Wine for Dummies

The book, Le Vin Pour Les Nuls, or Wine for Dummies, by McCarthy, Ewing-Mulligan, and Cassetari, is, of course, a book about wine. Without becoming a five pound dictionary, this book brings together just about everything you need to know about wine-from how to start your own cave to what wine to choose in a nice restaurant. Who needs a book about wine? Let's look at some of the values of wine. First of all, wine is art. This can be seen by simply watching an œnologue (professional wine taster) at work. He can taste a wine-without seeing the label-and tell you what region the wine is from, the year of harvest, whether there was much rain or much sun, and he may even be able to tell you the name of the Chateau from whence it came. Then he would go on to tell you the different qualities of the wine: its tannins and bouquet; whether it tears properly; the aftertaste that it has; its colour, shape, form, and aroma. Secondly, we see that wine has an important place in the Bible. The first thing Noah did when he came out of the ark was to plant a vineyard. Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine. Psalm 104 says that wine "gladdens the heart of man". Paul advices Timothy, "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses." And thirdly, wine is part of being cultured. Colette once said, "Beware of young women who love neither wine nor truffles nor cheese nor music." So now we see why Le Vin Pour Les Nuls is such an important book. It gives the opportunity for the common "dummy" to learn about wines and to make the right choices concerning them. But it is also an excellent resource for the professional wine enthusiast. It is a book for all levels. It explains where wine came from; the difference between white wine, red wine, and rosé; and the mysterious techniques for the tasting of wine; it talks about price differences and how to get the best wine for your budget. It gives a "must taste" list of all the great wines; and it lists all the important wines by country. This book, as its front cover says, is a "grand cru" of wine guides, and is to be consumed without moderation. -Daniel Foucachon foucachon.com

Una excelente guía para todos aquellos que deseen concer más aobre el vino y su mundo. De forma amena y sencilla explica los principales conceptos y orienta sobre temas básicos como la elección del vino corecto, principales tipos de vino, cómo comprar vino en restaurantes o tiendas, etc.

I was always intimdated by the thought of ordering and buying wine. Wine for Dummies opened the door to a whole new world of experiences. This book helped me understand the different types, vintages, and tastes of wine. It gives clear information and explanations, and answers most any question you could have on the subject of wines. With this book as your guide, you will have no problem navigating a wine list in a restaurant, or the aisles of your local wine shop. There is information on pairing wine and food, how to serve wine, and how to store it. It is the most complete book on wine that I have read to date. I found that it was easiest to concentrate on one section at a time, rather than to try to read and understand everything at once. Also, it was kind of fun reading one section, then trying some of the wines suggested by the authors, or simply trying the different kinds of wine in the section. The authors really know their wines.This book will easily become the one you refer to most. It is concise, well-organized and easy to follow.

I'm not an expert oeneophile (in fact, I can't even spell it), but I am an interested amateur who has read about 5 basic books on wine ranging from Parkers famous one to lesser known tomes (the Windows on the World one is good too). I think this dummies book offers the least pretentious and most concise overall guide to wine. It does cover a lot of ground which is why the same authors have separate books on white and red wines. On the bright side, you'll learn about every major grape variety and region in the wine world and how to find great bargains. I really enjoyed the tone and attitude -- the authors clearly know a lot, but make it clear that you don't have to be a wine snob to really enjoy wine.

This book offers an excellent introduction into wines. If you know little about wines, but want a quick, fun and easy way to learn, this book is for you. After reading this book, I was able to talk intelligently about the different varieties of wines, how wine is made and how to taste wines. This book has improved my social and professional life. At business dinners, I'm able to talk about wines and navigate through the wine list intelligently. On the social front, I recently held an amatuer wine tasting at my house and it was big success. One chapter in the book explains all the attributes and nuances you could sense in a wine. I organized the attributes with the descriptions in a table, with a few blank columns for wine tasting notes. My guests were entertained and educated at the same time.The writing is clear and concise. The authors do not take a snobby attitude towards tasting; throughout the book, they emphasize that good wine is primarily determined by personal choice. They give you the tools to learn to taste and enjoy wine.I read at an average rate. In about 2 hours, I was able to talk intelligently about the wine making process, understand how to taste wines, and navigate around wine shops. This book should be read over a period of several weeks so that you can actually practice what you've read. The only drawback with this book is that there are no colorful pictures and they weren't very explicit about which flavors to concentrate on while drinking different wine varieties.Overall, this book is excellent for beginners. After reading the first few chapters, you'll go from beginner to an intermediate wine buff. I even purhased several of these books for my friends as Christmas gifts!