The World Atlas of Wine

Rating:
Summary: Major Improvements to an Outstanding Wine Reference Guide!
Review: Putting the brilliant wine writers Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson together to update the 4th edition of Hugh Johnson's classic work was an inspired choice. Each is superb on her or his own. Together, they are stunning in this, their first collaboration!

Whether you want to give a wonderful gift or simply to have a great wine reference, this book is an outstanding choice. The World Atlas of Wine will deepen your pleasure in wines you enjoy, and guide you to wonderful visits to outstanding vineyards and wineries during your travels. Hopefully, your tasting experiences will benefit as a result!

If you do not know the predecessor works, let me describe the book's layout. It begins with brief sections on the history of wine; basic facts about the influence of soil, temperature, varietals, wines, wine-making, storage, serving, and tasting; and has helpful information about how to read labels and interpret technical terms.

The heart of the book comes in individual essays about wine-growing regions around the world. These are very complete. France has 58 sections, Italy has 18, Germany shares 14, the United States is covered by 12, Spain is represented by 8, Australia has 7, Portugal has 6. Many other countries are covered as well, including parts of the former Soviet Union, the Balkans, North Africa, South America, and smaller countries in Europe.

Each individual wine-growing region is organized around an updated map. For this 5th edition, 148 maps were redrawn from the 4th, and 30 new maps were added. These maps show where the major wineries are, different vineyards, qualities of grapes, altitudes, major roads, and locations is cities within the area. In some cases, these maps are also supplemented by detailed examples of soil differences and temperature gradients. Each region has at least one beautiful color photograph to give you a sense of the geography. Within the accompanying essay is a detailed discussion of how the locale affects the taste and qualities of the wines that are produced there.

Anyone will find themselves learning a lot from this atlas. Even if you were familiar with a region ten years ago, chances are that it has changed. The atlas will bring you up-to-date. In addition, you can learn about new regions and wineries whose wines may interest you.

A nice feature of the book is a bound ribbon for marking your place.

Considering the remarkable quality of the contents and reproduction of the maps and images, this book is extremely fairly priced.

The predecessor four editions have sold 3.5 million copies over the last 30 years. I think we can safely assume that this volume will sell in the millions as well. If you already own the 4th edition, you would be well advised to buy this one also.

Where else can understanding local conditions help you appreciate more about what is going on? How can you gain that experience and knowledge?

Let curiosity pull you forth from old habits . . . into better ones!

Rating:
Summary: Essential.
Review: The "World Atlas of Wine" lives up to its title as a definitive guide to the world's wine growing regions. The maps range in scale from all of Bordeaux down to individual communes such as St-Estephe and Pauillac, with major co-ops and estates clearly indicated. The maps are so detailed they could be used in lieu of Michelin to drive from La Chapelle in Hermitage to Vieux Telegraphe in Chateauneuf du Pape. With the text, I could probably lead a guided tour. Although France is given pride of place, California, Spain, Italy, South America and Australia are also well covered.

But the book's far more than just a set of geo-political maps of wine regions. It's also full of geological information about soil, consumption, production, etc. It really is an atlas. And the writing is quite a bit less dry and "objective" than your usual "atlas"; Johnson and Robinson are both fantastic wine writers. I also found the reproduced labels most instructive.

Every other book on wines has left me wishing for better maps, including the Oxford Companion to Wine edited by Jancis Robinson. Now I read them with the "World Atlas of Wine" at my side. I only wish I could order the maps as posters.

Rating:
Summary: Essential.
Review: The "World Atlas of Wine" lives up to its title as a definitive guide to the world's wine growing regions. The maps range in scale from all of Bordeaux down to individual communes such as St-Estephe and Pauillac, with major co-ops and estates clearly indicated. The maps are so detailed they could be used in lieu of Michelin to drive from La Chapelle in Hermitage to Vieux Telegraphe in Chateauneuf du Pape. With the text, I could probably lead a guided tour. Although France is given pride of place, California, Spain, Italy, South America and Australia are also well covered.

