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Drink This: Wine Made Simple
Ever been baffled by a wine list, stood perplexed before endless racks of bottles at the liquor store, or ordered an overpriced bottle out of fear of the scathing judgment of a restaurant sommelier? Before she became a James Beard Award—winning food and wine writer, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl experienced all these things. Now she presents a handy guide that will show you how to stop being overwhelmed and intimidated, how to discover, respect, and enjoy your own personal taste, and how to be whatever kind of wine person you want to be, from budding connoisseur to someone who simply gets wine you like every time you buy a bottle.
Refreshingly simple, irreverent, and witty, Drink This explains all the insider stuff that wine critics assume you know. It will teach you how to taste and savor wine, alone, with a friend, or with a group. And perhaps most important, this book gives you the tools to learn the only thing that really matters about namely, figuring out what you like.
Grumdahl draws on her own experience and savvy and interviews some of the world’s most renowned critics, winemakers, and chefs, including Robert M. Parker, Jr., Paul Draper, and Thomas Keller, who share their wisdom about everything from pairing food and wine to the inside scoop on what wine scores and reviews really mean. Readers will learn how to master tasting techniques and understand the winemaking process from soil to cellar. Drink This also reveals how to get your money’s worth out of wine without spending all you’ve got.
At last there’s a reason for wary wine lovers to raise a glass in celebration. Savor the insider’s viewpoint and straight talk of Drink This , and watch your intimidation of wine transform into well-grounded, unshakeable confidence.
Refreshingly simple, irreverent, and witty, Drink This explains all the insider stuff that wine critics assume you know. It will teach you how to taste and savor wine, alone, with a friend, or with a group. And perhaps most important, this book gives you the tools to learn the only thing that really matters about namely, figuring out what you like.
Grumdahl draws on her own experience and savvy and interviews some of the world’s most renowned critics, winemakers, and chefs, including Robert M. Parker, Jr., Paul Draper, and Thomas Keller, who share their wisdom about everything from pairing food and wine to the inside scoop on what wine scores and reviews really mean. Readers will learn how to master tasting techniques and understand the winemaking process from soil to cellar. Drink This also reveals how to get your money’s worth out of wine without spending all you’ve got.
At last there’s a reason for wary wine lovers to raise a glass in celebration. Savor the insider’s viewpoint and straight talk of Drink This , and watch your intimidation of wine transform into well-grounded, unshakeable confidence.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
28 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 3, 2010
This is partly an engaging, informative look at wine, and partly an exercise book with assignments to drink certain types of wines and notice their similarities and differences. (Here's a fun idea: form a club around this book and work your way through the wines together!) The point is not to find out what's "best," but to find out what you, the wine drinker, like best and how to find it in a store or on a wine list.
I didn't do the exercises. They're going to have to wait until my budget is in a better place for this hobby. But, based on what I learned, I went to a wine store and picked out a decent Chardonnay without being confused or intimidated. This indicates that someone who actually works through the book as intended would gain a real competence in wine.
I didn't do the exercises. They're going to have to wait until my budget is in a better place for this hobby. But, based on what I learned, I went to a wine store and picked out a decent Chardonnay without being confused or intimidated. This indicates that someone who actually works through the book as intended would gain a real competence in wine.
October 15, 2015
A very nice work on wine. The book gives the reader an introduction to several wines, noting strengths and weaknesses of each. Many grapes/wines are left out, but the author preferred to focus on a smaller number and treat them in detail. I ended up agreeing with that approach.
What is considered? Zinfandel, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon (with a brief detour to consider Merlot), Syrah, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Pinot noir. . . . I found the discussions to be very helpful for me to understand different wines better. Since I really do enjoy decent wines (e.g., quality wines from Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir), it was enjoyable to learn more about each type--as well as the others.
All in all, a useful volume on wine. . . .
What is considered? Zinfandel, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon (with a brief detour to consider Merlot), Syrah, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Pinot noir. . . . I found the discussions to be very helpful for me to understand different wines better. Since I really do enjoy decent wines (e.g., quality wines from Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir), it was enjoyable to learn more about each type--as well as the others.
All in all, a useful volume on wine. . . .
