Wine Buying Companion for Dummies

Rating:
Summary: Uninformed Senior
Review: I was not a dining out person. Never aquired a knowlege of wines. Or how to order them. Have read pamplets in liquor stores. But still can't pronounce many of the names of wines. I am hoping that Dummys will help me.

Rating:
Summary: Good for Beginners
Review: This book is a good companion guide to "Wine for Dummies", with a more precise emphasis (as the title implies) on wine purchase. A wine-food chart is helpful for pairing wine varietals with meals. The book is smaller than "Wine for Dummies," so it can be thought of as a pocket guide that can be brought along on shopping trips. Overall, it is a precise, no-nonsense guide to wine basics. Wonderful for beginners, but probably nothing new to seasoned oenophiles.

Rating:
Summary: Good but Dated
Review: This is a good book but it is dated. I also purchased "Wine for Dummies" (WfD) by the same authors. I recommend that, instead (not necessary to get both, at least at first). The WfD book has excellent coverages of different countries and that information provides a great deal of groundwork. Only if you know all of that information cold, then consider this book.

Much of the vintage information is dated. The authors mention in WfD that vintage is much less important, yet they refer to it often, as in this book. This is to be expected, but not quite consistent with their theories. That being said, much of the date related information is old -- 5 years is past prime for many wines that we buy for drinking with our dinners. Hence, I think it is dated and it is much better just to refer to WfD.