️.
Есть много другой литературы для новичков, которые в не менее простом формате дают больше полезной информации.
Но Рой Бургунди в качестве иллюстрации бургундских вин - це ❤️.
December 30, 2022
I’d give the book a 4.5 as far as knowledge, good to know items about wine that’s easily digestible and in general did enjoy the book. That said the forced humor or cheekiness the writers put in just didn’t hit the mark for me.
April 8, 2023
First book in my quest of knowing more about wine. Unintinidating, pretty pictures, goes over everything from how to store, how to drink, how to buy. I especially like the short vignettes on “29 wines you should know” and the explanations of Frances winemaking regions
October 17, 2024
I enjoyed the book and especially the illustrations and humor. I picked up some new terminology. I also want to try a few of the 29 wines listed that I have not tasted to date. Learning about wine is a continuing journey that is often surprising and always interesting.
June 25, 2025
I couldn’t out the book down - it’s such a fun and enjoyable read and you can pick up some key info
Here and there too without it feeling like your back in school reading a textbook. Highly recommend easy reading fun!
Here and there too without it feeling like your back in school reading a textbook. Highly recommend easy reading fun!
Read
August 8, 2025Good little book to realize there is more than reisling, cab sav, sweet red, Pino Grigio, white zin, out there. The comments about some wines are just hilarious. Will revisit as can’t remember any names
Of the new wines I “learned”
Of the new wines I “learned”
May 15, 2020
Funny and informative. Did the preliminary read through, but will have to go back and reference this one.
May 16, 2020
A great primer for both the novice and more knowledgeable wine drinker. I will reference it again & again.
May 24, 2020
Fun and common sense, if you like wine. Consider this Wine 101, in a fun way.
October 29, 2020
I learned a lot from this little gem.
December 11, 2020
Gives you just what you need to know with a little humor thrown in.
December 14, 2020
Quick read and gives a good overview of the basics for a novice wine drinker.
January 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this book! The writing was both informative and hilariously satirical and witty. I would certainly recommend this to friends and family.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews