Nov 06 2008
The Wine Avenger
IT STANDS TO REASON THAT IF OUR FOODS ARE NOW LIGHTER AND MORE DYNAMIC, OUR WINES SHOULD BE ALSO.
A longtime champion of the victimized wine consumer, Willie Gluckstern debunks the myths and misinformation surrounding the (allegedly) complex subject of wine. His straightforward advice includes:
- The wines that go BEST with food -- and why.
- A cure for label worship: "There are just as many lousy $60 bottles as $3.99 bottles."
- How to avoid getting ripped off in stores and restaurants.
- How to choose a great wineshop: "Do they know where Italy is?"
- Dreary housekeeping tips, such as storage, decanting, saving opened wine, and "that sulfite thing."
Plus, the straight poop on oak, "the MSG of wine," a few well-chosen words for greedy restaurants and retailers ("Those bastards!"), and an unprecedented expose of mass-market Champagne, including how to find the good stuff by cracking the secret label code.
Irreverent, informative, and controversial, The Wine Avenger is indispensable for beginners as well as enthusiasts.
Customer Review: Good reading.
Very good reading for beginners. This little book will teach you a lot in less than 200 pages. Its strength relays on the tips for picking wine and how to match it with food. The author is very enthusiastic about whites, yes, especially for German whites, but since they are not the most popular or well known, the information turns out to be valuable. If you don't feel confident about what you know, keep this book close and open it any time you have to make a decision. It has a helpful index.
One mistake, though, in page 168. Ceviche is not Mexican, but Peruvian in origin, though it's true that a Proseco, like any other sparkler is good match for it. Most Peruvians eat their ceviche, and their amazing seafood, with beer, when the perfect company is near by: the Blanc de Blancs from Tacama (from Ica, in the southern coast of Peru).
The Wine Avenger is a very accessible book and will be enjoyed by beginners and people who want to avoid a sophisticated vocabulary (i.e. most of us).
Customer Review: Best and most easy to understand book and very witty!
This little book is a gem and a real bargain. In a small space it manages to cover the whole gamut of the wine world including European wines. It also cuts through the jargan and delivers what you really need to know in a straightforward and very witty manner.
I own a number of books on wine and if I had to choose between this book and keeping all of the other ones, I would keep this ONE book! It's really that good. It has saved me money in terms of buying good inexpesive wines, increased my enjoyment of wine with food by learning how to pair food and wine correctly. It also gave me the knowledge I needed to discuss wine intelligently with anyone.
This author is NOT out to be politically correct or to make friends in the wine industry. I think the same is true of the restuarant industry because he is very blunt in his criticisms, particularly of over-priced restaurant wine. His use of words along these lines accounts for much of the humor in his writing.
If you know of anyone who has wine as a hobby they will enjoy reading this. If you are intimidated by the world of wine, you wouldn't be after you finish this book. It will also save you money and open up new worlds in terms of differnt types of wine from all over the world.
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