The Auswine Forum

I am looking to build my library of wine books and I am seeking some
recommendations from you guys. One particular requirement is a title that has a comprehensive section on grape varieties and what to expect flavour wise from each variety and how this flavour varies from region (or country) to region.

thanks in advance for any suggestions.

tim.

Halliday's new and widely available book on varietal wines ought to do the trick. Incredibly comprehensive with minor varieties.

Kieran

Tim

Jancis Robinson's grape guide is excellent as is the Oxford Companiun to Wine(A must have).

Others:
The art and science of wine - Hugh Johnson and James Halliday
The World Atlas of Wine - Hugh Johnson
The New France - Andrew Jefford
Terroir - James Wilson
Any of Hallidays books are great for Aussie wines
Understanding Wine Technology - David Bird (Best for the layman)
Cote D'Or - Clive Coates
Burgundy - Anthony Hanson
Rhone Renaissance - Remington Norman
Bordeaux - Robert Parker
Oz Clarkes wine atlas is very good as well
The Taste of Wine - Emile Peynaud (Another must have)

There ya go thats a start..............

I must say I found Halliday's Varietal wines a little disapointing. His coverage of the major varieties, especially the regional expressions of them, is excellent. however for second tier varieties and lesser varietals the coverage is a bit scanty for me.

Much better is Oz Clark & Margaret Rand's Grapes and Wines ( Sold as Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Grapes in the US). Jancis's 'Vines, Grapes & Wines : The Wine Drinker's Guide to Grape Varieties' is excellent, but in need of updating to reflect the growth of interest in new alternative varietals.


To see some more of my opinions, prejudices and rantings on this subject check out my "So you'd like to graduate from the wine dummy class" guide on Amazon.com (just do a search at Amazon for 'wine dummies' and you will find it.)

Modesty prevents me from recommending a good online resource about varietal wines.

Cheers

Have a look here as well....some good fodder for the search engines

http://www.stratsplace.com/hawkins/wgg.html

Tim

Try this website to acquire most good wine books:-

http://www.Winetitles.com.au

Unfortunately I found Jancis Robinson's grape guide far from excellent as there are hardly no grape aromas mentioned at all.

A particularly good winetasting 'book' that I use regularly is called the Essential Wine Tasting Guide which is a small foldout and has heaps of different descriptors for each grape variety, the website on the back is listed as:-

http://www.EssentialWineTastingGuide.com

I also find this one quite useful:-

http://www.delongwine.com

Cheers
Jeff

thanks all for your suggestions.

tim.

Somebody give Jeffrey a bloody medal

If you are interested in wine history, search out the books by Benwell entitled "Journey to wine in Victoria" or his book, "Coonawarra- a vignoble. Both excellent reading of a time when wine was a thing of beauty and not controlled by the accountants, and this comes thru in his writing. You might even find a copy signed. Halliday's books on Clare, Coonawarra and the Hunter are also worth a look. All worth the hunt in Good used book stores. And not expensive either - leaves $$$$ for more good wine!!!

Glen wrote:Somebody give Jeffrey a bloody medal

LOL, well that saved a bit of self promotion, Glen!

Jancis Robinson Oxford Guide, must have. I know it's pushing a $100, but it's the only reference you'll ever need.

Also, the Wine Report edited by Tom Stevenson is a cracker of a read if you're interested in the world scene

Most disappointing book I've read is Penguin Wine Guide. Pretentious notes written by a pretentious man in a silly colour V neck sweater. V necks. I ask you?

If you really want to know what is written about wine you need
Wine into Words: A History and Bibliography of Wine Books in the English Language, Second Edititon by James M. Gabler
I bought the first edition many years ago - lots of references which are hard to trace but a great resource if you are looking at serious research.