| Introduction |
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1 | (6) |
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1 | (1) |
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Conventions Used in This Book |
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2 | (1) |
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3 | (1) |
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3 | (1) |
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How This Book Is Organized |
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3 | (2) |
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Part I Getting to Know Wine |
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4 | (1) |
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Part II Wine and You: Up Close and Personal |
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4 | (1) |
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Part III The "Old World" of Wine |
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4 | (1) |
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Part IV Discovering the "New World" of Wine |
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4 | (1) |
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Part V Wine's Exotic Face |
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4 | (1) |
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Part VI When You've Caught the Bug |
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5 | (1) |
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Part VII The Part of Tens |
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5 | (1) |
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5 | (1) |
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5 | (1) |
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6 | (1) |
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Part I Getting to Know Wine |
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7 | (66) |
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9 | (12) |
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9 | (2) |
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What Color Is Your Appetite? |
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11 | (5) |
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12 | (1) |
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13 | (2) |
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Pink wines, from rose to "blush" |
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15 | (1) |
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Which color of wine when? |
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16 | (1) |
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Other Ways of Categorizing Wine |
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16 | (5) |
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17 | (1) |
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18 | (1) |
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Sparkling wine (and a highly personal spelling lesson) |
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19 | (2) |
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Chapter 2 These Taste Buds Are for You |
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21 | (14) |
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The Special Technique for Tasting Wine |
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21 | (6) |
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Savoring a wine's appearance |
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22 | (1) |
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22 | (2) |
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24 | (3) |
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27 | (3) |
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28 | (1) |
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29 | (1) |
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30 | (5) |
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31 | (2) |
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33 | (2) |
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Chapter 3 Pinot Envy and Other Secrets about Grape Varieties |
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35 | (14) |
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The Importance of Grape Varieties |
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35 | (4) |
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36 | (1) |
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36 | (1) |
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36 | (2) |
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38 | (1) |
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A Primer on White Grape Varieties |
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39 | (5) |
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40 | (1) |
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40 | (1) |
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41 | (1) |
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42 | (1) |
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42 | (2) |
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A Primer on Red Grape Varieties |
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44 | (5) |
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44 | (2) |
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46 | (1) |
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47 | (2) |
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Chapter 4 Wine Names and Label Lingo |
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49 | (16) |
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49 | (7) |
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Grape names and place-names |
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50 | (1) |
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Hello, my name is Chardonnay: Varietal wines |
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50 | (1) |
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Hello, my name is Bordeaux: Place-name wines |
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51 | (4) |
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Branded, proprietary, generic: Wines named in other ways |
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55 | (1) |
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Wine Labels, Forward and Backward |
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56 | (9) |
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57 | (1) |
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58 | (4) |
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Some optional label lingo |
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62 | (3) |
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Chapter 5 Behind the Scenes of Winemaking |
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65 | (8) |
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Grape Growing, Winemaking, and the Jargon That Surrounds Them |
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65 | (1) |
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66 | (4) |
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67 | (1) |
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68 | (2) |
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Even More Winemaking Terms |
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70 | (3) |
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Part II Wine and you: Up Close and Personal |
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73 | (54) |
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Chapter 6 Buying Wine to Drink at Home |
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75 | (12) |
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Buying Wine Can Intimidate Anyone |
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75 | (1) |
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Wine Retailers, Large and Small |
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76 | (4) |
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Supermarkets, superstores, and so on |
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77 | (1) |
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78 | (1) |
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79 | (1) |
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Criteria for Choosing Wine Merchants |
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80 | (3) |
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80 | (2) |
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82 | (1) |
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Strategies for Wine Shopping |
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83 | (4) |
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84 | (2) |
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86 | (1) |
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Chapter 7 Confronting a Restaurant Wine List |
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87 | (14) |
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How Wine Is Sold in Restaurants |
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87 | (4) |
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Wines by the glass: House and premium wines |
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88 | (2) |
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Special, or reserve, wine lists |
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90 | (1) |
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The (anything but) standard wine list |
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91 | (1) |
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91 | (4) |
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What the wine list should tell you |
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92 | (1) |
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Tips for using the wine list |
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93 | (1) |
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94 | (1) |
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95 | (2) |
