Hugh Johnson Modern Ency of Wine 4/E

The genius of Johnson's book is that it is not at all modern.There's no way in which any encyclopedia of wine can be considered 'modern' in the usual sense. Wine is a fussy, cluttered topic whose structure is inherently baroque. Johnson is an elegant writer in that old-fashioned way: one who can't resist an amusing digression, a man who wants to endear as much as inform, a polymath who will stack a drop of military history on top of a reference to the church which is buried in a bit of chemistry. Still, the listings are exhaustive and this book is both an excellent emergency reference and an entertaining and edifying nightstand browse. Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine

This book is many books in one. It is a history of wine making throughout the world. It is a guide to selecting and using wine for it's many occasions. It is also a technical book that describes the making of the wine, and how and why certain soils, with their various compositions produce certain kinds of wine. It also explains how and why the climate in certain areas affects the production of the different types of wine. Every vintage and type of wine is slightly different from any other wine, even if it was grown and produced on the very same farm. The production of the wine is not even the same from year to year. The difference of the weather from year to year is not exactly the same. Despite this, the same farms, with the better soil, and climate consistently produce the better wines when compared with the type of wine. If you enjoy wine you must have this book, and keep it where you can read it when needed. Roger Dowiat.

Hugh Johnson is my kind of wine writer - he obviously possesses a great deal of knowledge about wine, how it is made, where it comes from, etc. But he also understands that the great majority of people who might drink a bottle of wine, or who might pick up his book, are not quite as knowledgable and familiar with various viticultural terms. Accordingly, he has written a comprehensive, true "encyclopedia" of wine that has something for everyone.If you are like me, you keep a book like this, and periodically pick it up after buying a few bottles at your local shop to read his tasting notes, or some information about the winery. The book is perfect for that, he included small profiles and/or tasting notes for thousands of wineries in virtually all major wine-producing countries. The list of California wineries alone, and Johnson's personal observations about their varietals, is staggering. He doesn't simply profile the big, million case producers but has notes about small, "boutique" wineries like Groth, etc. And aside from tasting notes, the book has a whole lot more to offer.Johnson explains how various types of wine are made (port and champagne, for example), includes maps as well as biographical profiles of some leading personalities in the wine world (like Robert Mondavi), and explains in layman's terms which glasses to use, when some "experts" like to decant, etc. This is a book to have lingering around, not for a sit down, cover to cover reading but as a source of information, that can be supplemented every couple of years by purchasing Johnson's excellent annual pocket encyclopedias (with more up to date tasting and winery info). I find myself picking up the book to look up something specific, and unable to put it down for a half hour or more while I browse. Pick it up, for the price of a single bottle of Montrachet, you will enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of wine considerably.

Hugh Johnson is my kind of wine writer - he obviously possesses a great deal of knowledge about wine, how it is made, where it comes from, etc. But he also understands that the great majority of people who might drink a bottle of wine, or who might pick up his book, are not quite as knowledgable and familiar with various vinicultural terms. Accordingly, he has written a comprehensive, true "encyclopedia" of wine that has something for everyone.If you are like me, you keep a book like this, and periodically pick it up after buying a few bottles at your local shop to read his tasting notes, or some information about the winery. The book is perfect for that, he included small profiles and/or tasting notes for thousands of wineries in virtually all major wine-producing countries. The list of California wineries alone, and Johnson's personal observations about their varietals, is staggering. He doesn't simply profile the big, million case producers but has notes about small, "boutique" wineries like Groth, etc. And aside from tasting notes, the book has a whole lot more to offer.Johnson explains how various types of wine are made (port and champagne, for example), includes maps as well as biographical profiles of some leading personalities in the wine world (like Robert Mondavi), and explains in layman's terms which glasses to use, when some "experts" like to decant, etc. This is a book to have lingering around, not for a sit down, cover to cover reading but as a source of information, that can be supplemented every couple of years by purchasing Johnson's excellent annual pocket encyclopedias (with more up to date tasting and winery info). I find myself picking up the book to look up something specific, and unable to put it down for a half hour or more while I browse. Pick it up, for the price of a single bottle of Montrachet, you will enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of wine considerably.

It contains lots of helpful information about wine in genera