Peter Mayle Excerpt from French Lessons : Adventures With Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew The Inner Frenchman The early part of my life was spent in the gastronomic wilderness of postwar England, when delicacies of the table were in extremely short supply. I suppose I must have possessed taste buds in...

When Gourmet magazine debuted in the 1940s, America's wineries were still reeling from the lingering effects of Prohibition and the loss of wines from war-torn Europe. But for every closed door, there was an open bottle: The bleak postwar years were actually a prelude to today's unprecedented and widespread appreciation for the grape. New York Times bestselling author Ruth Reichl reread sixty-five years of wine articles in Gourmet to select the best for History in a Glass. The result is a rollicking tale of great meals, great walks, and wonderful drinks as Americans discover the pleasures of wine.

Unquestionably unique, demonstrably delightful, Michael Broadbent's Vintage Wine is the culmination...

Over the past twenty-five years, renowned critic Robert M. Parker, Jr., has visited both legendary and fledgling wineries all over the world and has tasted hundreds of thousands of wines. Only a fraction of those wines have earned his highest ratings and are considered by him to be truly legendary. In his latest book, Parker brings together what he calls "the best of the best," taking readers on a personal tour of the wineries that have impressed him most with their dedication to quality, consistency, and excellence.

Told for the first time by the only reporter present, this is the true story of the legendary Paris Tasting of 1976 -- a blind tasting where French judges shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France's best -- and its revolutionary impact on the world of wine.

Written by one of the world's top wine authorities along with a team of experts reporting from every wine region, Wine Report 2005 is the essential insider's guide to the world of wine. The book provides readers with the latest wine information, including hot tips on recent vintages and the best...

This new edition of Matt Kramer's classic guide to wine features a new preface and an all-new chapter that covers changes and advances in winemaking since first publication in 1989. The superbly written text explains everything an oenophile needs to know, including the creation and naming of wines...

California has become the hottest wine producing area in the world, and it happened in less than 25 years. Now the acclaimed Wine Spectator columnist and critic Matt Kramer traces the dramatic progress of the California winemaking industry--the who, how, why, what, and where. No one is better...

Finally, the most informative, fully illustrated, step-by-step guide to designing and building your own home wine cellar! This beautifully photographed and illustrated full-color book covers all of the details of locating and preparing the right construction area. It includes the latest designs, as...

From the bestselling authors of Wine For Dummies , a different way to choose and enjoy wine. Because the choices in a wine store or on a wine list can seem limitless or intimidating, wine drinkers often stick with what they know, such as Merlot, or go with the choice made by a wine critic or a...