Customer Review: Inspirational

We marvel at what God does with nobodies. He can take a man like Robert Thom, a drunken sailor, and mould a mighty vessel for His glory.

Like most others I know who read this book, I read its 233 pages very briskly. It is a captivating story, you may have to force yourself to put the book down! However, I believe you will be encouraged to believe for more in your walk with Christ.

Customer Review: New Wine is Truely Better!

This book is truely a blessing to anyone who reads it. I first read it years ago. I picked it up again the other day and started to read it again. It stills hold my attention and ministers to me. It is down-to-earth and real. One can really relate to the life of Robert Thom and his sins. But as God saved Robert, He can save anyone from sin. Get multiple copies of this book because you will want to share it. May God richly bless each of you. To God Be The Glory Forever and Forever!

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Indulge your love of wine, and travel to some of the most beautiful places on earth, with The Portable Wine Tour -- your complete guide to the world's major vineyards and foremost wine-producing regions. Comprising 264 cards to help you plan your trip, The Portable Wine Tour provides you with a fund of knowledge before you set off, ensuring many successful journeys.

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A humorous look at the methods for appreciating wine. John B. Perry has analyzed the process for tasting wine, put it in a blender and hit pulse a few times. You will laugh and learn the basics for tasting wine. You may not be a smart person now, but if you read this book you will seem smart to all those dummies that do not take the time to read The Little Wine Tasting Guide for Smart People.

Customer Review: Very entertaining

The Little Wine Tasting Guide for Smart People is a funny book. The author tells you how it is and adds humorous stories to make the process of tasting wine seem less stuffy. I give this book five stars. I wonder if there is a hard copy of it somewhere?

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The first in-depth guide to sparkling wines of the world from Champagne to California, Italy to Australia and beyond. In time for the Millennium when Champagne is expected to dominate all celebrations and may even be in short supply!

A fascinating first section describes the history of sparkling wine and proves beyond any doubt that it was the English rather than the French who first produced a fizzy wine. The main body of the encyclopedia is devoted to profiles of the world's sparkling wine producers accompanied by tasting notes, recommendations for drinking and good value for your money. Another section lists the author's personal selection of sparkling wines to drink for the Millennium. 280 x 216 mm. Beautifully illustrated and designed with over 600 full color photographs and illustrations, this is the ultimate book for those who love the good things in life and who want to discover the best to welcome in the year 2000. 280 x 216 mm, maps.

Customer Review: Tom Stevenson's World of champagne, a more apt title

As a wine connoisseur, I am stunned to see an unexplainable omission in this book: there is NO mention of Romania, even though it was the fourth country in the world to produce sparkling wines (btw, that's what champagne is, a sparkling wine named after the region...) after France, Russia (Ucraine) and Germany. In 1862 the first commercial sparkling wine business is established in Timisoara, with many more to follow, including Bucharest in 1913. How is this possible and how can it be overlooked, since there were exports of "bubbly" to England (the author's country) from Romania going back to the 1920's... Besides, wine growing was always native to Romania since times immemorial - unlike many of the countries listed. Kenya makes the list (1992), and Israel (1980) and Malta (1995)...and England (1976)! The "experts" have outdone themselves this time. Perhaps they should hire fewer wine-tasters and more historians when they write a "World" Encyclopedia next time ... SO, when's this glaring omission going to be corrected, Mr. Stevenson ?
And one more thing - you surely must be joking when you put together in the same sentence wine, or wine-producing (any wine!), and England. It's no secret that the British were the customers of the French since day one, and when thet temporarily dried up, the English became Spanish customers (translation=Rioja, that which almost passes for the Bordeaux (your beloved claret) you couldn't secure any longer). So, if I had a choice of sparkling from,say ...England, and Zimbawe, I'll choose Zimbawe - they have more experience in making "bubbly". They started exporting in 1975 (was that a good year for a Zimbawe vintage, Tom ?), so they preceded England by one year.
Nice book, fine graphics .. and an inexcusable mistake.

Customer Review: Incomplete reference!

GRAPE GRIPE: The book presents products from Malta (with a nine year tradition in champagnes), but does not mention any of the Romanian ones (with a 157 years tradition).

TRIVIA: Romanians had the first wine prohibition when the king had the vineyards burnt down to sober his army up as the Romans were approaching (first century A.D.). They have a local grape variety that has been cultivated continuously for the last two millenia. Romania wass the fourth country to produce champagne (chronologically) and is currently ranked ninth by the vineyards area.

CONCLUSION: While this book is an excellent lecture, calling it an encyclopedia is a bit misleading. I wonder what other information is missing...