September 27, 2021
An engaging and informative book about wine! The book is written in an accessible style that is fun to read. It goes through a number of the main varietals (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) and offers tidbits of information alongside practical tips for how to navigate a wine store/selection/list. I have not tried her suggested wine tastings yet, but I’m looking forward to working my way through them.
December 28, 2023
After 2.5 years of reading and tasting wine and following this book’s guidance chapter by chapter, our beginners’ wine club can say we know infinitely more about wine than we did at the start. Mostly because we knew absolutely nothing, but it is gratifying that I can now pick up a wine list at a restaurant and take a decent guess at what I might like.
September 22, 2023
An excellent primer on the world of wine! If you've just started, or been drinking wine for decades, I highly recommend! I learned a lot and look forward to trying all the recommended tastings/vineyards.
March 8, 2021
Some of the sidebar layouts are clunky but the content is A+!
June 28, 2023
Great read to help you understand wine! Funny and insightful.
October 22, 2014
What an excellent book! Writing with a slightly raucous sense of humor, Grumdahl narrows the field to a certain number of grape varieties (what was it, 8?), tells you all about them in their different incarnations, and then sets out a plan of 5+ more specific types of wines from that type of grape, for you to drink for yourself. The idea is not so much to tell you what's good to drink, but rather to have you sample worthwhile representative selections from a broad spectrum of each type of wine, and see what you like for yourself--and in the process, learn something about each type of wine. She does a really great job at simplifying a vast subject, not just into something one can abstractly understand, but also something one can choose and drink. I think this is a book everyone should read, if they like wine with food even a little bit.
I think I've been drinking worse wine than most; liquor stores here are government-run, and nearly all the wine I've drunk in BC has been acrid, which I believe means that it's sat around with a dry cork for too long. I did a search for top rated wine stores on yelp (I think yelp is probably a great accompaniment to this book, since the difference between a great wine shop and a yuppie sucker wine shop may not be obvious from the outside), and I plan to start going through the wine bottles as soon as possible.
I think I've been drinking worse wine than most; liquor stores here are government-run, and nearly all the wine I've drunk in BC has been acrid, which I believe means that it's sat around with a dry cork for too long. I did a search for top rated wine stores on yelp (I think yelp is probably a great accompaniment to this book, since the difference between a great wine shop and a yuppie sucker wine shop may not be obvious from the outside), and I plan to start going through the wine bottles as soon as possible.
September 2, 2012
I thought this book was an interesting, well organized, informative journey into learning about wine and wine making and learning which grapes you like ( and which varietals within each grape you like). Each chapter is organized toward a wine tasting to learn the grape, and though I wish there had been chapters on Pinot Grigio, it was a thorough lesson on most popular wines in a wine shop (especially from France, the US, and Australia) and the most important wines in other important wine regions, including Germany, Spain, and Italy. It's not comprehensive, but it's interesting and helpful. I'm going to get a copy for my Kindle to more easily wine shop, particularly if I do a tasting like the author sets up.
October 1, 2011
Didn't have a chance to finish this before I had to return it to the library. My impression was largely positive. I don't know much about wine and this book explains some of the basic and has a nice summary of several major styles. It also had good advice for a tasting. [return][return]The book did annoy me though with the poor layout of interviews and the like. Due to the narrow size of the book, the text is really tight. The interviews, are inserted directly into the flow of the text, interrupting it for an abrupt change of topic and tone for a page two. I suspect that these were intended to be sideboxes but were integrated with the text for this version.
January 11, 2015
Don't let the 3 stars fool you, I did enjoy this and learned a great deal. I just felt that it was repetitive and the last two chapters, which I had been looking forward too, fell flat. I will say though that I totally ignored the author's advice and read it cover to cover, so it's probably my own fault.
It's a fun and informative read, just read the general chapters and maybe the introductions to each "grape" chapter and leave the rest for party planning, if you get that far. One thing that the author does well in this regard is to cover every tasting eventuality from single person tastings right through to tasting strategies for groups.
It's a fun and informative read, just read the general chapters and maybe the introductions to each "grape" chapter and leave the rest for party planning, if you get that far. One thing that the author does well in this regard is to cover every tasting eventuality from single person tastings right through to tasting strategies for groups.