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Handling the Wine Presentation Ritual |
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97 | (2) |
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99 | (1) |
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100 | (1) |
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101 | (18) |
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101 | (7) |
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102 | (1) |
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103 | (1) |
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Other corkscrews worth owning |
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103 | (3) |
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Waiter, there's cork in my wine! |
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106 | (1) |
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A special case: Opening Champagne and sparkling wine |
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107 | (1) |
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The Comeback of the Screw Cap |
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108 | (1) |
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Does Wine Really Breathe? |
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108 | (2) |
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109 | (1) |
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Which wines need aerating? |
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109 | (1) |
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Does the Glass Really Matter? |
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110 | (4) |
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111 | (1) |
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111 | (1) |
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Tulips, flutes, trumpets, and other picturesque wine-glass names |
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112 | (1) |
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How many glasses do I need, anyway? |
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113 | (1) |
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Washing your wine glasses |
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114 | (1) |
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Not Too Warm, Not Too Cold |
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114 | (2) |
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116 | (1) |
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116 | (1) |
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117 | (1) |
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117 | (2) |
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Chapter 9 Marrying Wine with Food |
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119 | (8) |
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With Wine and Food, Rules Do Not Apply |
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119 | (1) |
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The Dynamics of Food and Wine |
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120 | (2) |
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121 | (1) |
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121 | (1) |
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122 | (1) |
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122 | (1) |
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Birds of a Feather, or Opposites Attract? |
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122 | (2) |
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123 | (1) |
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124 | (1) |
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The Wisdom of the Ages: Classic Pairings of Wine and Food |
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124 | (3) |
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Part III The "Old World" of Wine |
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127 | (88) |
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129 | (40) |
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129 | (3) |
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Understanding French wine law |
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130 | (1) |
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Fine distinctions in the ranks |
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131 | (1) |
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132 | (1) |
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Bordeaux: The Incomparable |
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132 | (12) |
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The subregions of red Bordeaux |
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134 | (2) |
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136 | (2) |
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Bordeaux to try when you're feeling flush |
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138 | (1) |
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The value end of the Bordeaux spectrum |
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139 | (3) |
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Practical advice on drinking red Bordeaux |
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142 | (1) |
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Bordeaux also comes in white |
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143 | (1) |
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Burgundy: The Other Great French Wine |
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144 | (14) |
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The grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Gamay |
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145 | (1) |
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Districts, districts everywhere |
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145 | (2) |
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From the regional to the sublime |
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147 | (1) |
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The Cote d'Or: The heart of Burgundy |
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148 | (4) |
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Cote Chalonnaise: Bargain Burgundies |
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152 | (1) |
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Chablis: Exceptional white wines |
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153 | (2) |
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155 | (1) |
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Beaujolais: As delightful as it is affordable |
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156 | (2) |
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The Hearty Rhones of the Valley |
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158 | (3) |
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Generous wines of the South |
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158 | (1) |
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159 | (2) |
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The Loire Valley: White Wine Heaven |
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161 | (2) |
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161 | (1) |
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162 | (1) |
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162 | (1) |
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Alsace: Unique Region, Unique Wines |
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163 | (1) |
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164 | (2) |
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France's bargain basement: Languedoc-Roussillon |
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164 | (1) |
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165 | (1) |
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166 | (1) |
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Other French Wine Regions |
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166 | (3) |
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Chapter 11 Italy, the Heartland of Vino |
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169 | (22) |
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169 | (4) |
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The ordinary and the elite |
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171 | (1) |
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Categories of Italian wine, legally speaking |
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171 | (1) |
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172 | (1) |
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173 | (4) |
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175 | (2) |
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Whites in a supporting role |
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177 | (1) |
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177 | (7) |
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Chianti Classico and Chianti: Italy's great, underrated reds |
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178 | (2) |
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Monumental Brunello di Montalcino |
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180 | (1) |
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Vino Nobile, Carmignano, and Vernaccia |
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181 | (1) |
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Two more reds and a white |
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182 | (2) |
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184 | (3) |
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Three gentle wines from Verona |
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184 | (1) |
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The Austrian-Italian alliance |
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185 | (1) |
