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List arranged alphabetically by first author. Please note I haven't listed any prices here. This is because the links will take you to the relevant entry in the amazon.co.uk catalogue, which will give the up-to-date price (usually substantially discounted): this may change at short notice.  

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wocalif.gif (8940 bytes)The Wines of California

Stephen Brook

Paperback - 700 pages ( 1 October, 1999)
Faber and Faber; ISBN: 0571190308


Reviews

Amazon.co.uk
If California was a country, points out Stephen Brook, it would be the fourth largest wine producer in the world, after Italy, France and Spain. Consequently The Wines of California is a hefty tome, taking nearly 700 pages to explore this vast quasi-nation. The very special qualities that characterise Californian wines, however, are summed up by Brook in a single word: Generosity. It is the near-perfect climate that ensures the reliability of the harvests and the "rich, full- bodied, fleshy, opulent" qualities that Brook so prizes and which he communicates with such enthusiasm to his readers. His dedication and profound knowledge of the region are apparent everywhere and the result is an invaluable companion to the buying and drinking of Californian wine. California is sometimes seen as a wine- producing monolith. This book offers a useful corrective, discussing production at a local level.

Divided into three main sections, The Wines of California covers first the main wine regions. The crucial matters of geography, geology, soil structure and climate are discussed and the individual American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) and their sub-appellations profiled. A lengthy and fascinating account of Grapes and Wines covers growing and wine-making methods, and (usefully, given the Californian obsession with varietal wines) the grape varieties planted, including California's own grape, the fabulous Zinfandel. Finally, the most substantial part of the book comprises a gazetteer of wineries with a short profile of each--not, as Stephen Brook remarks, likely to provide racy reading, but of great interest. There are few discussions of individual vintages, which, given the fact that Californian wines are made to be drunk young, would be of limited usefulness, but Brook is free with his opinions and his judgements on some of the makers are sharp. --Robin Davidson

Synopsis
This text sets out to show why Californian wines are now recognized as among the finest in the world. It looks at the particular wine-making practices of the region and features a gazetteer detailing over 630 different wineries, along with lists of single vineyards.

Book Information
The wine industry in California was founded over 150 years ago and by the end of the 19th century Napa Valley and Santa Cruz were celebrated for the excellence of their wines. Then the double blow of phylloxera and Prohibition almost eradicated the production of fine wines. But a handful of energetic individuals revived the wine industry in the 1960s and within a decade California wines were being recognised as among the finest in the world. The Californians were unwilling to rest on their laurels and have gone from strength to strength.

This book explains what it is that makes Californian wines distinctive: a combination of climate: soil, tradition and innovation. Stephen Brook examines the history and climate of each major region, shows how certain viticultural and wine-making practices are specific to California and looks at how the principal grape varieties are handled stylistically in different parts of the state. Far from being a dry reference work, this book is studded with the vibrant personalities who keep Californian wines at the forefront of top-quality wine production. Special features of this comprehensive book include detailed lists of single vineyards, now receiving greater attention from wine-makers, and a gazetteer which features more than 630 different wineries, pointing to the best and most interesting wines from each.

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gwebg.gif (13670 bytes)The Good Web Guide to Wine

Tom Cannavan

Paperback - 160 pages (21 September, 2000)
The Good Web Guide; ISBN: 1903282047

A simple search for wine-related subjects on the Internet will confirm that wine has adopted the web in a fashion unlike any other food or drink subject. The downside is a cyber-space so crowded with wine-related sites that it makes for a time-consuming and often frustrating surfing experience. This book contains around 100 in-depth reviews of related websites. It is aimed at everyone who is frustrated by the confusion of material on the Internet, much of which is misleading and uninformative. Readers are pointed towards concise and authoritative information about the specific wine areas they are interested in. "The Good Web Guide to Wine" casts a knowledgeable and critical eye over the world of on-line wine, pin-pointing those sites that really deliver the goods and sifting out those that merely flatter to deceive. The Internet has been scoured for the best sites in a number of categories including wine appreciation, wine sales, regional guides, on-line magazines, educational resources and those sites that simply celebrate the joy of wine. To qualify for inclusion, not only must sites have the highest standard of content, but they must be up-to-date and easy to use.