July 20, 2015
This is a great how-to guide to unwrapping the multi-layered world of wine. The author devotes a chapter to each of the major varietals and finishes each section with an easy approach to having your own tasting to discover the varietal(s) that you prefer. She writes in a really personable voice, which makes the information interesting to read. I recommend you buy this book and keep it on your shelf, rather than borrow it from the library; you are going to want to reference it again and again as you venture down the rabbit hole of wine.
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July 30, 2011What an excellent and refreshing book! The whole philosophy is to find what you like while learning about wine by concentrating on one varietal at a time. She includes readable, interesting, and humorous backgrounds on the grape, terroir, and winemaking for each varietal, a shopping list cheat sheet, and tasting party suggestions for several key varietals. I highly recommend the book - now it's time to have some tasting parties!
March 23, 2012
I wish I had read this years ago when I started going to wine tastings regularly! Perhaps my experience would have been less floundering than it has felt.
I really enjoyed this book and will probably buy a copy of it for myself. I didn't do the tastings, but hope to in the future. It felt like a good introductory guide to wine that will help me delve into more detailed works later. It was featured on the Splendid Table, which is where I heard about it.
I really enjoyed this book and will probably buy a copy of it for myself. I didn't do the tastings, but hope to in the future. It felt like a good introductory guide to wine that will help me delve into more detailed works later. It was featured on the Splendid Table, which is where I heard about it.
March 19, 2011
I enjoyed this one very much. Full of practical advice on buying and tasting the 9 most accessible and popular wines widely available to those of us living in America. Plus, this book is written in a witty, clever style that made the reading experience a pleasure. I highly recommend this to anyone who feels clueless about choosing wine.
December 19, 2011
I am already quite a wine drinker. This book still had much to offer about how to taste and appreciate wines and I will follow all of her advice in order to learn to appreciate wine more (Is that even possible?) Grumdahl has such a wonderful, approachable, down-to-earth approach to wines that anyone will be comfortable with wine choices after reading this.
May 30, 2012
This book is a great intro to wine - simple and not pretentious at all. I live in Northern California and do a lot of wine tasting (maybe too much...) and learned a lot about the different varietals. The book answers all the questions about wine you may be too embarrassed to ask at a restaurant or a tasting room. Best of all, the author has a "drink what YOU like" mentality - which I appreciate.
August 6, 2012
I was looking for an academic, textbook approach to the different types of wines – this book is chatty, breezy, with an author voice that is far too loud from a writer trying far too hard to be funny, getting in the way of her own subject material. There is some good information here, but I found it hard to get into.
July 27, 2014
An informative, readable, charming book for people getting into wine. It did an excellent job of demystifying things that confused me before - shopping for wine is now a pleasure, not an overwhelming ordeal where I don't have any idea what I'm doing. There's still plenty to learn, but it's hard to imagine a better "wine 101" book.
May 11, 2010
Excellent book for any home library and a great gift idea for anyone who likes wine. Easy-to-read, entertaining explanations of wine basics and I got a lot of ideas of what to do for my next tasting party.
December 9, 2011
Great introduction to wine! It gave me a bit of background knowledge so that I could better appreciate my honeymoon in Napa/Sonoma. I plan on trying all her tasting suggestions throughout the new year :)
July 3, 2012
Finally, a wine guide for real life! Not a list of what to drink or best-ofs (those lists change so quickly that they aren't really very useful): the author provides guidelines for do-it-yourself wine education that aren't just reasonable, they sound like fun.
February 22, 2014
Totally accessible guide to wine with a catty sense of humor to go along with it. Love the author's suggestion to buy each varietal at various price levels and hold a tasting to compare. Great idea for a party.
January 28, 2010
Love, love, loved it, and learned a lot too. I'm even thinking of attempting my own wine tasting now....
April 14, 2011
Easy to understand info about the different types of wines--as with all wine books, tasting is a must. I like the way the author groups the wines for comparison.
November 2, 2012
Great, down to Earth, educational.
November 9, 2010
I learned a lot. Great book to begin and learn about wine.
July 11, 2015
This is the funniest, most useful, best wine book ever.
May 21, 2011
Gonna get some class in my glass..for real.
July 26, 2011
If you drink wine, you should read this book. Dara Grumdahl's easy-to-read, yet informative guide, takes the mystery and fear out of choosing the "right" wine.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews