The Essential Wine Book : An Indispensable Guide to the Wines of the World

Rating:
Summary: Good overview for wine fanciers
Review: Less encyclopedic than some of Hugh Johnson's or Frank Schoonmaker's books, this is still a good basic guide to wines of the world. It includes sections on choosing wine (the characteristics of different varieties and styles of wine), buying and storing wine, serving wine, vineyard and winery techniques, a glossary and a vintage guide. The essence of the book is the regional description of wines. The color photos of vine- yards are often smaller than I would like, but they do add something to the attraction of the book as do the wine label photos. Having lived for a number of years in Germany, I was disappointed to find some of my favorite wines missing from the book (i.e., Ockfener Bockstein from the Saar region)or Urziger Schwarzlay (hope I'm spelling that correctly) and Urziger Wurzgarten from the Mosel. However, some would be difficult to find in most American cities. He does a better job detailing French wines and does put in a good word for the Scheurebe grape (a crossing of varieties that produces some lovely German wines). He also brings the reader up to date on replantings in Napa Valley, California and other locales where vintners are still deciding on the best variety of grape for a specific site. I would enthusiastically recommend this book to someone learning about wines, but it would be supplemented by one or more of Hugh Johnson's books and books specifically on US wines and German wines.

Rating:
Summary: A short cut into the wine world
Review: This book achieves a lot in its small but well printed and organized volume. Almost in each wine region, Oz hits the right spot in relating the geography, climate, soil, vintages and grapes to the vividly discribed wine taste. It enables beginners start to enjoy the pleasure of selecting, tasting and drinking wine without paying much tuitions.

Rating:
Summary: Get this book.
Review: This is about the best wine book I've browsed through and possess. While other books out there speak to a true expert or the wine lover who feels above the crowd, Oz Clarke speaks to everyone. Expert and novice alike. The info is pretty complete for such a small book. He gives the essentials but leaves room for you to research further if you so choose. He takes the mystery out of it and can get anyone to walk into a wine store and actually understand what the heck's going on.