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roboxcomusa.gif (6693 bytes)Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America

Bruce Cass (editor), Jancis Robinson (editor)

Hardcover - 320 pages (August 2000)
Oxford University Press; ISBN: 019860114X

Reviews
www.wineanorak.com
Jancis Robinson's Oxford Companion to Wine is one of the classics of modern wine publishing, and this volume, edited by Bruce Cass (but with Jancis listed as consultant editor) is intended as a partner volume, dealing specifically with the wines of North America. It's perhaps a little unfair to Bruce Cass that Jancis' name should be associated with this book -- her direct contribution is limited to just a couple of short essays in the first section, although of course it certainly helps to raise its profile. The book itself is divided in two. The first 60 pages are devoted to 15 well-written, concise and essays on an eclectic range of subjects pertinent to the North American wine scene. These are quite absorbing, covering subjects as diverse as 'Commentators and the wine media', 'Microbiology in North American wine', 'North American geneticists untangle the vine variety web', and 'Cybersales and the future'. The next 220-odd pages consist of the A-Z entries, much in the style of the parent volume (which is extensively cross-referenced). Whilst these are pretty scholarly, they are written in a style that's lively enough to make this section fun to browse through (preferably glass in hand). Bruce Cass pens many of the entries, and his writing has a gentle but still-appropriate sense of humour to it; other entries are authored by a team of eight experienced contributors of different specializations. To finish off, there's a full index that makes a useful (and necessary) adjunct to the alphabeticized entries (a feature that books of this sort often lack). Although the majority of the book is black and white, and illustration-free, there are eight double-sided colour plates, tipped-in in pairs at four locations. This is a valuable addition to any enthusiast's library, and as well as a useful reference for answering specific queries, it’s just the sort of book I like to dip into from time-to-time for some absorbing browsing.

Synopsis
This guide to wine production in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, highlights geographical, philosophical, and commercial variations throughout the region. It consists of a series of introductory essays, discussing in depth key topics such as prohibition, cybersales, wine auctions, microbiology, labour, and viticulture, followed by more than 500 A-Z entries, including individual wineries and winemakers, regions, grape varieties and technical term. The text is closely linked by the use of cross-references to the "Oxford Companion to Wine", to which it serves as a complementary volume

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ocpwb.gif (5473 bytes)Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Book 2001

Oz Clarke

Hardcover - 297 pages (14 September, 2000)
Little, Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316853992


Reviews

Amazon.co.uk
One of the most useful portable all-round guides to wines, vintages, producers, grapes and wine regions, Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Book has always been a fount of down-to-earth wisdom and good sense. The 2001 edition comes along and is no exception. Seasoned punters who have gone the course with Oz will know what to expect--trenchant views, clearly expressed; encyclopaedic knowledge lightly worn; and second-hand access to what is said to be one of the finest noses in Europe. For an expert of his standing, Oz Clarke can be very refreshing at times. (On fizz: "I sometimes think it doesn't matter what it tastes like as long as it's cold enough and there's enough of it".) Ease of use is among the great virtues of this little book: there's no point flicking back and forth among the cross references when you're standing in a crowded supermarket wine department. It's simple to find what you want among the 1,600 entries once the single page of How To Use rules has been absorbed. New sections added for 2001 include a fascinating and highly eclectic selection of personal favourites, and a series of Wines of the Year categories--in effect, Top Tips, such as "World Class Wines that Won't Cost the Earth", "Regions to Watch" and so on. Self-recommending, therefore, as always. --Robin Davidson

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oxbuyg.gif (9197 bytes)Oz Clarke's Wine Buying Guide 2001

Oz Clarke

Paperback - 509 pages (14 September, 2000)
Little, Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316853968


Reviews

Amazon.co.uk
In its way, Oz Clarke's Wine Buying Guide, now entering its 17th edition, is a great monument to the astonishing transformation that has overtaken all aspects of wine in the last decade or so. We're fortunate to be buying and drinking wine at a time when the word can encompass not only the immense grandeurs, and staggering prices, of a Chateau Pétrus or a Romanée-Conti (£3,285.89 and £2,937.50 a bottle for the respective 1961 and 1978 vintages), but the supple, attractive new-style wines that are being made so much now, and are so widely available through supermarkets and retail chains. This huge range is exactly what this book is all about and is what makes it an essential handbook for any buyer of wine, at whatever level this takes place. Covering the main wine-producing countries and regions, it lists the principal producers and/or appellations as appropriate, then proceeds to its main business of listing prices. Oz Clarke is a great populariser, completely free of prejudice and cant, passionate (and serious, which is not the same thing at all) about his subject--qualities which are reflected in his Guide. Alongside the useful but potentially rather dry price lists, his commentaries are chock-full of advice, on-the-nail discriminations and irresistible enthusiasm. "That disturbing smell of engine oil and mouthwash, do I want it in my mouth? Hell, yes." --Robin Davidson

