Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine -

I Don’t Know Much About Wine, But I Know What I Like Customer Review: Invaluable Advice
After attending one of Simons wine tastings at the ‘Taste of London’ tour in 2007 i purchased his book to learn more about his particular style of wine tasting. Simon pretty much teaches us how to enjoy wine, for our enjoyments sake, NOT as some poncy lifestyle choice.

I’ve spent a few years investigating the smells and tastes of wine but i’ve never read a book that cut it all down to the basics, so much so that my own boyfriend started to take an interest in wine. Its not dusty, arrogant or prejudiced. It is pure advice. And good advice at that.

Simply put, this is a book for people who dont care what vintage/soil/country/brand a wine comes from as long as it tastes nice. It helps you distinguish what flavours you fancy so there isnt a case of picking up a random bottle and being severely disappointed in future. It also sheds light on why wines taste different and that its impossible to say ‘i dont like red wine’ for example, because there are many different flavours.It advises on the best place to try varieties of wine and why it is so so so important to experiment with what you taste. What you hated 10 years ago, might be nice today.

This is a very practical, charming book. An ideal light read, or gift, one which will be referred to again and again. Simply invaluable to anyone who wants a glug of good wine but isnt taking up wine as a serious hobby.
Customer Review: An easy “in” to the world of wine
I was given this book as a Christmas present and pretty much dismissed it at first. I’ve since actually read most of the book & can’t believe how wrong I was. It’s really interesting, SO easy to read and above all, demystifies the world of wine.

It’s written in a really readable way and gives some good comparisons (e.g. if you think that taking the cork out of a bottle of red means you’re letting it “breathe” it’s the same as saying you think sitting with your mouth open is the same as you breathing! - by the way, it’s only if you decant the wine into something that it gets to breathe)

I work in the beer industry and think it was about time someone wrote a similar book for the world of beer.

It’s a great buy, click on “ADD TO BASKET” now.

The World’s Greatest Wine Estates -

Oz Clarke’s Introducing Wine Customer Review: Excellent introduction to wine
Having been continually confused by wine lists in restaurants, I was looking for a simple yet thorough introduction to wine and I have to say this book is fantastic! Starting with the very basics of wine, it tells you everything you need to know. It provides an excellent overview of different grape varieties, the major types of wine and how to match food with wine.

Particularly useful is the guide to major wine producing regions. This book gets the right balance of general introduction to wine, with hooks into a more detailed appreciation of wine. The book is logically structured and unlike many of the books out there, is squarely aimed at someone looking to learn the basics of wine appreciation.

My only criticism is that a lot of the wines recommended come from such small vineyards, they are almost impossible to get - even through the specialist suppliers.

However this is an excellent book for someone who is interested in wine, its production and the key wine producing regions.
Customer Review: Straightforward, Informative and Enthusiastic
We all know Oz Clarke from his days on ‘Food and Drink’ on BBC2, so we know pretty much what to expect - an accessible and informative look at wine from someone with a genuinely huge amount of knowledge. And that’s exactly what you get with this book.

It’s a bit more detailed than you might expect for a book describing itself as a mere introduction to the subject, but it’s always written in simple language, and even those with little or no knowledge of wine will not be confused. Oz Clarke writes with a clear enthusiasm that makes this book a lively and honest read. He says exactly what he thinks, and says it in a way that is completely without snobbery or pretense. More than just an introduction to wine, this book is probably all the wine guide that most of us will ever need. It simply gives you enough information to make some good choices and start experimenting, and that’s got to be the best way to learn about wine.

There is a “flavour wheel” for both red and white wines, with descriptions of different types of flavour around the outside, and varying fullness of flavour from the centre out. It works very well, showing you exactly where in the flavour spectrum different wines can be found, and will give you a good guide to which wines you might like to try.

There are also sections on how to get the best from a restaurant wine list, how to tell if a wine is tainted, and how to open and serve a wine correctly, including the correct glass and the correct temperature. There are guides to different countries and regions, and a guide to grape varieties.

Essentially, this book has all the information you need to learn more about wine. It’s easy to find the information you want, and a few minutes reading it are sure to leave you reaching for a corkscrew.