Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Book I: Understanding Wine ......................................... 7
Chapter 1: From Vine to Bottle: The Hows and Wines ..................................................9
Chapter 2: Getting Familiar with Wine Tastes and Names .........................................25
Chapter 3: Buying Wine ...................................................................................................41
Chapter 4: Getting the Cork Out (And All That Comes After): Serving Wine ...........57
Chapter 5: For Slurps and Gurgles: Tasting and Describing Wine.............................73
Chapter 6: Pairing Food and Wine .................................................................................87
Chapter 7: Ordering Wine When You’re Dining Out ....................................................93
Chapter 8: The Urge to Own: Collecting Wine............................................................105
Book II: France: A Wine Superstar ............................ 119
Chapter 1: French Wine Today ....................................................................................121
Chapter 2: Exploring Bordeaux’s Range .....................................................................137
Chapter 3: Burgundy, Queen of France .......................................................................163
Chapter 4: Beaujolais, the Fun Red ..............................................................................185
Chapter 5: Robust Rh?ne Reds and Unique Whites ..................................................193
Chapter 6: Champagne: The World’s Greatest Sparkling Wine................................213
Chapter 7: Other Wine Regions of France ..................................................................231
Book III: Italy: Small but Mighty .............................. 259
Chapter 1: The Big Picture of Italian Wine..................................................................261
Chapter 2: Perusing Piedmont’s Wines .......................................................................275
Chapter 3: Finding Sparkling Wines and More in North-Central Italy .....................303
Chapter 4: Northeastern Italy: Where Whites Rule ...................................................317
Chapter 5: Tuscany: Checking Out Chianti and Other Tuscan Reds.......................341
Chapter 6: Getting Acquainted with Central Italy’s Wines .......................................361
Chapter 7: Southern Italy: “The Land of Wine” ..........................................................379
Chapter 8: Sicily and Sardinia: Focusing on Quality .................................................397
Book IV: California and Elsewhere in North America... 411
Chapter 1: Introducing California Wines.....................................................................413
Chapter 2: California’s Major Wine Regions: An Overview ......................................421
Chapter 3: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sparkling Wines .............................443
Chapter 4: California’s Standout Red Wines...............................................................461
Chapter 5: Major Wine Regions in the Rest of North America .................................495
Book V: Australia and New Zealand: Powerhouses
of the Southern Hemisphere ...................................... 507
Chapter 1: Australian and New Zealand Wines: A Success Story ............................509
Chapter 2: New South Wales: Home to Established Wineries and Upstarts ..........515
Chapter 3: Taking In the Diverse Range of Wines from Victoria and Tasmania ....527
Chapter 4: The Wine Regions of South and South West Australia ..........................549
Chapter 5: New Zealand’s Islands and Their Wines ..................................................573
Book VI: And More Wine Regions! ............................ 585
Chapter 1: Intriguing Wines from Old Spain ...............................................................587
Chapter 2: Portugal: Port Wine and Beyond ..............................................................601
Chapter 3: Finding Little-Known Treasures in Greece ..............................................611
Chapter 4: A Sampling of Wines from Germany, Austria, and Hungary .................615
Chapter 5: From South America to South Africa:
Rounding Out the Top Wine Nations ........................................................................625
Index ...................................................................... 635