Book Description
Best wines, best prices, best shops... Oz Clarke's Wine Buying Guide is the only comprehensive source of UK wine prices and is quite simply indispensable. Eagerly awaited by the consumer, this influential wine-buyer's handbook is also considered to be the bible of the wine trade. Established in 1984 and now in its 17th edition, Oz Clarke's Wine Buying Guide is the most authoritative, accessible and up-to-date wine-buying source available. Thousands of wines are listed by name, producer, vintage and price.

From the Author
We're fortunate in Britain. We may not think we have much luck with growing wine, but when it comes to buying it we have a better chance of a good bottle than any Frenchman, Spaniard, Italian or German who has vines growing on his very doorstep. And my Wine Buying Guide's objective is to help everybody make the best of this good fortune.

We call ourselves a Wine Buying Guide, and we intend to interpret 'guide' in as open and friendly a way as possible. We're not scouring the country trying to pinpoint every town's fleeting and profit-strangling 'best-buy'; we're not interested in one-off 'special offers' which are sold out a week after we go to press. No, what we want is to give everyone the confidence to know what a given wine should cost; to say that just because it's cheaper doesn't mean that it's necessarily a better bargain, and to point out the areas which seem to us to be particularly good or bad value. With the tremendous range of wines available we have no need to buy bad wine. Every shop will have better wine at the same price - or less - if we know what to ask for. It's our job to make that choice easier - to make sure we all know where to find good wine, and what we should pay. That's why Oz Clarke's Wine Buying Guide is here

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ozintrodwine.gif (12219 bytes)Introducing Wine

Oz Clarke

Hardcover - 144 pages (14 September, 2000)
Little, Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316854506

 

Reviews
Amazon.co.uk
You've seen him doing it on telly, all that swirling and sniffing and slurping and spitting, you've flicked through a few of his books, but you really aren't that interested in wine. The idea doesn't do much for you. But Oz Clarke won't give up. He still has designs on you and your palate. The latest manoeuvre in his campaign to educate the world's taste-buds is Oz Clarke's Introducing Wine, an ungainly title for an elegant little book. Subtitled "A Complete Guide for the Modern Drinker", it offers a simple, but not simplistic, entry into the pleasures of wine. Oz Clarke takes something of a Year Zero approach to wine: forget the mystique, the reputations, the inflated prices, the snobbery--all that matters is the quality. Consequently he approaches all wines in the same spirit, asking the same questions in a kind of catechism. Part I covers briefly but incisively the major grape varieties, an essential starting point in this wine world view, grouping them in flavour categories such as Spicy, Warm-hearted Reds or Green, Tangy Whites. Amusingly, and effectively, the special flavours of each class are illustrated rather than described at length, the Green, Tangy Whites being accompanied by a skewer of gooseberry, apple, mint, lime, asparagus and green pepper. Part II deals effectively with the practicalities of enjoying wine--opening the bottle, serving wine etc. Part III is the meat of the book, dealing with the major wine-producing countries, divided into regions as appropriate. For each, he provides a Quick Guide, describing location, principal grape varieties, top vintages and label recommendations; then asks his standard set of questions: Do regions matter? Do vintages matter? When do I drink them? and Can I afford them? As ever with Oz Clarke, the answers are honest, reliable, utterly without prejudice and invigoratingly written. --Robin Davidson

Book Description
All you really need to know about wine (and only what you really need to know about wine).

Here, at last, from Oz Clarke, the UK's most popular wine writer, comes the ultimate no-nonsense guide to wine. No jargon. No frills. No previous knowledge assumed. Just how to enjoy the kind of wine that is actually in the shops at the moment.

