Books

Of the very many fine books on the market here are a few of the most valuable. The reference books provide detailed information and facts on everything to do with wine and its production. The non-fiction , and those that have inspired me the most.

Refrerence Books Non Fiction Books

Reference Books About Wine

  • The World Atlas of Wine by Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnston. The best maps but you’ll need a magnifying glass to find that Chateau or Domaine amongst the wonderful detail.
  • Oz Clarke’s World of Wine. Clear and concise descriptions of wines, grapes and the vineyards from which they come.
  • Wine Folly. A quick and straightforward illustrated description of grapes and wine regions.
  • Pocket Wine Book by Hugh Johnston. Conveniently portable this compact book covers everything you need to know about wines of the world and their producers. It’s speciality is to rate both.
  • Parker’s Wine Buyers Guide by Robert Parker. The Pocket Wine Book on steroids.
    Essential Winetasting by Simon Schuster. An excellent basis for learning to taste wine.
  • The Complete Bordeaux by Stephen Brooke. A serious analysis of every Chateau , every wine and every producer in Bordeaux. Absolutely priceless.
  • The Wines of Burgundy by Clive Coates. An indispensable guide to the world’s leading and most intractable wine regions. A must have if you want to buy good Burgundy.

Non – Fiction Books About Wine

  • “Taste” is a short story by Roald Dahl that was first published in the March of 1945. Brilliant.
  • Waugh on Wine by Auberon Waugh. A literary, good old fashioned tome on the hedonistic experiences of arguably the world’s greatest wine writers.
  • The Billionaire’s Vinegar – how people pay extraordinary amounts for fine wine and get ripped off.
  • Adventures on the Wine Route (1988) by Kermit Lynch – a wonderful journey through the early days of the modern wine world where an American musician in California became a revered expert in French and Italian wines.
  • Wine and War: The French, the Nazi’s and France’s greatest treasures – how the French hid their wines from the occupying German’s during the second world war.
  • Wine; A Way of Life by Steven Spurrier – how and Englishman in Paris put Californian wine on the map.
  • Direct by Tony Laithwaite. How he and his wife developed a fine wine business in Windsor and in the process founded the Times Wine Club and introduced the flying winemakers from Australia to Europe and changed the industry for ever.
    Judgement of Paris by George Taber. A first-hand account of the landmark blind tasting that put California on the wine map.
  • A Hedonist in the Cellar by Jay McInerney. A series of fascinating essays covering wine from the perspective of stories and experiences. Excellent read.
  • The Emperor of Wine by Elin McCoy. The biography of the man who ruled the wine world for several decades and invented the 100 point scoring system. A must read.
  • Tasting Victory by Gerrard Basset. The extraordinary story of the man who was one of the world’s greatest authorities on wine and one of the most decorated and competitive wine tasters of all time.