The first book to chronicle the rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., the world's most influential and controversial wine critic, who, over the last twenty-five years, has dominated the international wine world and embodied the triumph of American taste.

A few friends, a good meal, a glass of wine, what could be a more simple pleasure? Why then does the subject of wine -and particularly writing about wine- often seem so darn complicated, so needlessly technical or frustratingly pretentious? In this book I wanted to tell a different story about wine, share my experience of two years spent among French winemakers and vineyards; two years in which I discovered that the story of wine from vine to glass is as much the story of the people who make it, their history and traditions, their intimacy with the land, as it is a tale of yeast, grape, and barrel. Happily, it is also, in the small family vineyards where much French wine is made, a very warm, very human story.

From the time of Attila the Hun to the Germans of World War II, waves of invaders have tried to conquer the verdant region of Champagne in northern France. Yet this strife-torn land is also the birthplace of the world's favorite wine: champagne.

From Chile to California, South Africa to Alsace, Ralph Steadman has seen the best of the world's wine-producing regions. On a search for the unique and original, he meets Aurelio Montes, the Chilean winemaker who planted syrah vines on a rocky, south-facing hill in order to "steal the wild complexity of the mountain's soul."

Over long, hard decades, American winemakers have won the respect of connoisseurs everywhere. Many of the world's most cherished, and expensive, wines come fro the United States.. But today, the unique and eccentric wine industry faces agrim set of challenges that could transform it forever: oversupply in the face of flat consumption, devastating vineyard diseases, an antiquated distribution system, fierce competition from abroad, attacks from anti-alcohol forces, and an inability to capitalize on wine's proven health benefits.

Next time you party, try a dip. Or two. Or three. Rick Rodgers, renowned cooking teacher and cookbook author shares 95 of his favorite dip recipes in his new book, Dip It!

This is Michel's very personal view of pairing food and wine, experience honed over the last 25 years by an appreciation of the classic combinations and experimenting with new and different ones. The right combinations, he explains, will make both taste better.

In her New York Times bestseller Everyday Italian , Giada De Laurentiis introduced us to the simple, fresh flavors of her native Italian cuisine. Now, America's favorite Italian cook is back with a new batch of simple, delicious recipes geared toward family meals—Italian style.

More than two decades have passed since The World Atlas of Wine made its first appearance. During that time the book that the French supreme wine authority, the Institute National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), called "a major landmark in the literature of wine" has been hailed by critics all over the world as "extraordinary" and "irreplaceable." Translated into a dozen languages, it has been bought by more than two million people, and commands an unrivaled position as the definitive work for wine lovers, connoisseurs, and professionals alike.

In 1965, after a notorious family feud, Robert Mondavi-then fifty-two years old-was thrown out of his family's winery. Far from defeated, Mondavi was dedicated to a vision of creating a superior wine. What has happened since that fateful day is one of the greatest success stories of American...