The Wine Bible is like a lively course from an expert teacher, grounded deeply in the fundamentals and enriched with passionate opinions, asides, tips, anecdotes, definitions, glossaries, illustrations, maps, charts, and wine labels-everything, in fact, but the actual wine itself. Beginning with the basics of mastering wine-how to taste with focus and build a wine-tasting memory, understanding the subtle interplay of variety, vineyard, and vintner to demystifying the issue of vintages-it covers the essentials: The emotion and intrigue of Burgundy. Rhone's untamed reds. The flinty pleasures of sauvignon blanc and surprising delicacy of Spain's Riojas. Bordeaux, the largest fine wine vineyard on the globe and epitome of terroir. Fourteen Sonoma wines to know. The importance of finish. Tuscany, kingom of variable microclimates. The precise and food-friendly wines of Germany. The narrow 30-mile stretch of ambition, experimentation, and surpassing quality called Napa. Why the "punt," or indentation in a wine bottle. Australia, where cutting-edge technology meets easy, outgoing, unpretentious character. Plus Austria, New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal, and more.
Eight years in the writing, Karen MacNeil's The Wine Bible takes any reader, at any level of interest and sophistication, and offers the one thing guaranteed to increase his or her pleasure in wine-knowledge. It's illustrated throughout with maps, photographs, charts, wine labes, and has hundreds of boxes featuring historical tidbits, fun wine facts, and wine destinations while traveling.
Think of this book as a lively course from an expert teacher, grounded deeply in the fundamentals and enriched with passionate asides, tips, anecdotes, definitions, glossaries, illustrations, maps, wine labels - everything, in fact, but the actual wine itself. By America's renowned wine teacher and authority.
matching wine with food - and mood. The secrets of professional wine tasters and how to expand your wine-tasting vocabulary. And everything else you need to know to buy, store, serve, and enjoy the world's most captivating beverage.
The shimmering elegance of Veuve Clicquot, affordable luxury in a glass, page 185.
Ravishing, elegant, and rich, Petrus in Ingrid Bergman in red satin, page 156.
Some wines are like people... they get better as they get older, pg. 64.
Sherry, the world's most misunderstood and underappreciated wine, page 437.
About the Author
Karen MacNeil is director of the wine program at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California. She consults worldwide on the subject of wine, and her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Sunset, Saveur, Fine Cooking, Wine Spectator, and other national newspapers and magazines. Ms. MacNeil lives in northern California.