In this volume, wine jargon is explained in simple terms, expert tips give you the inside track, and wine snobbery and wine myths are put firmly in their place. Straightforward explanations detail what wine is, how it is made and why both flavour and quality vary so much from one wine to the next. A guide to the most important grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay) describes their characteristic tastes and styles and the sorts of foods they go well with. All the key elements of enjoying wine are included: how to taste, buy, store and serve wine, how to choose wine in a restaurant and how to match wine and food. A virtual tour of the shelves of a wine shop gives essential information on the wines of each country and region: the flavours, the styles, the quality and affordability. The guide is aimed at those who want to know about wine and how to make the right choices, without being overwhelmed with information.

From the Author
Why do we drink wine? For flavour and for pleasure - why else? Well, this book focuses on flavours and it's meant to lead you to lots of pleasure - otherwise I might as well give up and play more tennis (which beats writing by the way, but don't tell my publisher!).

I begin by grouping wines into 'flavour families' - they're all based on flavours you'll know and recognise and you will have a pretty good idea if they sound enticing to you or not - do 'juicy fruity reds' or 'intense nutty whites' sound good to you? They do to me! - and this section is your starting point for finding wines you really want to drink. Then, paring away technical details, I introduce you to the all important subject of grape varieties (grapes are what wine's made of after all - and the majority of modern wine is labelled by grape variety these days), then a bit of non-technical stuff about winemaking techniques, and then the practical business of serving and storing wine - and all in as straightforward a way as I know how, by linking everything to how it affects the flavour of the wine in your glass.

Most wine books look at the wine-producing regions of the world, and I haven't entirely broken with that tradition, but I've taken a new approach. Yes, I tell you where the wines whose names you see on bottles come from - and it's fun and instructive to know that - but more importantly I try to answer the questions I'm most frequently asked. Do vintages matter? Well, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, but either way I'll tell you why. Can I afford it? Even if the wines of a particular region are expensive or overpriced, I'll suggest some good-value options that will give you a taste of what it's all about. All in all through the book, I've recommended 300 wines for you to try. Start with the ones you like the sound of and introduce yourself to the exciting modern world of wine. Cheers.

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The Wine Atlas

Oz Clarke

Hardcover - 304 pages (12 October, 1995)
Little, Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316146978

Reviews
www.wineanorak.com
A cynic might accuse Oz Clarke and his publishers Websters of blatantly ripping off Hugh Johnson's winning formula. This book follows exactly the format of Johnson's classic 'World atlas of wine', with introductory chapters leading through to an atlas-style survey of the world of wine. However, Websters have given an intruiging twist to their Atlas, by producing a series of beautiful handpainted panoramic vineyard maps of each of the major wine regions, which succeed in bringing to life the various vineyard areas. In addition, Oz Clarke writes well in a lively style, and the layout and accompanying photographs surpass even the high standards set by Johnson's fourth edition. Hugh may have been here first, and both atlases are of a very high standard, but if forced to choose between them, Oz Clarke wins by a whisker.

Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator, 15 December 1995
'The most exciting worldwide collection of wine maps ever'

William Leith, Mail on Sunday, 17 December 1995
'Clarke has judged it just right... I've never read a wine book like it.'

Roger Voss, Wine Magazine, February 1996
'I admire the energy which comes from every page, the enormous feeling of discovery which Clarke always generates, and which makes him such a fine advocate for wine.'

Book Description
Winner of the Julia Child/IACP Drink Reference award, Oz Clarke's Wine Atlas is unique in its approach to the world of wine. It captures the beauty of the world's great vineyard areas in more than 70 spectacular, handpainted panoramic maps.

Fundamental to the understanding of wine is a sense of place. Knowing which country, which region, which hillside and even which vineyard a wine comes from adds enormously to the pleasure of drinking it. Through its unique cartography and Oz Clarke's lively prose, this revolutionary atlas illustrates and explains the vital connection between the land, the winemaker and his wine and shows how different landscapes as well as the skills of the winemaker contribute to the extraordinary range of flavours found in wine.

Synopsis
Fundamental to the understanding of wine is a sense of place. Knowing which country, which region and which vineyard a wine is from adds enormously to the pleasure of drinking it. This atlas shows where, why and how vines are grown and wines produced around the world, mapping the major wine countries and putting the wine areas in a regional and global context. It continues with thematic maps that highlight factors of soil, climate, economics and society that determine patterns of wine production and consumption.

From the Author
The aim of this Atlas is simply to transport you right into the heart of the world's great vineyard areas - something that no wine book has ever attempted before. This is achieved by providing a grand aerial tour using breathtaking panoramic landscape maps.

