"Essential" Wine Books
What books do you consider "must-haves" for your wine library? We asked our Editors and here are the books they would most hate to part with.
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Arvid, Redefining the Modern Still Lifeby Thomas ArvidDennis Kirk/International Graphics, 2004 |
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From Alan Goldfarb This coffee table beauty shows the astonishing paintings of Thomas Arvid, the most talented painter of wine objets d'art in the country. You'll think his works are photographs, but they are not. That's how alive they become on the page. (Out of print.) | ||
 | Burgundyby Anthony HansonFaber & Faber, 1995 |
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From Dan Berger: Classic work on the crazy quilt that is Burgundy, by a respected Master of Wine. | ||
 | California Wine for Dummiesby Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-MulliganJohn Wiley & Sons, 2009 |
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From Michael Lasky: This friendly guide gives you the knowledge you need to appreciate these fine wines, showing you how to taste them, select a good bottle, pair wine with food, and much more. You'll see why certain wine regions are renowned and how to further enrich your wine-drinking experience. California wine 101 — understand the range of California wines, what makes them unique, and what a varietal wine is. Review the regions &mdash explore the major wine regions of California and what makes each one special, from the soil to the climate. |
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The Essentials of Wine with Food Pairing Techniquesby John LaloganesPrentice Hall, 2009 |
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From Michael Lasky: Designed for a variety of audiences, this book combines a framework for understanding wine and making intelligent food pairing decisions. By emphasizing the basics of wine and the basics of food pairing techniques, it offers content that is relevant to novice and intermediate students and restaurateurs. Thoroughly class-tested, it includes classic pairing combinations and principles that can be used with "World Cuisine". Colorful maps, practice quizzes and pronunciation guides help demystify the subject and guide readers through the maze of wine information. Recommended for restaurateurs, wine enthusiasts, and other professionals in the food service industry. |
 | A Life Uncorkedby Hugh JohnsonUniversity of California Press, 2006 |
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From Dan Berger: Pure Johnsoniana, with insight and a deft touch. Wine prose at its finest! | ||
 | Napa: The Story of an American Edenby James ConawayMariner Books, 2002 |
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From Alan Goldfarb Originally published in 1990, this is the definitive story of how the Napa Valley came to be, and how it progressed to where it is today; complete with the juiciest "dish" with which one would want to be informed, as well as titillated. | ||
 | Notes on a California Cellarbook: Reflections on Memorable Winesby Bob ThompsonBeech Tree Books, 1988 |
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From Dan Berger: Absolutely the finest analytical look at the wines of California and how they relfect the character of their soils. | ||
 | Oz Clarke's New Wine Atlasby Oz ClarkeHarcourt, 2002 |
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From Alan Goldfarb Clarke, one of the world's most wonderful wine characters, may sometimes attempt to speak above us; here he succeeds in being as comprehensive as can be, and as desired, by the wine lover who loves to travel the world's wine roads. The book is chock-a-block with topographical renderings of wine regions, as well as panoramic maps, which brings to book form maps one can similarly find now on the Internet. | ||
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The Oxford Companion to Wineby Jancis RobinsonOxford University Press, 2006 (Third Edition) |
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From Alan Goldfarb This is a no-brainer and a can't-do-without for anyone interested in wine. As a wine journalist, it's one of my bibles and far more comprehensive than what Google can provide in an instant. Robinson is one of the world's best wine writers and she approaches her craft as if writing for everyone, while not speaking down to anyone. | ||
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The Oxford Encyclopedia of WineJancis Robinson, ed.Oxford University Press, 1999 (2nd edition) |
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From Dan Berger: The world of wine explained in 1,100 pages! | ||
 | The Science of Wineby Jamie GoodeUniversity of California Press, 2006 |
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From Dan Berger: The best look at how grapes are grown and wine is made into the sublime product, or the swill, that ends up in a glass in front of us. | ||
 | The University of California/Sotheby Book of California WineDoris Muscatine, Maynard A. Amerine, and Bob Thompson, eds.Sotheby's Publications, 1984 |
