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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent reference
Review: Found this book thoroughly delightful. A must for anyone interested in wines. Easy to read. Gives complete explanations about each wine type. Beautiful pictures, too. Keep it on my coffee table and refer to it regularly.
Rating: 
Summary: Not merely a coffee-table book
Review: I bought this book as a companion volume to my little home winemaking library and am very glad I did. The authors explain and illustrate very clearly the choices that winemakers make in response to, and to complement, what nature gives them: The Grape. Four stars because of the exclusive focus on "great" wines (far too expensive for you and I), which as Johnson freely admits, are as much a product of mystique, fame, and rarity as of winemaking practice. Also, the authors' constant fawning over everything French at the expense of the rest of the world lessens the book's value to someone interested in winemaking in California. Still, beautiful photography combined with clear illustrations and excellent, sharp writing make this a must read for the serious winelover interested in more than snobbery, or the amateur winemaker intent on improving his/her closet-full of cab.
Rating:
Summary: Not merely a coffee-table book
Review: I bought this book as a companion volume to my little home winemaking library and am very glad I did. The authors explain and illustrate very clearly the choices that winemakers make in response to, and to complement, what nature gives them: The Grape. Four stars because of the exclusive focus on "great" wines (far too expensive for you and I), which as Johnson freely admits, are as much a product of mystique, fame, and rarity as of winemaking practice. Also, the authors' constant fawning over everything French at the expense of the rest of the world lessens the book's value to someone interested in winemaking in California. Still, beautiful photography combined with clear illustrations and excellent, sharp writing make this a must read for the serious winelover interested in more than snobbery, or the amateur winemaker intent on improving his/her closet-full of cab.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: James Halliday and Hugh Johnson do a fabulous job of explaining different wine styles and the reasons for the differences.Terrific photos and diagrams. A good read and an outstanding reference for winemakers and wine lovers. One oddity... they managed to write the book without using the word "zinfandel".
Rating:
Summary: Lovely coffee-table book
Review: This is a coffee-table book, but a very good one indeed, in largish format with glossy paper, excellent color photography, and Johnson's workmanlike prose as he interviews some of the greatest wine makers around the world
Rating:
Summary: This book appeals to wine makers as well as enthusiasts.
Review: While this book will appeal to a broad audience of wine lovers, it will also have a special appeal to a narrower audience of wine makers. I count myself in both categories, so I'll offer two examples of this fine book's appeal: As a wine enthusiast, I discovered that New Zealand and South Africa are making wonderful Sauvignon Blanc. As a winemaker, I learned more about how Bordeaux winemakers derive the classic balance between approachable flavor and aging potential; and how the Australians use barrel fermentation of red wines to tame the assertive characteristics of their Shiraz. This is a MUST read for oenophiles!
Rating:
Summary: Winemakers Options
Review: Winemaking books come in three flavors. For beginners, some books present scores of 'home' recipies including fruits, veggies, meads, beers, &c. At the other extreme are advanced textbooks for enology courses. And in the middle are a few intermediate books that focus on simple wines, but without hinting all the vintner's options. Johnson and Halliday assume a basic knowledge of making and tasting wine and proceed to discuss all the options open to the winemaker. Simple charts depicting sequences of events are unique to this book and quite interesting. I still can't put it down. For a winemaker its a wealth of ideas and possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: Winemakers Options
Review: Winemaking books come in three flavors. For beginners, some books present scores of 'home' recipies including fruits, veggies, meads, beers, &c. At the other extreme are advanced textbooks for enology courses. And in the middle are a few intermediate books that focus on simple wines, but without hinting all the vintner's options. Johnson and Halliday assume a basic knowledge of making and tasting wine and proceed to discuss all the options open to the winemaker. Simple charts depicting sequences of events are unique to this book and quite interesting. I still can't put it down. For a winemaker its a wealth of ideas and possibilities.
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