The Wine Blokes

With Christmas over and many vinophiles lazing around with a glass of red, what better time take a look at some of the new wine books available.

The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition (Hardcover) - Jancis Robinson

I have an earlier edition of Jancis Robinson’s “Wine Bible”. It is probably the most detailed and extensive wine book on the market and covers all region around the world with great explainations of each region, wine styles, and vineyards. I can’t count the times I’ve been tasting an obscure wine with a friend and have needed to reference using the Oxford Companion of Wine.

This is how the Library Journal from Amazon Books reviewed this title:

This essential addition to reference collections breaks new ground. Unlike the excellent works by Alexis Lichine (e.g., Alexis Lichine’s Guide to the Wines and Vineyards of France, Knopf, 1989. 4th ed.) or Hugh Johnson (e.g., Vintage, S. & S., 1992), which are standard sources on the growing, buying, drinking, tasting, and enjoying of wine, this work broadens the discussion to “less obvious topics, such as animals (their function as vine pests), auctions, the specific influence of the British, and Australians, on the world of wine, fashion, fraud, global overproduction, wine in literature and art, and the role of water throughout wine production.” About 3000 alphabetically arranged entries range from the most familiar topics, such as “California,” to the quite obscure (e.g., “Xynisteri,” a white grape grown on Cyprus). Yet those less interested in the esoterica of wine will surely find the information they seek, as about 70 percent of the book is concerned with specific wines and areas of wine production. There is also practical guidance on such matters as serving wine and matching the right wine with the right food. Editor Robinson, who writes regularly for the Wine Spectator, is widely respected for her taste and abilities. Here she assembles an international cast of over 70 experts. Since only a small number are from the United States and since many may be unfamiliar to the average American reader, this work is also valuable as a kind of directory of authorities on wine-related subjects. While erudite, this book is not dry; historical anecdotes abound. The text is complemented by over 250 fascinating illustrations, which include an aroma wheel, maps, a red wine-making chart, labels, a varietal geneaology, a wine-tasting sheet used by judges, and more. This book, which offers something for everyone, is highly recommended.

The Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd Edition) by Jancis Robinson can be purchased through Amazon.

- Amazon UK: £19.99 Click Here

- Amazon US: $39 Click Here