The Ultimate Wine Companion: The Complete Guide to Understanding Wine by the World's Foremost Wine Authorities

by Kevin Zraly (Editor)

Kevin Zraly, author of one of the best-selling wine books of all time, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, has assembled the finest writers of the last 50 years to explain everything you need to know about wine. Each one addresses the subject he or she is most famous for, including decanting, tasting, grapes, matching food and wine, winemaking, sustainable vineyards, the various wine countries and regions, terroir, and much, much more. Complete with regional vintage charts, grape charts, a glossary, and vintage labels, this book is like an entire wine library in a single volume.
 

Includes:
o Hugh Johnson o Robert M. Parker, Jr. o Jancis Robinson o Lettie Teague o Alexis Bespaloff o Neal I. Rosenthal o Oz Clarke o Gerald Asher o Joshua Wesson o Andrea Immer Robinson o Molly Chappellet o Jay McInerny o Robert Mondavi o Francis Ford Coppola o Baron Philippe de Rothschild
o Joy Sterling o Michael Broadbent o Clive Coates o Kermit Lynch o Tom Stevensono Joseph Bastianich o David Lynch and Burton Anderson o Frank Prial o Matt Kramer o Karen McNiell


 

Publisher’s Note: The acknowledgement on page 343 for “A Recent Overview of the South African Wine Industry” should be replaced with the following: “From The Essential Guide to South African Wine: Terroir & Travel, by Elmari Swart and Izak Smit © 2006, Cheviot Publishing, ISBN: 0-6200-35500-X.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Wine, Cooking

374 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2010

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for two reasons: 1) perfect size/topic for a coffee table book in my apartment, and 2) it's signed but was marked for only $12 in Strand

Note, neither of those reasons involved reading this book. But if I've learned anything about myself, it's that I have a unique talent and propensity to read my books cover-to-cover, regardless of my original intentions.

That being said, this book was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone curious about wine but with little/no background knowledge on the subject. I enjoyed the diverse perspectives all the authors bring and the global view of wine the book presents. This book played a role in my interest over the last few months in the connection between food, agriculture, and nature (perfect for Earth month, I'm now realizing). I really enjoy thinking about a glass of wine as the consumable culmination of soil, sun, weather and grape varietal (something about terroir), all orchestrated by the winemaker with mastery of fermentation and age. For better or worse, I will be drinking a respectable amount of wine for the foreseeable future.

[Zack Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being what it is; a wonderfully informative amalgamation of several writer’s takes on the world’s best (popular/historical etc) wine making areas, procedures and histories therein, its a great introduction to the wine world. It’s a compilation of wine’s “greatest hits.”

I reserve 4 and 5 stars for works of art, the Vonnegut’s, the Steinbecks etc

[Nick Milinazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive guide written by some of the world's leading experts on wine, including winemakers, sommeliers, critics, historians, enthusiasts, and masters of the subject. I have been a wine drinker for decades, but only recently have I started to really expand my palette. In doing so, my enthusiasm for wine has grown, as has my overall interest in the product. This book explores the world's most popular varietals, how to taste wine, how it is made, how best to pair it with foods, and finally examines where it comes from -- both the new and old world. A few of the authors in this text I recognize, most I do not, but all have their areas of expertise. The section that was most exciting to me was penned by Kermit Lynch as he described the Southern Rhone: one of my favorite wine-making regions. This is a great book for anyone interested in wine and wants to learn more.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too many anthologies on the wine bookshelf, but this was excellent. Just about every noted wine author or reviewer is represented, and many producers as well. One minor complaint - the date of each reading is given in the appendix, but since some are older (but still valid) it would have helped if the date was part of the reading so one could put it into context.

[Blecy Ong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a good beginner's book on wine, and found it with this one. This is a great book for who are interested in the basic principles of Wine. After reading this book I have a better understanding and a greater appreciation of Wine. It makes learning about wine fun.