Wine

Contains a lot of great information. The first few chapters are about the History and Production of wine and include a great amount of detail. The pictures really help to show certain aspects, such as the photo progression of ripeness and grape bunches WITH the leaves, and pruning. The chapters are written and edited by various experts in that region, so accuracy is quite high. The edition I just read is the 5th (2004) edition, so there should be a new edition within the next two years or so. I bought this NEW for $6!!! What a deal!!!

I honestly believe that Domine has done an excellent job in compiling and authoring WINE. The book contains a plethora of information and is effectively enhanced with color photographs that allows the reader to better follow along with the details of wine and its production (in Europe.) To be repetitious, its as if the author never left the Old World to discover the abundance of quality wine, production methods and information awaiting his readers on "this side of the pond." This should not be the first book purchased by a person new to wine, although it could be. A person's interest in any subject may begin with the purchase of a first book of the beginning level in order to learn more. Increased proficiency in the subject matter leads to more advanced books. In the case of Domine's WINE, the information a person new to wine needs to know is adequately covered in the first 150 pages. The book should then be put away. As an interest in wine and wine tasting continues, the book should be a steady resource of reference. Unlike a Ludlum novel which is meant to be read cover-to-cover, WINE is a reference book for all levels of Oenophiles. I can hardly imagine that any person purchases this book, reads it once, then disposes of it. The holidays are coming. I know what you should be asking for. (Joseph Broski, Dionysian Society International - NJ)

I agree with the other reviewers - it is NOT a book for the layman. However, being fairly new to wine myself this book has been invaluable. It opened my eyes to the history and process that is required to produce such a seemingly simple alcholic product - with more answers than I had questions to. At 926 pages (5th Edition), this book explains everything from how the barrels, corks and wine are created, details the many varieties of grapes, what wine to drink with which foods and at what temperature to serve it - all in precise detail through thousands of beautiful color photos, maps and images. Amazing book in all- but I have to agree that it does not cover wines outside Europe (ie: America) very well. I believe the reason for this is that it's a German Book translated to English, so their will naturally be bais from the writer. Another reason is bias towards the history of European Wines - ie: Greek White Wines from the Assyrtiko Grape are reputed to be a 2000+ year old strain which has NEVER been grafted onto American Rootstocks (from Santorini Island). American wine can never match a history like that! Again - the focus is as one reviewer basically put it "A book on European Wine, with a few pages inserted in about America ( & Japan, China, etc) and the titled changed". If they are going to call it "Wine" - they should include EVERY major producer around the world as indepth as the next - or change the title. Maybe they will in the next (6th?) Edition! I personally am a little baised though; I live in Germany and only read about the countries I travel to and drink wine from - which has not been the US in awhile. I love the taste and history of European Wines - and this book details everything I wanted to know. After reading the chapter on Greek Wines during my trip to Greece last week, I was able to hold a conversation about the Phyylloxera epidemic that never affected the Greek Islands, the type of Grape used in the Organic Winery's Wines, the vinyard history of the area and the unique methods they grow the vines under. The Owner's wife and Business Partner was amazed by my knowledge (not the common tourist) - while my girlfriend was baffled...though in her defense she could care less (shame...I know!). Worth every penny for a serious wine drinker who wants to truly learn more about their new found love in life! Prost!!

This is a wonderful book, both in terms of visual and aesthetic appeal, and from the substantive aspect. It is not for the casual wine drinker who desires a five minute introduction to oenology/ wine-tasting, or for the dilettante who suddenly discovers that wine drinking is chic, especially in the post-'Sideways' world. (IMHO- Sideways was a great film, but I digress) This is a large-format book that really demands to be read, in detail, and over a period of months, or even years. The language is good, and the text has a flowing, easy-to-read style. There is even a glossary at the end of the book. I disagree with one of the other reviewers about the poor translation. The authors have taken great pains to describe the various wine growing areas, the concept of terroir, wine making techniques, grape varieties/varietals, and wine-food pairings. A very useful feature is the listing, under each wine growing region, of the most prominent producers of those wines. Obviously, the book focuses more on French wines, since, in my opinion, France is the mothership whence all wines emerged. However, the book does equal justice to other areas/ countries, like Germany & Italy and also has a detailed section on New World wines, including some glowing tributes to certain American & Australian wines. The book is at least as good as 'The Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine', which is a classic, with the added benefit of stunning pictures, for those readers who wish to have a lavishly illustrated tome. But please do not buy this merely as a coffee-table adornement, since that would detract from the purpose of this magnificent book.

Talk about a TOME! Weighing in at almost 1000 massive pages, this isn't just a coffee table book, it's a dining room table book. Its large format and wealth of pages ensures that just about every topic you could be interested in will be well covered here. Not only are there articles and descriptions, but there are also full color photos, well done maps, diagrams, and graphs as well.The first set of pages talk about wine in general - how it's made, its history, its colors and scents. Then the book dives head-first into the main wine regions. It begins with and dedicates hundreds of pages to France. Every area gets the royal treatment, from the Loire Valley to Champagne to the Rhone. Want to know what the Crus are, or what Chablis is all about? The pictures of the vineyards and maps of the climate help bring the explanations to life.Soon we move on to other European regions - Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal. Eastern Europe, South Africa, and even Asia get their due. However, despite this English edition being released in 2001, there were hardly any pages at all on North America, South America, and Australia and New Zealand! These wine regions are very prolific, create many high quality wines, and yet are glossed over. Maybe they simply ran out of binding and couldn't fit in any more pages without going to a second volume. Hopefully this is something they can remedy in the near future.Even so, this is incredibly fun reading for all levels of wine drinkers. The maps and graphics make it easy for newcomers to understand, while the in depth information ensures that even the most experienced of wine drinkers will find something new and fascinating within its pages.