Wine For Dummies
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Does a wine list make you want to whine? Having a hard time describing the difference between a Bordeaux and wine in a box? Don't be a dummy! Wine For Dummies ®, the award-winning, entertaining, unpretentious, and enormously popular guide to wine, has been completely updated by renowned authors and wine experts Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan. Wine For Dummies ®, Second Edition provides readers with a new and expanded version of what has been called the "wine lover's bible." Favored by both wine novices and connoisseurs for its accessible teaching style and fun approach to the complex world of wine, Wine For Dummies ® has become the recommended book on wine. Winner of the Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year Award in 1995, Wine For Dummies ® has been hailed by critics as "the grand cru of wine books" and "a delightfully formatted compendium of everything you need to know about wine."Why a new edition? "wine is a living, dynamic substance. New vintages and wines appear each year, and new wineries open up, while others close down," explain McCarthy and Ewing-Mulligan. Based on readers' responses to the first edition, Wine For Dummies ®, Second Edition now includes: A newly restructured and better organized text Highlights of new wineries, current wine prices, and new bargains The scoop on new vintages -- including an updated vintage chart Two brand-new appendixes: a pronunciation guide to major wine terms and a wine glossary Entire chapters devoted to regions of Italy and the USA Wine For Dummies ®, Second Edition is brimming with all the authoritative information on wine that the first edition had, including how to: Open and pour wine properly Taste wine Tell good wine from bad wine Read wine labels Speak the language of wine Navigate restaurant wine lists Select and buy wine With the holidays approaching, readers shouldn't miss Chapter 20, "Marrying Wine with Food," and Chapter 15, "Bubbling Beauties," on the mysteries and delights of champagne and other bubblies. Wine connoisseurs will be interested in Part Four, "When You've Caught the Bug," including sections on wine buying and collecting, recommended publications for further reading, and special wine sites on the Internet.In short, Wine For Dummies ®, Second Edition offers wine lovers at every level a completely up-to-date reference book, wine textbook, and user's manual, all in one volume. The book is the perfect gift for fans of the first edition, those who may want to buy a new edition as a gift, and anyone looking for a definitive source of information on wine.
ForewordxxiiiIntroduction1Welcome to Our Third Edition1How to Use This Book2Icons Used in This Book3Wine Is for Everyone4Part IGetting Started with Wine5Chapter 1Wine 1017How Wine Happens7What Color Is Your Appetite?9Other Ways of Categorizing Wine14Chapter 2These Taste Buds Are for You19The Special Technique for Tasting Wine19Parlez-Vous Winespeak?26The Quality Issue: What's a Good Wine?29What's a Bad Wine?32The Final Analysis: Do You Like It?33Chapter 3Pinot Envy and Other Secrets about Grape Varieties35It's the Grape Whodunit35Grape Royalty and Commoners40A Primer on White Grape Varieties41A Primer on Red Grape Varieties45Chapter 4Is It a Grape? Is It a Place?51What's in a Name51The Wine Name Game52Chapter 5Behind the Scenes of Winemaking61A Reality Check for Wine Jargon61Part IIClose Encounters of the Wine Kind67Chapter 6Navigating a Wine Shop69Buying Wine Can Intimidate Anyone69Wine Retailers, Large and Small70Choosing the Right Wine Merchant74Strategies for Wine Shopping76Chapter 7Navigating a Restaurant Wine List81The Restaurant Wine Experience81How Wine Is Sold in Restaurants82How to Scope Out a Wine List85How to Ask for Advice90How to Ace the Wine Presentation Ritual91Restaurant Wining Tips94Chapter 8Everything You Need to Know about Serving and Using Wine97Getting the Cork Out97A Special Case: Opening Champagne and Sparkling Wine104Does Wine Really Breathe?105Does the Glass Really Matter?108Serving Wine Not Too Warm, Not Too Cold112Storing Leftover Wine114Entertaining with Wine115Chapter 9Judging a Wine by Its Label119The Wine Label and What It Tells You119Part IIIAround the World of Wine129Chapter 10Doing France131The French Model131France's Wine Regions134Bordeaux: The Incomparable135Burgundy: The Other Great French Wine145The Hearty Rhones of the Valley161The Loire Valley: White Wine Heaven164Alsace Wines: French, Not German166The South and Southwest167Other French Wine Regions169Chapter 11Italy, the Heartland of Vino171The Vineyard of Europe171Reds Reign in Piedmont175Tuscany the Beautiful179A Cornucopia of Northeastern Wines184Snapshots from the Rest of Italy187Chapter 12Elsewhere in Europe189Intriguing Wines from Old Spain190Portugal: More Than Just Port196Germany: Europe's Individualist198Switzerland: Stay-at-Home Wines204Austria's Exciting Whites (and Reds)205The Re-emergence of Hungary206Greece's Ancient (and Modern) Treasures208Chapter 13The Brave New World of Wine211Australian Wine Power213The Rise of New Zealand217The Old and the New of Chile218Argentina, a Major Player220New Hope in South Africa222Chapter 14America, America225The New World of American Wine225California, USA227Napa Valley: As Tiny as It Is Famous230Down-to-Earth in Sonoma235Mendocino and Lake Counties238San Francisco Bay Area239Santa Cruz Mountains240Down in Old Monterey241Thar's Wine in Them There Foothills242San Luis Obispo: Mountain Meets Maritime243Santa Barbara, California Paradise244Elsewhere in California245Oregon, A Tale of Two Pinots246Wine on the Desert: Washington State249The Empire State252Oh, Canada254Chapter 15Bubbling Beauties257All That Glitters Is Not Champagne258Sparkling Wine Styles259How Sparkling Wine Happens261Champagne and Its Magic Wines264Other Sparkling Wines271Serving Champagne and Sparkling Wines275Chapter 16Wine Roads Less Traveled: Fortified and Dessert Wines279Timing Is Everything279Sherry: A Misunderstood Wine280Marsala, Vin Santo, and the Gang287Port: The Glory of Portugal287Madeira, M'dear292Sauternes and the Nobly Rotten Wines294Part IVWhen You've Caught the Buy299Chapter 17Insider's Guide to Wine Buying301Wines That Play Hard to Get301Playing Hardball302Chapter 18You Never Graduate from Wine School311Back to the Classroom311Armchair Travel317Chapter 19Describing and Rating Wine325Words Cannot Describe325When It's Your Turn to Speak327Rating Wine Quality330Chapter 20Marrying Wine with Food333Matchmaker, Matchmaker333Chapter 21To Have and To Hold--or To Sell339Which Kind of Wine Buyer Are You?339Strategies for Collectors Great and Small342Organization Is Next to Peace of Mind345A Healthy Environment for Your Wines346Investment Wines351Selling Your Wine353Part VThe Part of Tens355Chapter 22Answers to Ten Common Questions about Wine357What's a good wine?357When should I drink this wine?357Is wine fattening?358What grape variety is this wine made from?358Which vintage should I buy?359Are there any wines without sulfites?359Are there any organic wines?360What's new oak?360What is a wine expert?361How do I know when to drink the special older wines I've been keeping?361Do old wines require special handling?362Chapter 23Ten Wine Myths Demystified363Wine is for experts363Wine has to be expensive to be good363Imported wines are better364White wine with fish, red with meat364Numbers don't lie365Vintages always matter/vintages don't matter365Wine authorities are experts366Old wines are good wines366Great wines are supposed to taste bad when they're young366Champagnes don't age367Part VIAppendixes369Appendix APronunciation Guide to Wine Terms371Appendix BGlossary of Wine Terms375Appendix CVintage Wine Chart: 1982-2001383Index387