Initially I wasn't sure I could face writing this huge book, but as soon as my publisher showed me the prototype panoramic map of Chablis, I knew I had to. This is the only wine book that puts you right in the vineyard - and that's where it all begins, in a way what it's all about. And this instant conversion led to 300,000 words of passionate description of the world of wine I love.

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ozssfine.gif (13834 bytes)Clarke and Spurrier's Fine Wine Guide

Oz Clarke, Stephen Spurrier

Hardcover - 352 pages (12 November, 1998)
Little, Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316647535

Reviews
Decanter, December 1998
'...an excellent country by country, personal guide to some of the world's best [wines]. Better still, the producer entries give some of the most descriptive impressions of what you'll actually find in the glass.'

Book Description
The last few years have seen an explosion of interest in fine wine - matched, unfortunately, by an explosion in prices. What does this mean for the fine wine drinker? How do you get good value for money? Who do you look to for the best - not just the most fashionable - wines? Who are the up-and-coming superstars?

For no more than the price of just one decent bottle of red Bordeaux or a California Cabernet Sauvignon, Clarke & Spurrier's Fine Wine Guide takes you every step of the way. It's the best wine investment you can make.

Includes all the names to look out for - best growers and estates, key wine zones

Pinpoints existing superstar producers and those wines and producers with star potential

Includes personal recommendations from Clarke and Spurrier for each major wine style

Offers up-to-date profiles of producers, wines and regions

Contains detailed vintage and maturity information including at-a-glance charts and year-by-year assessments

Organized by country and wine region, this guide aims to cover only the world's best wines - though not necessarily the best-known. A straightforward format of at-a-glance lists of the best wines, best vineyards, best producers and other essential information is followed by more detailed A-Z lists of the top wine names and top producers within each region or country. The information is cross-referred within each section, so that a wine recommendation can be located by way of the wine name, the cru, the grower or the year. There is also a comprehensive index of thousands of recommended wines and producers.

Synopsis
Organized by country and wine region, this guide aims to cover only the world's best wines - though not necessarily the best-known. A straightforward format of at-a-glance lists of the best wines, best vineyards, best producers and other essential information is followed by more detailed A-Z lists of the top wine names and top producers within each region or country. The information is cross-referred within each section, so that a wine recommendation can be located by way of the wine name, the cru, the grower or the year. There is also a comprehensive index of thousands of recommended wines and producers.

From the Author
(Oz Clarke) I guess many people know me for my advocacy of the vibrant flavours typically associated with New World wines, but, believe me, what I love is not a particular place of origin but wines made with passion, wines that inspired the winemaker as much as they inspire me. And so I love wines from all over the world - the so-called classic styles and the young pretenders, too - they're all fine wines to me. Because fine wine is about passion. A top grape variety is of no use at all if it is grown and vinified in a listless or cynical manner. A great vineyard site is of no value unless it is cared for and nurtured by men and women passionate in their desire to help it express its greatness. And millions spent in modernising vineyards and wineries are millions wasted if the equipment is not controlled by producers with a passionate vision of the flavours they long to create from their grapes. Give me that passion and I'll give you fine wine.

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ccfrance.gif (9965 bytes)An Encyclopedia of the Wines and Domaines of France

Clive Coates

Hardcover - 608 pages (19 October, 2000)
Cassell; ISBN: 0304354414

Synopsis
This guide to French wine covers the best growers in every appellation. This edition includes specially commissioned detailed maps and vintage charts to indicate drinking and cellaring times for all of the wines.

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cotedorcc.gif (10585 bytes)Cote D'Or

Clive Coates

Hardcover - 576 pages (12 May, 1997)
Weidenfeld Illustrated; ISBN: 0297836072


Synopsis

This is a comprehensive survey of the wines of Burgundy. Divided into three parts, the book first covers the communes, vineyards and growers. Every "Grand" and "Premier cru" is isolated and described, recommended sources are noted and the growers marked on a star system from one to five. In the second part, detailed profiles of 60 of the top domaines are provided, with and notes of a vertical tasting of their wines. The final section covers vintages from 1995 back to 1949, with a summary of climatic and market conditions, the style of the wine and the results of a number of comprehensive tastings of each vintage.