But the book's far more than just a set of geo-political maps of wine regions. It's also full of geological information about soil, consumption, production, etc. It really is an atlas. And the writing is quite a bit less dry and "objective" than your usual "atlas"; Johnson and Robinson are both fantastic wine writers. I also found the reproduced labels most instructive.

Every other book on wines has left me wishing for better maps, including the Oxford Companion to Wine edited by Jancis Robinson. Now I read them with the "World Atlas of Wine" at my side. I only wish I could order the maps as posters.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Superb
Review: The reviews above amply review the contents and excellence of the book. If you are a newcomer to the wine world this book may prove to be somewhat overpowering but perseverance will be rewarded. The illustrations are superb and the production first class. An essential purchase for anybody who considers wine a hobby or passion.

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: This book has very good coverage of the many wine terroirs. The maps are detailed, clear and easy to read. The text is insightful and helpful. I learned much more about each area than I expected. The number of wines highlighted within each area is limited, but the detail summaries of those areas more than make up for that. The sections on wineries and wine-making is also excellent and up-to-date. Many other books merely have a theoretical overview whereas this book has that as well as details of how an actual modern-day winery is architected and run. The pictures are excellent, but there were a couple beautiful ones that did not have a description. The book is large is height, but not too thick, so it is still "user-friendly" for reading. A great book idea for a special gift for wine lovers.

Rating:
Summary: Great maps and growing region detail
Review: This book is for evryone who is interested in a lot of maps and geographic detail on the worlds wine growing regions. But beware: It will not cover smaller regions very well or at all. If you are into mainstream wines, it is great info. If you are into small, french sud-ouest and vin-de-pays regions like cahors, bergerac etc., you will find very little information.

Rating:
Summary: Indispensible wine reference
Review: This book is our favorite and most-read wine reference (and we have too many). Well organized, informative, thorough, and even (gasp!) fun. Pass up the big fat pompous wine tomes in favor of this one.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful reference
Review: This book was originally recommended to me by the instructor in a wine-tasting class that I took. It's a great reference. The introduction contains everything you'd want to know about how wine made - from the types of grapes to soil information to the anatomy of a winery and everything in between. The meat of the book gives incredible information about the various wine-making regions of the world (including newer, smaller areas). In each area (or sub-area, for the larger places), Johnson gives a map of the region, gives a detailed description, and identifies some of the major labels. Great book - I definitely want to keep this on my shelf!

Rating:
Summary: The Geography of Viticulture
Review: This is a fantastic book. It is more than simply THE best wine reference guide. It is history, geography, an encyclopedia, an atlas - a work of art. Believe it or not, it was also a college text book. I was lucky enough to have attended a class, 'the Geography of Viticulture', where it was the main text, (wine tasting included with the tuition fee!)

No matter what your level of interest in the subject you will find something of value here. Naturally as geography students we were learning about the various wine producing areas around the world and how location, climate, soil, and seasons influence wine growing. Now many years later, as a consumer of the product, the book is just as useful to me in teaching about the importance of grape varieties and how to taste, choose and serve wine.

A big thrill for me was driving through one of the wine producing regions highlighted in the atlas. Although I would not recommend you use the maps to plan your route, unless you don't mind getting just a little bit lost driving around beautiful and idyllic countryside (typical of most wine producing areas); the book is still of immense use in teaching about the area you are driving through. A nice touch are the many picture reproductions of the various winery labels. My family enjoyed ticking off the labels in the book as we drove by the wineries. Two more uses for the atlas - travel guide and family entertainment. Cheers

Rating:
Summary: Good as Drinking the Stuff
Review: This is one of the best books on the history of wine in the world. This book covers wine from its birth, and goes through to the modern day wine world. The nice thing about this book is that it is not a book that talks about all the different producers around the world and their vintages, but rather the regions around the world, and their history etc. I recommend this book, and 'Exploring Wine' for the person that wants to learn about wines role in the world throughout history. All this and fantastic illustrations and maps as well!
I received this book for my birthday [...].