From historic wineries in California's Sonoma and Napa Counties to back roads, lodging in small retreats, and dining in recommended establishments, Hidden Wine Country seeks to uncover less-traveled roads in the Wine Country - and does it successfully. Hidden Wine Country is quite an achievement for an area over-saturated with publicity: the authors specialize in finding the unusual, quality experience. Hidden Wine Country is a highly recommended "take-along" guide.

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A veritable digest of enology, Knowing and Making Wine deals with all aspects—both practical and theoretical—of wine-science. Emile Peynaud, noted research enologist and teacher, brings us the knowledge from his long career and his considerable contributions to current practices in enology.

This complete survey of wine-making techniques and wine appreciation examines the latest scientific developments and shows how the results of this research can be applied in everyday practice. It uses simple terms without complicated chemical formulas and includes practical exercises supported by related theories.

Conceived as a handbook not only for the student but also for the practicing enologist confronted with day-to-day problems, Knowing and Making Wine gives each an opportunity to solve particular cases which arise, and guides the practitioner where there may be several possible solutions

Customer Review: Making the most commercially viable wine products possible

The individual who will typically buy or consider acquiring this
book, is the wine appreciator, who knows its healthy properties and
effects (French Paradox - eat more, live longer and better), coupled
with the cultural aspects.

The Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian and cultures that resulted from
the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago, obviously are born and raised with
a peculiar appreciation and knowledge of wine, not just those raised
on a farm.

Specifically about this work, it's clearly intended for those who
are fine-tuning the almost scientific aspects of industrial quantity
production of wine, as compared to the traditional, rural, small or
medium-wine maker operations.

There's a lot of talk of specific equipment, procedures, fine-tuning
recipes and strategies to get the most commercially viable wine possible.

For those who have their own basic wine making tools, for their own
households or friends and family, small operations, this book will not
bring them any benefit, even less considering the incredible price tag
on this work.

I would suggest COX's book FROM VINES TO WINES, or Stanley Anderson's
WINEMAKING, instead.

Customer Review: A work of true genius!

This book differed from any other winemaking reference I have encountered. While the text is aging and some of the information is therefore of questionable accuracy (eg: "open top fermenters are losing favor for red wine vinification"), I found these lapses to be mostly in the category of trends in practice and therefore obvious. These minor shortcomings are overwhelmed by the unique viewpoints of a man known rightfully as one of the wine worlds giants. There are brilliant insights into vinification and wine structure in this book that I have encountered nowhere else. Not in other texts, symposia, trade journals or conversations with great winemakers. If you are a professional or serious amateur winemaker, buy this book and read it. Then read it again. Thank you Monsieur Peynaud for this gift.

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Food & Wine Magazine has pored over past years' cookbooks, looking for the very best--the best chefs, the best sellers, the best techniques, the best ideas. The result is a one-of-a-kind sampler of 35 outstanding publications, with contributions from such culinary phenomenons as The Too Hot Tamales, Emeril Lagasse, Marcella Hazan and Martha Stewart. With introductory pages, cooking tips, and a helpful recipe index, Best of the Best offers a tasty tour of today's top cookbooks. This is a fantastic cookbook with something for everyone--pastas, meats, chicken, salads, desserts and more!

Customer Review: Nice to have a book that gives credit to other like books.

It is nice to have a book that gives so much information. It saves the cook alot of time going through other cookbooks..A book for any good cook to have on there shelf.

Customer Review: Separates the Wheat from the Chaff

The editors have done a superb job separating the wheat from the chaff in this comprehensive cookbook. It has something for everybody, and it picks literally the best recipes from each new cookbook. Based on some of the recipes I've tried here, I've purchased (for myself or as a gift, since the holidays are upon us!) two of the reviewed original books in their entirety. Food & Wine has done an excellent job of saving us both time (in finding) and effort (in trying) new and innovative recipes.

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Some of the world's best architects are reshaping the winery as a bold expression of innovation and tradition, agriculture and technology, production and hospitality. This survey of significant recent work shows how winery buildings serve prodcuers and consumers and give enlightened wine makers an edge in a fiercely competitive market. Featured architects include Santiago Calatrava, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Steven Holl, Rafael Moneo, Glenn Murcutt, Renzo Piano, and Richard Rogers. Projects are in California and Canada; Spain, Italy and Austria; Chile and Argentina; Australia and New Zealand. Adventurous Wine Architecture will enlighten and inspire the most dedicated oenophile and the casual wine lover, and will transport you to some of the most idyllic places on earth.

Customer Review: Winw itsef is an adventure

The worldwide selection of good wines to-day is so varied and good-tasting that choosing among wines you never met before is like an adventure. Unfortunately many a wineyard owner is courageus enough to make wine which is of a different elk but everything else connected to these new wines is still wearing yesterday's suits and skirts. Why is that? Whatever the answer to that question is, the plain fact is that only a few chais or bodegas taste like the wine made inside. Books like this are good in making people understand what relation there is between the wine and the way its home looks.