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The far side: Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
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186 | (1) |
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187 | (2) |
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Snapshots from the Rest of Italy |
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189 | (2) |
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Chapter 12 Spain, Germany, and Elsewhere in Europe |
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191 | (24) |
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Intriguing Wines from Old Spain |
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192 | (7) |
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Spain's classic wines start with Rioja |
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194 | (1) |
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Ribera del Duero's serious red wines |
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195 | (1) |
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Priorato: Emerging from the past |
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196 | (1) |
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Other Spanish regions to know |
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197 | (2) |
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Portugal: More Than Just Port |
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199 | (3) |
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200 | (1) |
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Noteworthy Portuguese red wines |
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200 | (2) |
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Germany: Europe's Individualist |
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202 | (7) |
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202 | (1) |
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203 | (2) |
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205 | (1) |
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206 | (3) |
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Austria's Exciting Whites (And Reds) |
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209 | (2) |
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Griiner Veltliner and company |
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210 | (1) |
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Austrian wine names and label terms |
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210 | (1) |
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211 | (4) |
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211 | (2) |
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Wine regions, producers, and label lingo in Greece |
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213 | (2) |
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Part IV Discovering the "New World" of Wine |
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215 | (54) |
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Chapter 13 The Southern Hemisphere Arises |
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217 | (20) |
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218 | (6) |
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Winemaking, grapes, and terroir |
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219 | (2) |
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221 | (3) |
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224 | (2) |
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224 | (1) |
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Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir lead the way |
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225 | (1) |
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Chile's Rapid Wine Development |
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226 | (5) |
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227 | (2) |
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The face and taste of Chilean wines |
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229 | (2) |
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Argentina, a Major League Player |
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231 | (3) |
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231 | (1) |
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232 | (2) |
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The South African Wine Safari |
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234 | (3) |
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South Africa's principal wine regions |
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234 | (2) |
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Steen, Pinotage, and company |
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236 | (1) |
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Chapter 14 America, America |
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237 | (32) |
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The New World of American Wine |
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237 | (2) |
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238 | (1) |
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Playing by their own rules |
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238 | (1) |
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239 | (3) |
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Where California wines grow |
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240 | (1) |
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241 | (1) |
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Napa Valley: As Tiny as It Is Famous |
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242 | (4) |
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243 | (1) |
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Who's who in Napa (and for what) |
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244 | (2) |
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246 | (3) |
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246 | (2) |
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Sonoma producers and wines |
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248 | (1) |
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Mendocino and Lake Counties |
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249 | (2) |
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The San Francisco Bay Area |
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251 | (1) |
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252 | (1) |
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What's New in Old Monterey |
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252 | (1) |
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Gold Country: The Sierra Foothills |
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253 | (1) |
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San Luis Obispo --- from Warm to Cool |
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254 | (2) |
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Santa Barbara, Californian Paradise |
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256 | (2) |
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Oregon: A Tale of Two Pinots |
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258 | (3) |
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258 | (1) |
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Who's who in Willamette Valley |
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259 | (1) |
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Two other Oregon wine regions |
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260 | (1) |
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Wine on the Desert: Washington State |
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261 | (4) |
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Washington's wine regions |
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262 | (2) |
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264 | (1) |
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265 | (4) |
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266 | (1) |
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267 | (2) |
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Part V Wine's Exotic Face |
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269 | (44) |
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Chapter 15 Champagne and Other Sparklers |
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271 | (22) |
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All That Glitters Is Not Champagne |
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271 | (2) |
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273 | (2) |
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273 | (1) |
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274 | (1) |
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How Sparkling Wine Happens |
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275 | (3) |
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Tank fermentation: Economy of scale |
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275 | (1) |
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Bottle fermentation: Small is beautiful |
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276 | (1) |
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Taste: The proof of the pudding |
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277 | (1) |
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Champagne and Its Magic Wines |
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278 | (9) |
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What makes Champagne special |
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279 | (1) |
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279 | (1) |
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280 | (1) |
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Blanc de blancs and blanc de noirs |