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Wines of the South of France

Rosemary George

Paperback - 544 pages (18 June, 2001)
Faber and Faber; ISBN: 057119267X

 

Synopsis
A comprehensive guide to all the wonderful wines of the South of France: from the Spanish border to the Italian frontier, including the island of Corsica. There has been a revolution in quality and experimentation with the wines of the South of France, and the vineyards of the Midi are now among the most exciting in Europe. New areas are opening up and new growers are moving in - grubbing up mass producers, introducing new grape varieties, allowing yields to plummet and employing modern techniques and growing methods to improve the wines beyond recognition. The author has revisited and researched each area and covered their history, viticulture, vinification techniques and the developments of all key growers.

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hachettee.jpg (5138 bytes)Hachette Wine Guide 2001 (English translation)
2000 Hachette UK (Cassell) Hardcover, 1312 pages (ISBN 1842020676)
So the Hachette guide finally gets an English translation. Good news for all who have struggled through previous versions with their patchy 'O' level French (myself included). For those not familiar with this guide, let me try to explain how it works. Subtitled 'The French wine Bible' (it's printed on rather bible-like thin paper), in its 1300+ pages it describes some 9000 wines from across the regions of France. These are selected from a total of 28 000 entries by a panel of some 800 wine professionals. They don't all get together in one place, but the assessment occurs within each region, with small committees of three or so experts working their way through a few dozen wines in a day. They taste blind, and wines that make it into the guide are rated on a scale of four points (they are awarded zero to three stars), and are written up with a short descriptive paragraph. IN addition, producer contact details and opening hours/visiting arrangements are given (a very useful feature). There's also the added complication of the 'coup de coeurs': these are wines that were 'love at first sip' to the tasters, and their labels are reproduced in the book. Somewhat confusingly, many of the coup de coeur winners are two-star and not three-star wines. (Leafing through, I also found one wine -- 1997 Pavie-Macquin -- that has a coup de couer but no stars!) In addition to the descriptions of the wines, a large chunk of the book is given to assessing the 1999 vintage in each region, and there's other useful background information.

So is it worth buying? I find it a tremendously useful book and would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in French wines. However, like any guide of this nature, it has it flaws: the fact that wines have to be submitted means that some big names are missing; thus if a wine is absent, you don't know whether it didn't make the grade or simply wasn't submitted. In this respect, Hachette is probably at its strongest outside the classic areas of Bordeaux and Burgundy, where the coverage is denser. Another problem is the fact that you don't know who is responsible for the tasting notes: after all, tasting 'by committee' is a dubious process. At least the imprecision of the simple scoring system is to some extent an acknowledgement of this weakness. Overall, though, the sheer size of the scope of this guide makes this an extremely useful resource, and its utlity more than compensates for these weaknesses. I'd say buy it.

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jhalwicom.gif (3303 bytes)Australia and New Zealand Wine Companion: 2000

James Halliday

Paperback - 538 pages ( 3 January, 2000)
Grub Street; ISBN: 1902304381

Reviews
Amazon.co.uk
The customary remarks with which to preface discussions of Antipodean wines include those exclaiming at how few years it has taken for this youthful industry to find itself competing at the very highest level with the greatest wines in the world. Consider them said. James Halliday, in the 2000 edition of his reliable and authoritative Wine Companion, Australia and New Zealand also takes the maturity and perfection of the best Oz / NZ wines for granted. His grading system for wineries runs to five stars ("Outstanding winery regularly producing exemplary wines"), while for individual vintages he goes even further: five wine glasses signify 94-97 out of 100--"As close to perfection as the real world will allow". (98-100 is an unachievable ideal.)

Restricting himself to the top 20% of Australian and New Zealand wines, James Halliday can afford to be generous. Sensibly listing wineries alphabetically by name only, rather than, say, by region, which can be confusing, he profiles each establishment briefly and succinctly, listing and rating the vintages, as well as giving useful information such as contacts and opening hours. (These lists are useful to those on the spot at least: it's interesting how many of even the major wineries depend to a large extent on cellar door and direct mail sales.) Food partnerships are suggested, not as fixed rules but as additional, "subliminal" indications of wine styles. He can be quirky, too. Even where he disapproves of the wines, something can be rescued. A case in point would be the unfortunate Jackson's Hill winery, where the wines are judged "not exhilarating" but "Jackson's Hill does produce the most marvellous home-made chocolates I have tasted in a long time". --Robin Davidson

Synopsis
This guide to Australian and New Zealand wines profiles over 1200 wineries. It provides tasting notes for the 1200 wines featured, a vintage specific rating, information on the wine's production, advice on the best time to drink it and suggestions for complementary food choices.

