Book reviews:

Vines & Vinification wins OIV book award 2018

Published on July 10, 2018

Vines and Vinification was originally conceived of as the study guide for the ‘Production of wine’ unit of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits. It is now published as an accompaniment to unit 2, ahead of new diploma study materials that are being developed.


Volcanic Wines

Published on March 29, 2016

Are wines from volcanic soils the ‘next big thing’, even though we’ve been drinking them for ages, possibly without making the connection? This book explores the strong association of Soave with volcanic soils.


The Wines of Austria, Stephen Brook

Published on January 14, 2016

Stephen Brook has long been working with Austrian wines and is a source of many an amusing anecdote, and artefactual aside. He is well placed to document the country’s status quo.


The Oxford Companion to Wine, 2015

Published on September 14, 2015

  Title of book: The Oxford Companion to Wine Authors/Eds: Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication date: 2015 ISBN 978 0 19 870538 3 Pages: 912 Price: £40.00 (hardback) How does one review an icon of the book/wine world? Added to which I’m partial. The book is so often a ‘first […]


Sherry

Published on April 2, 2015

Julian Jeffs wrote the first edition of this book in 1961. No-one is better placed to comment on the huge changes in the sherry industry over that time.


The Champagne Guide 2014-2015

Published on October 6, 2014

Australian wine author Stelzer has updated his guide to Champagne


Native wine grapes of Italy

Published on July 30, 2014

I think it’s quite simple: Italophiles will want this reference book on their shelves.


Natural Wine

Published on July 11, 2014

About 40% of the book introduces wines the author recommends, a ‘starter for ten’ on “natural” wines; an introduction to befriending minimally-manipulated wines – “the best way to enjoy natural wines is to try to forget everything you think you know about wine, and start afresh”. Not necessarily an easy ask.


Down to Earth

Published on April 30, 2014

The California Wine Institute has published a book looking at sustainable practices among a selection of the state’s wine producers.


The concise guide to wine and blind tasting

Published on April 11, 2014

Whilst this book provides admirable, and indeed concise, introductions to the wine regions of the world, it is the section on the blind tasting guide that really piqued my interest.

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