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Title: Jancis Robinson's Wine Course by Jancis Robinson ISBN: 0-7892-0256-5 Publisher: Abbeville Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Not The Best For Starters
Comment: If you are looking for a good book to start out with, to learn the basic ABC's of wine, then I would reccomend The Complete Idiot's Guide To Wine by Phillip Seldon. This one (Jancis Robinson's) however is good for people like myself who already know the basics (the distinguishing characteristics of grape varieties, the main regions, how to make reasonablly good food/wine pairings, etc.)
In other words, it's not the easiest book to follow.
Another note- she makes her disgust of Spanish wines known in the opening paragraph on page 222 when she says "If it (Spain) had Germany's love of efficiency, or France's respect for bureaucracy, Spain might be sending us oceans of judiciously priced wine made expressly for the international market. But Spain is an anarchic jumble of districts and regions...and heartbreakingly awful human constructions, and has to be treated as such by the wine enthusiast."
I found those comments to be misleading, as Spain to me is a model exporter of high quality wines. Just about any Rioja or Tempranillo wine imported and that goes for less than $...is of fine quality. That is my opinion of course. Another semi-complaint is that there was not enough material on Argentina (only 6 paragraphs) which I found to be a shame, since Argentina has very unique and delicious wines.
Overall this is good, as I said earlier, for those who already have a basic knowledge.
Rating: 5
Summary: An Esoteric Ramble through the World of Wine
Comment: There are many types of wine books on the market today. Some are the Dummy and KISS type - with little graphics and simple statements to start you from your first baby steps. Other are rich tomes with a wealth of information, like the Oxford Companion to Wine, which Jancis edits. These have just about every term and region you could hope to learn about.
This companion to Jancis' TV series is neither of the above, and it is much more. It is Jancis speaking to you, from her richly educated base of knowledge, to help you learn what makes wine so interesting. Think of Jancis as your incredibly experienced aunt, who has just come back from some exotic trip. She and you have sat down in the living room by a fire, are sipping some wine, and she is preparing to regale you with stories, and tidbits, and insights, and fascinating worlds you didn't even imagine.
That's what the book is like.
It starts with the basics - how to taste, how to serve, how to decant, wine and food. Even in these areas you get the sense that Jancis is chatting with you about something she loves. She admits to decanting full whites not because they need it, but because she loves the glowing color.
She goes into the gritty details of how wines are made, what a free-run-wine is, how sparkling and sweet wines are created. And then, she begins in on the regional reviews.
France, of course, is first. It always seems to come first. Beautiful pictures of the Chateau Latour tower and Loire valley gables. You move on through Italy, Spain, and yes, the US and Australia get a mention in here too. The reviews are all written from her heart - you see clearly what she likes and doesn't like, and you learn why.
A great way to learn more about wine - especially if you're also able to watch the TV Series!
Rating: 3
Summary: Good overview, but some bad advice
Comment: This is a very solid wine overview. However, some of the advice is bad. For example, early on the author states that wine purchasers shouldn't worry too much about a wine's vintage or geography. Actually, these two factors are extremely important and crucial to the appreciation of fine wines. Simply stated, Bordeaux wines and Tuscan wines are considerably better in certain. Geography (or terroir) is one of the reasons I will not buy a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, but I will buy a Barolo or Barbaresco.
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Title: How to Taste : A Guide to Enjoying Wine by Jancis Robinson ISBN: 0743216776 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 25 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson ISBN: 019866236X Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 1999 List Price(USD): $65.00 |
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Title: The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson ISBN: 1840003324 Publisher: Mitchell Beazley Pub. Date: 13 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
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Title: Vines, Grapes & Wines : The Wine Drinker's Guide to Grape Varieties by Jancis Robinson ISBN: 1857329996 Publisher: Mitchell Beazley Pub. Date: 29 October, 1992 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide 6th Edition : The Complete, Easy-to-Use Reference on Recent Vintages, Prices, and Ratings for More Than 8,000 Wines from All the Major Wine Regions by Robert M. Parker ISBN: 0743229320 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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