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Each book in this bestselling series, edited by Hugh Johnson, the world's foremost wine writer, offers a comprehensive and inspirational guide to traveling in one of the world's top wine regions. Evocative descriptions of wine routes are accompanied by detailed maps showing the route and surrounding vineyards. Each title also includes the author's recommendations for hotels, restaurants, and producers.

Customer Review: Two Weeks with Touring in Wine Country Provence in my Pocket

We used this handy guide for two weeks as we toured Provence, tasting our way through 20+ wineries from Les Baux to Cotes du Luberon. This book provided a terrific education on the wines of the area, some great restraunt tips and most importantly ...how to find the vineyards! We used the companion Touring Rhone Wine Country as well. This is a well written and visually appealing book....certainly makes you want to stop at every opportunity. We found that we agreed with the writers recommendations almost without exception. The only area of needed improvement is in the directions to the vineyards and the detail of the maps. We sometimes had difficulty finding the recommended wineries. If one speaks French, the given addresses might be enough....but for those of us who don't...more detailed directions please. Also add winery websites...they are becoming more common.

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This attractive volume covers all elements of wine and design, with a host of striking photographs, and informative text. With chapters on drinking, enjoying, growing, producing, storing, tasting, promoting, and presenting wine, you'll learn the most advanced and innovative ways design can enhance everything wine-related. After all, it's only fitting that one of the most civilized of pleasures be appreciated to the full.

Customer Review: Not nearly as exciting as the cover!

This is a small book, only slightly larger than a pocket book. While the book is full of pictures, the text is disappointing. All text is written in five different languages. In trying to meet the needs of so many, the book has fallen short in delving in the subject with any depth what so ever.

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The Essential Guide to South African Wines is a new book that addresses two important aspects of our wine industry: that of terroir, and of wine-tourism.
For the first time in South Africa , a team of highly qualified subject experts have collaborated to write a publication simultaneously addressing the most influential factors facing the wine industry one decade into democracy - Terroir and Travel .
The current demarcation system often has little or no reference to the wines produced in these areas; neither does it indicate accurate geographical location. Thus, wine producing areas are presented in smaller demarcated areas, referred to as " Pockets ". The Pockets group together wineries based on their terroir (from available terroir information) with names indicating geographical similarity (for example Stellenbosch Kloof, Voor-Paardeberg and Elgin ).
The Essential Guide presents the reader with a selection of the premium South African wine producers and explains why wines from one Pocket taste different from those of another Pocket. The Guide takes the reader to the winery, armed with everything he/she needs to know - soil and locational descriptions, viticultural techniques, winemaking methods, flagship wines, maps and GPS waypoints - to heighten the wine experience.
The partnership of local subject experts and internationally acclaimed wine writers and judges brings the latest research information to the reader. The easy-to-understand format, including explanatory text boxes for technical terms, demystifies the intricate world of fine wines and makes wine appreciation accessible to every wine enthusiast.
The Essential Guide does not rate wines (as there are so many that already do), rather it presents wine styles . Using the concept of terroir as the ultimate expression of authenticity, premium quality wines are explained in non-technical terms. As the wine areas are divided into Pockets, it enables the traveller to explore a unique Pocket in a one-day drive. Also, tourists require something more than an advertisers' listing when they visit the winelands - they need local knowledge . The Essential Guide provides this knowledge and takes visitors on manageable day-drives, including references to other local interests, stay-overs and restaurants.

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Customer Review: Beautiful book but lacks some information for those touring

I thought this book was a beautiful book, but lack some information that is useful for those wanting to tour. The book is in order by geograhic location which is very useful and there is good information about the wineries, such as what they produce and a bit of history about the vineyards. But, I found it is not a great touring book. There is no mention of directions to the wineries, there are maps, but having done much wine touring in the Northwest directions are needed. There was also no hours of operation listed for any wineries, this would also be another useful piece of information for planning your tour. It would have also been nice to have some information about the area regarding hotel accomodations and food. My conclusion is if you are a Northwest wine lover, which we are, it is a great coffee table book.

Customer Review: An amazingly thorough look at an emerging wine region

This book offers all levels of wine lovers great information. While the geographically-organized chapters are heavy on trechnical topics, the author really tries to explain the reasons each area makes wine and what influences its taste, without talking down to the reader. It also makes a super resource for someone who seeks a touring guide. Every producer in each region is profiled, too, with comprehensive contact information, making planning a wine tour easy. The photos of both winemakers and vineyards are also wonderful. For anyone who loves NW wines or wants to understand them better, this book can't be beat.

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