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The grape has been grown and fermented into wine in the foothills of Amador County since the first days of the Gold Rush. While many dreamed of overnight riches in the gold fields, others saw wealth in the region?s red soils and Mediterranean climate, patiently planting gardens and orchards, wheat, and vine. These vines, some of the oldest zinfandel in California, have produced distinctive wines in a viticultural tradition that has survived the ravages of mining, disease, and Prohibition. After Prohibition, the region slipped into quiet jug production until its rediscovery in the 1960s. While the Shenandoah Valley is undeniably the heart of Amador?s winemaking region today, vineyards flourished historically from Sutter Creek to Fiddletown, from Jackson to Ione, and tasting rooms are open countywide.

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Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

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Profiling hundreds of wines from every region, major vineyard, and appellation of France, French Wines is equally useful to the cultured connoisseur as well as the beginner who doesn't know Pouilly Fume from Pouilly Fuisse. Combining beautiful color photographs with an informative text by eminent wine export and author Robert Joseph, this guide offers an abundance of detailed information on each wine. Special features include a glossary of wine terminology; an extensive introductory section with information on viticulture, buying, tasting, storing, serving, and matching foods with wines. A tour itinerary and food specialty for each wine-producing region makes this a perfect accessory on a trip to France or to preparing a meal that makes you feel like you're there.

Customer Review: New to wine? Trust me and buy this.

France is so influential in the world of wine that Californian wineries still use the French region-specific bottle shapes to bottle specific grape varieties (Bordeaux shape for Merlot, Burgundy for Pinot Noir, Alsace for Riesling). If you're new to wine, start with France. This book contains history of French wine, regions of France and their corresponding grape varieties, information on appellation controlee, how to read a wine label, the grape growing process, the wine-making process for reds, whites and rose and even good food pairings to go with your chosen wine. Have no idea what vintage wine really means? This book will explain it to you, as well as provide you with a chart to show you when vintages of certain vineyards will be in their prime drinking state. Wnat to know how to truly taste and smell wine? This book will help you out. It's very visual and provides you with plenty of photos and pictures to help you delve deeper into the world of wine. Start here and you'll be on your way to being an expert.

Customer Review: French Wines

This is an excellent overall view of French wines, the varieties, and locations of the vineyards. It is good for the beginner and experienced wine lover.

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Wine is becoming increasingly popular in the Anglophone world and there are many books available which describe how and where it is made. However, none address the fundamental questions of different structures of production and how the consumer relates to the product this book is the first to do just that.

Wine and Society: the cultural and social context of wine production and consumption looks at the relationship between wine production and marketing, focussing in consumer behaviour and cultural attitudes. Divided into four parts, it examines the context of wine production, the wine consumer and the social context of wine, discussing the following themes:

* That the core of wine production and consumption is shaped by historical, geographical and cultural factors.
* Wine production European and new world looking at the different kinds of producer and how the varying background of each shapes their perspective on what they produce
* Terroir and appellations: why demarcation and sense of place became important, how they are used to achieve marketing differentiation, and the 'benefits (or otherwise) to the customer.
* The contemporary wine consumer and lifestyle factors looking at wine clubs, tourism, education, culture and literature
* The politics and economics of wine from supporting rural industries in France to protecting customers from deception and health risks.

Suitable for third year and post-graduate students of hospitality, wine (both in production and marketing), wine tourism, gastronomy and related courses, it encourages students to think critically about the issues raised by using real life case studies and examples from around the world, also including press releases and marketing campaigns.

* Examines the relationship of wine to the cultures which produce and consume it, the meaning of wine consumption and its impact on society and lifestyles.
* Looks behind the marketing of wine, and reveals what hidden messages are contained in wine advertising.
* Uses a wide framework, exploring how these issues have been shaped by the past, and how they exist in different ways around the world, encouraging analysis and reflection.

Customer Review: I expected more of an emphasis on sociology and less on marketing

This book serves as a justification for the marketing techneques used in the wine trade. I was disappointed because I expected something more academic. It was well written and I appreciated the historical parts in particular. I would recommend it as a primer for those in wine marketing and for those studying for the MW exams

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The definitive text of tasting and evaluating wine by the recognized world authority. Physiology of the senses, the role of memory, analysis and training, pitfalls, illusions, tricks and techniques. How to determine and define quality and value in wine. Practical guidance on statistical interpretations, tasting tools and wine vocabulary. Essential for all wine professionals and serious wine lovers. 6 1/2 x 10 inches, graphs, charts and illustrations.

Customer Review: A scholar's work in understandable ways

Prof. Emile Peynaud has revolutionized winemaking practices, initially at Bordeaux and France and, from such fulcral places, in the whole world. Procedures now taken for granted, like production lowering, using only good grapes, cleanliness and extensive use of inox steel, are linked to his heritage. A lifelong teacher of Enology, Peynaud examines, in this book, the scientific foundations of tasting, in a way easily understandable, even for the novice. His writing style is tipically french and quite agreeable. A must for winelovers.

Customer Review: One of the Greats!