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281 | (1) |
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282 | (1) |
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283 | (1) |
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Recommended Champagne producers |
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283 | (3) |
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286 | (1) |
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287 | (4) |
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287 | (1) |
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287 | (2) |
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Italian spumante: Sweet or dry |
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289 | (1) |
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Spanish sparkling wines (Cava) |
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290 | (1) |
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Buying and Serving Bubbly |
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291 | (2) |
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Chapter 16 Wine Roads Less Traveled: Fortified and Dessert Wines |
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293 | (20) |
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293 | (1) |
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Sherry: A Misunderstood Wine |
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294 | (6) |
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294 | (1) |
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295 | (1) |
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295 | (1) |
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296 | (2) |
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Serving and storing Sherry |
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298 | (1) |
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299 | (1) |
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Montilla: A Sherry look-alike |
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300 | (1) |
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Marsala, Vin Santo, and the Gang |
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300 | (1) |
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Port: The Glory of Portugal |
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301 | (5) |
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301 | (1) |
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302 | (2) |
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304 | (1) |
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Recommended Port producers |
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305 | (1) |
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306 | (3) |
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Timeless, indestructible, tasty, and baked |
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307 | (1) |
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307 | (1) |
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Madeira styles and grape varieties |
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308 | (1) |
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Sauternes and the Nobly Rotten Wines |
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309 | (4) |
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310 | (1) |
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310 | (1) |
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311 | (1) |
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312 | (1) |
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312 | (1) |
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Part VI When You've Caught the Bug |
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313 | (42) |
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Chapter 17 Buying and Collecting Wine |
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315 | (18) |
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Finding the Rare and Collectible Wines |
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315 | (7) |
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Buying fine and collectible wines on the Internet |
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316 | (2) |
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Some U.S. wine stores worth knowing |
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318 | (2) |
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320 | (2) |
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The Urge to Own: Wine Collecting |
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322 | (5) |
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323 | (3) |
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Organization is peace of mind |
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326 | (1) |
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A Healthy Environment for Your Wines |
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327 | (6) |
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328 | (1) |
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If you can't be passive, be bullish |
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329 | (2) |
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Wine caves for apartment dwellers |
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331 | (2) |
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Chapter 18 Continuing Education for Wine Lovers |
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333 | (14) |
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333 | (6) |
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One wine school in action |
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334 | (1) |
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Wine tastings of all shapes and sizes |
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335 | (1) |
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Dinner with the winemaker |
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336 | (1) |
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336 | (1) |
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337 | (2) |
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339 | (8) |
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339 | (4) |
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Wine magazines and newsletters |
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343 | (2) |
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345 | (2) |
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Chapter 19 Describing and Rating Wine |
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347 | (8) |
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The Challenge of Putting Taste to Words |
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347 | (1) |
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When It's Your Turn to Speak |
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348 | (5) |
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349 | (1) |
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350 | (2) |
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Describing wine: Purism versus poetry |
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352 | (1) |
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353 | (2) |
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Part VII The Part of Tens |
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355 | (18) |
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Chapter 20 Answers to Ten Common Questions about Wine |
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357 | (8) |
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357 | (1) |
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When Should I Drink This Wine? |
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358 | (1) |
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359 | (1) |
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What Grape Variety Made This Wine? |
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359 | (1) |
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Which Vintage Should I Buy? |
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359 | (1) |
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Are There Any Wines without Sulfites? |
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360 | (1) |
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361 | (1) |
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361 | (1) |
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How Do I Know When to Drink the Special Older Wines I've Been Keeping? |
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362 | (1) |
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Do Old Wines Require Special Handling? |
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363 | (2) |
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Chapter 21 Ten Wine Myths Demystified |
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365 | (8) |
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The Best Wines Are Varietal Wines |
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365 | (1) |
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A More Expensive Wine Is a Wiser Choice |
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366 | (1) |
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A Screw Cap Closure Indicates a Lower-Quality Wine |
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366 | (1) |
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Red Wines Are More Sophisticated than White Wines |
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|
367 | (1) |
|
White Wine Goes with Fish, Red Wine Goes with Meat |
|
|
368 | (1) |
|
|
|
368 | (1) |
|
The Quality of a Wine Is Objectively Measurable |
|
|
369 | (1) |
|
Wine Authorities Are Experts |
|
|
369 | (1) |
|
|
|
370 | (1) |
|
|
|
370 | (3) |
|
|
|
373 | (2) |
| Appendix A Pronunciation Guide to Wine Terms |
|
375 | (4) |
| Appendix B Glossary of Wine Terms |
|
379 | (8) |
| Appendix C Vintage Wine Chart: 1991--2010 |
|
387 | (4) |
| Index |
|
391 | |
