books

(amazon reviews)

WINE TRAVEL GUIDE TO THE WORLD

Recent (2006) global guide to over 600 wineries, restaurants, wine bars and wine museums. If you are looking for a chateau to visit in Bordeaux, a cellar in Barolo, a vineyard near Beijing or Bangkok, or a great place to enjoy a glass of wine in San Francisco or Seoul, this is the book you need.

Published by Footprint

Quirky but very recommendable,
19 April 2007
By Jem Ritter (Deidesheim, Germany)
I was given this book at Christmas and at first wasn't certain what to make of its mixture of vineyards, restaurants and museums. But the more I looked, the more I found to like, including the opinionated nature of the writing and the quirkiness of the selection process. There are well known places here, but some famous vineyards have been left out in favour of ones I'd never heard of. It seeks to cover the world and I'm in no position to say whether the recommendations for Ecuador and South Korea for example are truly the best in those countries, but I've used the book in Germany, France and Australia and it has yet to let me down. My only criticism is that it's a touch heavy to lug on a long trip. But there's nothing like it and I'd recommend it to any wine lover who likes or has to travel.

Great for the wine traveller,
29 Jul 2008
By Cordelia (Herts, UK)
I bought this book for my husband shortly before we started planning a series of wine-themed holidays and it's been a great planning tool. It has a good mix of vineyards, bars, musuems, shops, etc and includes some interesting "wine facts" along the way. Price guides are in dollars, but it's not a great hindrance to the UK reader. It also includes some of the less obvious wine regions (the UK, for example) and covers the more obvious ones in sufficient details.

FRENCH WINES
A
  newly (2005) revised edition of the best selling guide to France and its wines.
  Includes recommended producers and vintages, information about regional
  history and cuisine and suggested driving tours.
 Published by Dorling Kindersley
 
Let's
  see: tickets, passport, French Wine by Robert Joseph
August 20, 2003
By John C Case (Wilmington DE USA)
 
What a great book! This publisher is well known for high quality
  books on heavy stock with full-color illustrations on every page, and
  detailed maps galore - makes you want to book a French wine vacation. If you
  need room in your suitcase, take something else out like medication or
  clothing, but leave this book in.

  Another nice entry in the Eyewitness Companions series

April 18, 2008

      By   Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)

(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

I have come to be enchanted by this series of books. This marks, if
memory serves, the fourth of these books that I have enjoyed.

The book provides a nice service by beginning with context for a
description of current French wines by region. The slender volume
begins with a history of wine in general, and then French wine in
particular... I learned a lot about the basics in the first segments of
this book, including how different wines are made... The discussion of
the grades of wine, culminating in Appellation d'origine controlee.
Arcane, to say the least! But fascinating! 

The
heart of the book follows, with a region by region description of wines
and the wine producers.  I like a nice red Bordeaux. So,
naturally, I went to the section on this region of France.... Nice
discussion of a tour of the region and its history.... Delightful
writing and neat little tidbits abound.

And on it goes, region by region. Some of the arcane facts leave me a
bit dizzy and not sure that I'm "getting it." But that's part of the
fun! If you want to get an enjoyable introduction to French wine, this
little book is a good start!

BORDEAUX AND ITS WINES

A truly beautiful book, thanks to photography by Max Alexander who has captured images of Bordeaux that are unlike any published elsewhere. Commentary by Robert Joseph, including references to some of the more out-of-the-way parts of the region.

Published by Duncan Baird

Brilliant photography and inspiring words, February 29, 2004
Reviewer: A reader

If you love great photography and are bored by all the predictable efforts that appear in most wine books, this is for you! Some of the shots by Max Alexander are really breathtaking, and, like the text, they really give a sense of the place. A terrific, affordable coffee table book

THE COMPLETE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WINE

A newly (2006) revised companion to the world of wine, written in a refreshingly accessible and irreverent style.

Published by Carlton Books

Entertaining and informative,

February 29, 2004

Bt Jeremy Wilson (Santa Rosa, Calif)

I have several wine books, but this is becoming a clear favorite, thanks to the entertaining way Joseph writes. As a Brit, he seems to have a wider view than some US writers, and he covers Californian and French wines with the same,, often acerbic, eye. I also liked the food and wine references. This book has made me buy others by the same author.