European Wine 101
Written: Nov 02 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Through info on buying and enjoying wines.
Cons: Bias toward Non-American wines.
The Bottom Line: Want to learn to be wine-saavy? Get this book.
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| jay1051971's Full Review: Jancis Robinson - Jancis Robinson's Wine Course |
So, you say you like wine, but don’t know much about what makes a good wine good? You say you can’t tell the difference between a Pinot Noir and a Pinot Grigio? And you say you also do not have the time to read every review written by epinionator extraordinaire, 4-1-1. So what’s a poor wine-connoisseur-wannabe to do? Well, Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course is an excellent resource to turn to in your time of need, and you’ll get an excellent coffee-table book to boot.
Contents:
Introduction
1. Getting the Most out of Wine
2. How Wine Is Made
3. Wine Grape Varieties
4. The World of Wine
Breakdown:
I like to consider myself fairly knowledgeable about wine. Or at least I used to. When a friend bought us this book as a housewarming gift, and I perused its contents, I realized that I know very, very little about wine. Oh sure, I know the difference between your basic varietals like a Chardonnay and Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet. I know when something has been aged in oak, and when it hasn’t. But what I never considered was just how incredibly vast the world of wine really is, and that my own experiences in the pursuit of these enjoyments have been extremely limited.
Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course provides a complete overview of wine, teaching you all you need to know and a whole lot more. Although I’m sure it is available in paperback, the copy I have is a hardbound volume that makes for an excellent coffee table book (and conversation piece!). And not only is the book loaded with scads of information about the blessings of the vine, the photography throughout the book is simply gorgeous. Photos of some of the world’s oldest wineries, landscapes, and vineyards are spread throughout the book, accentuating exactly how refined the art of winemaking is.
Part One starts the reader off with some tips on how to enjoy wine to its fullest. Robinson first begins by explaining some things about how we taste. Reading her discussion of the biological aspects of taste and smell, I am reminded of an old college music professor who instructed us that nobody is truly tone deaf, unless they have had some sort of brain trauma or debilitating disease. The same holds true with the sense of smell and taste. In many aspects, wine is like music, and appreciating a fine wine is akin to listening to a piano concerto. Only those who have suffered some sort of brain injury are truly incapable of discerning the subtleties of wine. Of course, our tastes change over time, and some of us may have finer tasting sensitivities, but the enjoyment of wine is something that all of us are at least capable of developing. Other sections in part one discuss how to taste wine, terminology, wine etiquette, purchasing, serving and storage tips, and paring wine with food. This section alone could be published as a stand-alone book, as almost everything you could want to know is covered.
The next part discusses how wine is made. This section provides background information about the different processes that go into the production of various types and styles of wine. I call this section the “Cliff Claven section”, since the facts provided here, although impressive, are more along the lines of those useful tidbits of trivia one would spout when they are particularly trying to impress someone with their vast knowledge of wine. I mean, does it really matter to someone that Romania has 251 hectares of vineyards? In any event, winemaking is a fascinating process, and for those people who enjoy taking a peek “behind the scenes”, this section is a wealth of knowledge on the subject.
The third section defines and describes the many different types and classifications of wine. Historically, wines were named for the region in which they were made, such as Burgundy or Champaign. Nowadays, however, wines are named after the grape they come from. In two subsections, the varieties of white and red wines are listed in alphabetical order with some information about the origins or characteristics of the wine. It was here that I realized that I have only experienced a very, very small percentage of wines. In fact, many wines I have never even heard of, let alone tasted. This provides the perfect segue into the last section, which is organized on the basis of country or region. France and Italy are the leading countries, with Portugal, Spain, and Germany adding to this European bias. South America and Australia are not left out, although in an abridged manner.
There is one aspect of this book, sadly typical of most wine books, to which I must take particular exception. The coverage of American wines is limited to the Pacific Northwest region. Having grown up in western New York on the shore of Lake Erie, and attending college just an hour away from the Finger Lakes region, I am offended that my native wine country has been all but neglected. All of one third of a page is devoted to the wines of New York, which at one time was a leading world producer, full of history and tradition, and still viable today. Having gone to California and toured many of the wineries out there, I can say from first hand experience that the wines of New York, although a notch or two sweeter on the whole, are just as good as the wines of California, and cheaper to boot! Now, California deserves its due and this book neglects that esteemed region as well. But if California can have a couple of pages, certainly New York can have the same coverage. In the end, it’s plainly obvious this author has a clear bias toward the wines of Europe.
Overall:
Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course is a very good book for those people who want to know more about wine. I think that the first two sections are incredibly helpful in learning how to get most from the wine drinking experience. As I noted, the real drawback is the obvious bias toward Non-American wines. And while I may be biased in favor of my home region, I can say the snub of New York wines was not merited. In the end, this is a superb, if not complete, encyclopedia on the wines of the world, which I would recommend to just about anyone. I give this book four stars and one quarter stars
Recommended:
Yes
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jay1051971
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Member: Jason
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Reviews written: 343
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