For those who really want to get into wine on a deeper level, Emile Peynaud is truly one of the great writers and teachers of wine. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to really "get it"!

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Customer Review: Three good reasons not to buy this book

No question about it, Robert Parker has set the wine world on its ear. With his 100-point scoring system, and his taste for dark, tannic, amply oaked California cabernet, Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian red wine, Mr. Parker has set the standard everyone now attempts to follow in wine making, marketing and buying. And that, dear friends, is the first reason why this failed attempt to write a "comprehensive guide" to Burgundy ought to be crossed off your shopping list. Parker's penchant for big, strapping wines is diametrically opposed to what Burgundy is all about, and quite frankly, based on what this book has to say, he plainly does not understand the wines, or at least did not when he wrote the book in the late 1980s. For example, because they are not the dark, tannic, and often low acid cabernet, syrah and nebbiolo based wines to which his palate is attuned, Mr. Parker assumes red burgundies, no matter what their source or appellation, are for relatively short term keeping. Anyone who has cellared and enjoyed even a modest 1er cru Beaune or Savigny from a good producer and good vintage at ten or fifteen years of age knows Parker has missed the mark and missed his calling. Parker himself seemingly has acknowledged that as far as Burgundy goes, he is out of his depth, having essentially abandoned the region over the past few years. That, along with reports that he has said some rude and improvident things about a number of reputable producers and has made far too many enemies in Burgundy, appears to explain why he has handed responsibility for reporting on the region in his "Wine Advocate" to a second chair. And after all, no one should be expected to be an expert about everything. Which brings us to the second reason not to buy this book. It is hopelessly outdated, in large part because Mr. Parker has spent the past decade turning his attention elsewhere. The book therefore fails to address the revolution in the Burgundian vineyards and cellars that has occurred since its 1990 publication date. Many properties have changed hands, many wines that used to be sold to large negociants and anonymously blended are now domaine bottled, many new and important smaller negociants have arrived on the scene. The quality and style of many wines have changed dramatically. You won't know about any of it if you look to this book as a reference in 2001. Which now brings us to our third reason to buy a different book if you want to read about Burgundy. There are a number of excellent newer volumes that will give you more information and more insight into what makes Burgundy a joy -- and which will get you closer to being up to date about what is going on in the region. Clive Coates' "Cote d'Or" is an excellent work. So is Remington Norman's "Great Domaines of Burgundy," second edition. So is Anthony Hanson's most recent edition of "Burgundy," although I think his book tends to be a bit quirky and he has some strongly held opinions that may not necessarily be in the mainstream, so I probably would not make Hanson's book my only source of Burgundy information -- it's a nice second or third text to thumb through and compare with others. And then there is Matt Kramer's "Making Sense of Burgundy," also an older book and not necessarily a good primary sourcebook, but fun to read and more in tune with what the region is about. This is not intended to bash Parker. He has his place for those who seek out the sort of wines to which his palate is attuned and to which he directs his time and attention. But for Burgundy, he simply is not a very good source, and his decade-old "Burgundy" is not a very useful book.

Customer Review: In Defense of Parker

I have several excellent books on Burgundy, but this is the one that I refer to most frequently. Parker is the most influential wine critic in the world and as such has become the worlds most criticized wine critic, especially as to his 100 - point rating scale. For example, both Clive Coates in his book Cote d'Or and Anthony Hanson in his book Burgundy, both of which I highly recommend, are very critical of Parker's 100 point rating system. Some feel that wine is like music or art and should not be rated numerically at all (i.e., can one put a numerical rating on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and compare it to a numerical rating on Pachelbel's Canon in D?). Others argue that young Burgundies cannot be accurately rated until they are given some time to evolve and stabilize. There is, however, a fatal flaw in this logic. The producers, distributors and retailers rate the wines numerically upon release using a scale of $25 to in excess of $500 per bottle, and if a consumer wants to be assured of securing rare wines in good condition, such wines must be purchased upon release. In other words, the wines are numerically rated early in there lives, the only question is whether the consumer relies solely on dollar ratings established by the wine merchants, or whether the consumer seeks guidance from an independent expert before making a purchase of what are some of the worlds most expensive wines. As useful as qualitative critiques may be, they are difficult to interpret without a corresponding quantitative rating. The format of the book is typical of books of this type, containing an analysis of the various appellations, the producers and finally specific wines. The write-ups on the appellations are thorough. Additionally, for each appellation Parker gives travel tips (hotel and restaurant recommendations, etc.) that would be useful if the book were more recent. The analysis of the individual producers is the most valuable part of this book, and is the most comprehensive of any book on Burgundy that I have found; the book covers virtually every producer of wines that a consumer is likely to encounter. The section of tasting notes is not very useful since the book is 10 years old, and a consumer is unlikely to be able to find most if not all of the wines critiqued. The age of this book is its greatest negative. The quality and methods of producers change over time; this book is badly in need of updating.. Notwithstanding this flaw, the thorough analysis of the individual producers makes this book indispensable to any serious purchaser of Burgundy wines.

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