It has been a while since I shared some of my favorite wine books with you.
Here are five, listed in no particular order, that I recommend to friends who want to learn more about wine or simply are looking for a good read…
Okay, I lied… just a little. This one is listed first because it’s my all-time favorite wine book. It’s meticulously researched, masterfully written, extremely approachable and now completely updated. It’s a book you’ll turn to time after time for helpful advice when planning a trip to a wine region or figuring out what to eat with a particular type of wine. I’m glad author Karen MacNeil came out with a second edition, because the first was getting pretty frayed as one of my go-to reference books.
THE WORLD ATLAS OF WINE (8th Edition)
This book will be released on Oct. 1, and I’ve already pre-ordered it on Amazon to supplement the 6th Edition in my wine library. Authors Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson bring a wealth of knowledge to the table, and among the 22 new maps are ones covering the wine regions of Chile, as well as British Columbia in Canada and the St. Helena area of Napa Valley. Lots of new pictures also are promised — virtually guaranteed to motivate you to start planning your next wine country trip.
ADVENTURES ON THE WINE ROUTE (25th Anniversary Edition)
I can’t believe it’s been a quarter-century since I read the original tome by wine merchant Kermit Lynch, who taught me pretty much everything I know about French wine — and to love the rosé wines of Provence. Beware: Lynch is opinionated, and you may not agree with everything he has to say. But it’s guaranteed that he’ll say (write) it in a way that informs and entertains.
Sub-titled, “A Genuinely Helpful Guide to Everything You Need to Know,” this was a book I was prepared to hate because I generally despise following rules when it comes to wine. So I was pleasantly surprised that author Jon Bonne actually agrees with me, and has written a book that basically explodes many of the myths associated with wine enjoyment. An example of Bonne’s advice: Don’t save a great bottle for anything more than a rainy day. Read it straight through, or select the topics that most interest you and read about them first.
Company is coming over, so you’re planning to open a few bottles of wine, prepare a plate of sliced cheese and crackers, and perhaps open a can of mixed nuts. But what kind of wine… and which types of cheese? There can be some truly awful combinations, so Adam Centamore’s book can be a really helpful reference — especially if one of the guests is the boss!