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jhallatlas.gif (13973 bytes)Wine Atlas of Australia and New Zealand

James Halliday

Hardcover - 416 pages ( 4 March, 1999)
HarperCollins (Australia); ISBN: 0732264480

Review
www.wineanorak.com
Another atlas-format work, this time by the most influential voice of the Australian wine scene, James Halliday. This time there is less focus on the maps (which are rather simple), and more on the different producers (within each region there is a review of the leading domaines). Nicely illustrated and a useful resource for anyone planning a trip to antipodean wine country.

Synopsis
James Halliday has over 40 years of experience in the wine industry. This new edition features special profiles on major industry trends and personalities and statistics for all the major regions.

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artsowine.gif (14026 bytes)The art and science of wine

James Halliday, Hugh Johnson

Mitchell Beazley, London, 1992 (ISBN 1 85732 422 6).


Reviews

wineanorak.com
This is a superb book! Written by two of the world's leading wine writers, one English and one Australian, it provides a scholarly yet readable account of how nature, art and science combine to make the wonderful diversity of wines there are in the world today. Possibly the greatest strength of this book is its balance between the old and the new, technology and tradition and respect for both art and science. Reading this book is a great pleasure, partly because it is beautifully illustrated and laid out, but also because it is well written and highly informative.

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jjwospain.gif (7581 bytes)The Wines of Spain

Julian Jeffs

Paperback - 460 pages (24 January, 2000)
Faber and Faber; ISBN: 0571175325

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The World Atlas of Wine

Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson

Hardcover - 352 pages 5th Ed (1 September, 2001)
Mitchell Beazley; ISBN: 1840003324


Reviews

Synopsis
There are few books that have had such a monumental impact in their field as The World Atlas of Wine; sales of the first four editions exceed 3.5 million copies. Now, world-renowned authors Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson have teamed up to combine their unrivalled talents. Together they have created the fifth edition of this masterpiece, making it the most thorough and expansive revision ever of the work. In keeping with the Atlas's reputation for cartographic excellence, all 148 maps from the fourth edition have been completely revised and modernised, with an additional 30 new maps. Hailed by Decanter as Wine Book of the Millennium, The World Atlas of Wine has been described by critics worldwide as 'extraordinary' and 'irreplaceable'. In this, its fifth edition in 30 years, it remains an essential addition to every wine-lovers or professional's library.

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hjpwg.gif (7205 bytes)Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2001

Hugh Johnson

Hardcover - 280 pages (14 September, 2000)
Mitchell Beazley; ISBN: 1840003219

Synopsis
Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book is the world's best-selling wine book and gives up-to-the-minute information on growers, regions and over 6,000 wines. Pocket Wine lists the world's top wines, pointing out those offering the best value from every country, and reveals the wines to drink in 2001. It includes expert tasting notes and advice on matching wine with specific dishes and ingredients. Winemaking and grape varieties are explained and vintage reports are provided. - Completely revised and updated for 2001 - The world's favourite wine guide - More than 400,000 copies sold annually - Lists over 6,000 wines - Personally recommended producers and estates

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hjsow.gif (7269 bytes)Hugh Johnson's Story of Wine

Hugh Johnson

Hardcover - 480 pages ( 1 August, 1998)
Mitchell Beazley; ISBN: 1840001208


Synopsis

A history of wine which seeks to be "easily digestible" and unveils the cultural perspective of wine. The book is written so as to be easy to read and can be dipped into at random.

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hjwine.gif (15872 bytes)Wine

Hugh Johnson

Hardcover - 254 pages (28 October, 1974)
Mitchell Beazley; ISBN: 0855330392

 

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gwgjoseph.jpg (5929 bytes)Sunday Telegraph Good Wine Guide 2000/2001

Robert Joseph

Paperback - 335 pages (7 September, 2000)
Dorling Kindersley; ISBN: 0751327786

Synopsis
A reference guide to wine with 2600 entries and 1600 wine recommendations. It features the best of wine Websites, advice on how to find good wine to order on the web and over 500 food and wine pairings.

