Rating: 
Summary: Great intro book
Review: A good introduction to the world of wine. One of the best Dummies books I have read. Packed with technical facts, geography, and terms. The pronunciation guides were very helpful, especially since much of wine's terminology comes from the French - who have a different word for everything. With all the detail, however, the book was a very easy read.I read the book this past weekend. Tonight, I stood in front of the wine display in a local resturant and actually began to understand what I was looking at. Where it came from, what grapes were used to make it, etc. Looking forward to practicing some of what I have learned! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but needs to be updated!
Review: A lot of useful information, but the book has not been updated in a few years and all of the vintage charts end in 1996. A lot has happened in the world of wines since 1996. Try a book that is updated every year like "Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: 2003". I own both books and much prefer Windows on the World.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and Fun
Review: A really great book of the for Dummies series. It makes wine easy, and finally understandable. I'm a enology student I this book has really helped not only me but my classmates. Amazon.com will recieve new orders soon. I guarantee... Simply great!
Rating:
Summary: Demystifying the Wonderful (and Fun) World of Wine!
Review: About six years ago, I first caught the wine bug. A novice at the time, I recall that perusing wine shops was both a joyful and dreadful experience. Just trying to decipher the information (in foreign languages, most) on one wine-label was daunting enough, let alone trying to pick a good wine from the hundreds lining the aisles. Today, I am fortunate enough to work in a wine shop, and I can easily spot the same dread on my customers faces. Wine is supposed to be fun, right? So why is it so dang complicated?!
What got me safely from the "novice" to the "intermediate" stage - and what I tell customers might well do the same for them - is Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan's book "Wine for Dummies." This is the single best beginners guide to wine I've seen on the market, then and now. It strikes a perfect balance between informality and informativity, casualness and usefulness. Delving into everything from how to shop for, open, and taste wines, to explaining the basics of what the different grapes are and which regions excel in each, there is a lot of ground covered in an easy to digest style. (There is even attention paid to that often missed detail of how to pronounce intimidating wine terms like Qualitatswein and - my favorite - Trockenbeerenauslese.)
Thus, six years after I first caught the wine bug, I still find myself skimming these pages for their straight-forward and concise answers to the many questions the world of wine throws at me. Hopefully, it will do for you what it did for me: take an utter novice and turn him into an unbridled wine enthusiast without causing too much of a mental headache along the way (as some books do). This is why I reccomend the book to my customers and why I unhesitatingly reccomend it to you!
Rating: 
Summary: This book was a labor of love!
Review: According to the critics, it is the BEST introductory wine book available! Written in an easy-to-read style without the usual wine jargon, Wine For Dummies has lots of humor, yet lots of depth. The second edtion is completely updated. The first edition has sold over 300,000 compies in less than 3 years! We love the fact that it appeals to readers with all different levels of wine knowledge, whether it be basic, intermediate, or advanced. There's something for everyone in Wine For Dummies. Most other wine books available are difficult to read (translation: boring) for many readers. One of us is a master of wine, both of us are certified wine educators and both of us love wine. One of us is an ex-English teacher and the other majored in English, so we made sure this book is well written yet an easy read.
Rating: 
Summary: Well organized and great information!!
Review: After my trip to Paris, and finding out that I thoroughly enjoyed drinking French wine, and at the urging of D'Arcy to discover and enjoy drinking good wine, I have set out to educate myself about wine. This was my first book to tackle. It is well worth reading if you know next to nothing about wine. It is well organized and has a lot of information presented in a great way. I have learned a lot and have discovered some good wine, some great wine, and one really bad Bordeaux!! It is fun and is something that a couple can enjoy together and with friends. If school were this fun I would have gone for a PHD. While not a previous fan of the "For Dummies" series, this one is worth reading!!
Rating:
Summary: I picked out a wine that the boss liked!
Review: All I knew about wine was what I liked. I didn't know how to tell someone what that might be. So I decided to pick this up, and I've had great success with my adventures. I don't mind spending a little money on a bottle of wine, but I don't like to waste it. This book has made me both more brave, and more successful with my wine adventures!
Rating:
Summary: A Comprehensive and Thoughtful Wine Primer
Review: Although I have enjoyed drinking wine for many years, I was aware that my knowledge and understanding of the subject left much to be desired. I chose Wine For Dummies in hopes of gaining a firm grounding in wine and was not disappointed. While I can't compare it to other books on the subject, I found Wine For Dummies to provide a very thorough overview of practically every conceivable aspect of wine. Ever wonder exactly what those wine "aficionados" were doing when they swirled, sniffed, slurped and swished around their wine? It's all in here. There's also advice on: buying wines at restaurants and in stores; how to read wine labels; the best corkscrews and wine glasses; letting wines breath (or "aerate," to use the proper term); proper storage; etc. This, of course, is all in addition to page upon page on the different grape varieties used to make wine, the different countries and regions where wine is produced, and the types of wine each region is known for. The scope even includes sparkling wines as well as "fortified" (wine with alcohol added) and dessert wines. I must admit, when the authors began introducing the 12-plus varieties of both white-wine and red-wine grapes, I began feeling as though I could've used a glass of wine myself. These varieties, however, kept popping up throughout the book and they eventually began to sink in. Wine For Dummies will not make you a wine expert but, having read it from cover to cover (no easy task at 400 pages), I feel I have a much better understanding and appreciation for wine and I've found that I no longer find "wine snobs" (as they're called in the book) to be intimidating.
Rating:
Summary: A great introductory book on the subject
Review: For someone who is looking to understand more about wine and the wine industry, this is just a perfect first book on the subject. Easy to read with information that provides a great introduction on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: THE comprehensive book on wine education..
Review: I am a wine director for a large restaurant in Boston. I have used this book extensivly to assist me in wording "wine speak" so that the average waitstaff will understand. It is thorough, clear and at times humerous. I highly recommend this as an educational tool, and a personal addition to your wine library.
|