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From Alan Goldfarb This compendium might be out of print, but a search I'm sure will turn up a copy, and it will be well worth the effort. First printed in 1984, to this day there is no better collection of information regarding California wine at a time when it was going through its modern Renaissance. Doris Muscatine, Maynard Amerine, and Bob Thompson are a trio of the most astute wine researchers, educators, and writers ever put together. | ||
 | Williams-Sonoma Wine & Food: A New Look at Flavorby Joshua WessonFree Press, 2008 |
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From Michael Lasky: Organized around flavor groups instead of grape varietals, and lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs, this book shows just how easy it can be to incorporate wine into everyday meals. Joshua Wesson, a leading wine and food pairing expert and the co-founder of Best Cellars, tackles the basics of wine —; from regions, to grape varietals, to evaluating a wine using all your senses. He also offers a primer on wine and food pairing, which deconstructs both into their respective building blocks — aromas, tastes, and textures. Through clear text and colorful, evocative images, you'll learn the simple art of complementing and contrasting these sensual elements to form an array of pleasing matches. |
 | The Wine Bibleby Karen MacNeilWorkman Publishing Company, 2001 |
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From Michael Lasky: Though it drinks deep of its subject, Karen MacNeil's Wine Bible deftly avoids two traps many wine books fall into: talking down to wine novices or talking up to more experienced enophiles. The book avoids these traps through MacNeil's obvious, and infectious, love of her subject, which comes out in almost every sentence of the book, and which lets her talk about wine in a way that combines the good teacher, the trusted friend, and the expert sommelier. As director of the wine program at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California, MacNeil is one of the world's true experts on wine. This is the latest edition but a new one is in the works. |
 | Wine for Dummiesby Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-MulliganJohn Wiley & Sons, 2009. |
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From Michael Lasky: In Wine for Dummies, Mary Ewing-Mulligan teams up with hubby and fellow wine educator Ed McCarthy to guide us on an exhaustive, entertaining trip around the enological—that's right, enological—world. Though clearly experts themselves (Ewing-Mulligan is one of a handful of Americans holding the rare title Master of Wine), the authors assure us that even the most basic knowledge will undermine the very notion of wine pretension. McCarthy and Mulligan deflate many of the wine snob's attitudes; they assure us that most wine sold today is "good wine", and that any further distinctions made about wine are ultimately subjective. The practical, jovial mentoring the authors provide encourages readers to chart their own course toward drinking great wine (although the authors naturally recommend dozens of their own favorites along the way). In later chapters, McCarthy and Mulligan delve into more serious topics such as investing in and cellaring wine. Even these discussions seem appropriate, given that you'll probably find the allure of wine growing as its mystery subsides to the force of this superb introductory text. |
 | Wine Tasting, Second Edition: A Professional Handbookby Ronald S. JacksonAcademic Press, 2009 |
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From Michael Lasky: This book details the practical and theoretical aspects of critical wine tasting in the context of human sensory perception, from the techniques used by professionals to assess wine properties and quality, to the physiological, psychological and physiochemical origins of sensory perception. Numerous tables, charts and figures throughout this volume provide excellent illustrative material to support the detailed information presented in text. In conclusion, this comprehensive volume is highly recommended to any individuals involved in wine tasting, from professional tasters and those who train tasters and design tastings, to amateur wine connoisseurs who want unbiased information on how to maximize their perception and appreciation of wine. | ||
 | The Wines of Bordeauxby Edmund Penning-RowsellUniversity of California Press, 2004 |
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From Dan Berger: Probably more than anyone needs to know about Bordeaux, but a comprehensive look at how the famed district is structured. | ||
 | The Winemasters of Bordeauxby Nicholas FaithCarlton Books Ltd, 2005 |
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From Dan Berger: A classic look at how Bordeaux became the world's first great wine regions, how it evolved, and how it was rocked by scandal. Originally published in 1978. | ||
 | The World Atlas of Wineby Hugh Johnson and Jancis RobinsonMitchell Beazley, 2007 |
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From Dan Berger: The classic work on why the wines of the world taste so differently from one another — it's the terroir! An absolute must! | ||