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French Wines

Robert Joseph

Paperback - 240 pages ( 4 November, 1999)
Dorling Kindersley; ISBN: 0751307939

Reviews
www.wineanorak.com
Attractively produced and beautifully illustrated, this handy-sized guide is a useful introduction to the varied wines of France. Joseph writes well and the book follows the now well worn path of a few general introductory chapters (history, how wine is made, soils and climate, wine tasting, glossary, food and wine) followed by a survey of wine regions, one by one. If this sounds a bit dry and predictable, the snappy text and lavish illustrations bring the subject to life, and innovative touches, such as suggested driving tours through each region, keep things fresh. From time to time Joseph isn't shy about expressing opinions, and where he's done this, I think his judgement is pretty sound. Of course, any book this size that attempts to deal with every French wine region will inevitably be a little superficial in its coverage, but I'd gladly recommend this book to anyone looking for a readable entry-level guide to French wine, or even to more experienced wine geeks wanting to enliven their perspective on arguably the most fascinating of the wine-producing nations.

Synopsis
A handbook on wines and wine-growing regions in France. Each major wine region is mapped and profiled with information on influences such as climate, soil type, aspects and grape variety. For each of the six major regions featured there are specialy devised tours. There is also a cross-reference feature that allows the reader to choose an element from a label and find out more about their chosen bottle. Added to this there is information on how wine is made, tasting, buying, storing and serving.

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wild.gif (15682 bytes)The Wild Bunch : Great Wines From Small Producers

Patrick Matthews

Paperback - 326 pages (20 October, 1997)
Faber and Faber; ISBN: 057119043X

Reviews
wineanorak.com
In this book Patrick Matthews sets out to explore the 'ureported wine revolution' as he calls it - the increasing number of small producers who are taking wine back to its regional roots, and in contrast to the legion of bland international-style wines that have flooded our supermarket shelves, are producing wines with real personality and flavour, often at quite reasonable prices. It is a laudable aim, and I for one am fully sympathetic to his cause. Matthews has done his research, he's well informed, and many of the chapters make gripping reading. I especially liked one of the later chapters, 'Cutting out the middle men', which gives a fascinating insight into the machinations of the UK wine trade. The book can also be applauded in that it is pioneering: in contrast to many wine publications it doesn't just go over the same old ground. My main criticism, however, is that The wild bunch feels somewhat unfinished: the writing style is at times quite hard work, and the transition from one subect or chapter to the next is jerky, lacking continuity. The copyediting is pretty poor too (see e.g. the footnote on page 11). If the author had just spent more time re-writing and polishing the book, and had the services of a good editor, I think he could have made it into a classic. As it stands, it is worth reading solely on the basis of the excellent concept and fascinating snippets, even if they are not laced together too carefully. A useful additional feature (which unfortunately will cause the book to date faster) is that each chapter comes complete with a list of recommended wines and their suppliers in the UK, which greatly enhances the utility of the book. A useful addition to any winelovers bookshelf

Synopsis
In this survey of what the author calls "the unreported wine revolution", he meets a new wave of growers and producers who are taking wine back to its regional roots and are concerned with authenticity and purity, rather than technology and marketing. Details of where to buy the wines are included.

The author, Patrick Matthews patrick_matthews@compuserve.com, 29 July, 1999
In The Wild Bunch I was looking for a fight. Too often, wine writers seemed to me to steer people towards the kinds of wines that make easy money for supermarkets rather than what I felt were 'real wines' -- handmade rather than industrially produced, free of additives and technical manipulation and with enough concentration to age. Such wines are available if you look for them and they're often surprisingly cheap. Of course it's the wine writers who get called on to review wine books, and I might have expected to be critically pummeled. Instead the experience was of being killed with kindness, and The Wild Bunch actually won the top award of 1998, the Glenfiddich drink book of the year. Generously, they were actually glad to see a colleague being allowed some freedom from the usual wine book formats, and they rather warmed to the book's enthusiasm for the quixotic obsessives who make wine because of passion for an (often) obscure region rather than because it seems financially prudent.

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portandd.gif (10940 bytes)Port and the Douro

Richard Mayson

Paperback - 256 pages ( 1 November, 1999)
Faber and Faber; ISBN: 0571195229

Richard Mayson is well known for his expertise on Portuguese wines.

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mayson.jpg (4429 bytes)Portugal's Wines and Winemakers

Richard Mayson

Hardcover - 224 pages (December 1997)
Wine Appreciation Guild; ISBN: 1891267019

 

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