Wine Books

The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil

Great all around resource and jumping off point to more specialized and regional books. I highly recommend this book to anyone getting started in the wine trade as a reference and learning tool that is easy and enjoyable to read. I also find the recommendations of wines that show typicity to each of wine regions discussed helpful for wine tasting.

The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johns & Jancis Robinson

This book is quite large, but not overly daunting to read through a chapter or two a week. The info graphs are clear and assist in the understanding of the corresponding text. While there is beautiful photography throughout, my favorite part of this book must be the maps! They have a high level of detail, but are also easy to review.

Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding & José Vouillamoz

This is my newest “wine geek” book.  Detailed origins, viticultural characteristics, where it’s grown and what its wine taste like on every grape imaginable along with many more that I never heard of.  This is a tomb of a book, but completely satisfying to heave out for research on individual grapes.  Jancis Robinson has released several pocket guides on wine varieties and this book feels like the culmination of all of these works with details of over 1300 different varieties. The Pinot pedigree diagram is more complete than my own family tree!  The pictures of grape varieties look like pieces of frame-worthy art.  This is a book I can (and do) get lost in.

The Oxford Companion to Wine – 4th Edition by Jancis Robinson

This is definitely encyclopedic and not one I would recommend reading from cover to cover, but it is an excellent resource for digging deeper into a subject. Fair warning though, in each entry there will be reference to other sections and these refer to even more sections that can keep you engaged for hours.

Understanding Wine Technology by David Bird, MW

I am not a winemaker and even though I have visited and volunteered at many wineries nothing can be said for the hands-on experience working day-in day-out guiding a wine from vine to bottle.  This book gives the information needed to gain a glimpse into the science behind the wine.  It covers a broad range of topics from the mysteries of the vineyard, the components of grapes, producing and adjusting the juice (must), complexities of fermentation and the wine making process, quality control and assurance.

Wine & War by Don & Petie Kladstrup

The story of how wine played a role in France’s fight during World War II. The narrative follows five winemaking families from France’s key wine-producing regions of Burgundy, Alsace, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, and Champagne and their struggles to save the heart and soul of France. I found this an enjoyable and lively read after a day of studying.

Chianti Classico: The Search for Tuscany’s Noblest Wine by Bill Nesto MW and Frances di Savino / University of California Press

This book tells the story of the ancient land named Chianti and the modern wine appellation known as Chianti Classico. In 1716, Tuscany’s penultimate Medici ruler, Cosimo III, anointed the region of Chianti, along with three smaller areas in the Florentine State, as the world’s first legal appellations of origin for wine. In the succeeding centuries, this milestone was all but forgotten. By the late nineteenth century, the name Chianti, rather than signifying this historic region and its celebrated wine, identified a simple Italian red table wine in a straw-covered flask.

Flawless: Understanding Faults in Wine by Jamie Goode

What is considered a fault by one person may be undetectable or even desired by another. Flawless explores the main causes of faults in wine. From cork taint, to volatile acidity, to off-putting aromas and flavors, all wine connoisseurs have encountered unappealing qualities in a disappointing bottle.

Madeira: The Mid-Atlantic Wine by Alex Liddell

Madeira is one of the world's greatest wines and with a fascinating history few others can equal made me want to book a flight almost immediately! Capable of evolving over decades and with seemingly indefinite longevity, precious centenarian bottles are sought by wine connoisseurs world wide, but to the ordinary wine lover more commercial wines offer a wide range of delicious and varied drinking.

The Wines of Bordeaux by Clive Coates

Clive Coates has a wealth of knowledge and shares his vast knowledge with tasting notes spanning decades. The Wines of Bordeaux is the authoritative guide to one of the most important and complex wine regions in the world. Sumptuously produced, with a wealth of color illustrations and stunning line drawings, this book covers all the vineyards of Bordeaux—from the largest and most famous châteaux to the smallest farmsteads.

The Wines of Burgundy by Clive Coates

Clive Coates, a Master of Wine who has spent much of the last thirty years in Burgundy, France, considers it to be the most exciting, complex, and intractable wine region in the world, its vineyards and wineries the most likely to yield fine wines of elegance and finesse.

The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste: A Field Guide to the Great Wines of Europe by Rajat Parr and Jordan Mackay / Ten Speed Press

The first definitive reference book to describe, region-by-region, how the great wines of Europe should taste. This will be the go-to guide for aspiring sommeliers, wine aficionados who want to improve their blind tasting skills, and amateur enthusiasts looking for a straightforward and visceral way to understand and describe wine.

How to Taste by Jancis Robinson

The new How to Taste features thoroughly updated vintages and producers as well as up-and-coming wine regions and styles. Incorporating wines that are both easily obtainable and reasonably priced, Robinson's lessons are separated into complementary portions of theory and practice to help you both learn and taste your way to wine expertise.

Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly

Kevin Zraly, America’s ultimate wine educator, demystifies every aspect of choosing, tasting, and enjoying wine. From the renowned reds of Bordeaux and California to the trail-blazing whites of Washington State and New Zealand, this essential volume features maps of each region, lush photographs, a wealth of infographics, best value bottles for each country, hundreds of labels to help you find the right wines, and guided tastings.

Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch

Vino Italiano is the only comprehensive and authoritative American guide to the wines of Italy. It surveys the country’s wine-producing regions; identifies key wine styles, producers, and vintages; and offers delicious regional recipes. Extensive reference materials—on Italy’s 300 growing zones, 361 authorized grape varieties, and 200 of the top producers—provide essential information for restaurateurs and wine merchants, as well as for wine enthusiasts.

The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass by Jamie Goode

A thoroughly revised and updated Second Edition of this essential and groundbreaking reference gives a comprehensive overview of one of the most fascinating, important, and controversial trends in the world of wine: the scientific and technological innovations that are now influencing how grapes are grown and how wine is made.

Business of Sustainable Wine by Sandra Taylor / Board and Bench Publishing

In World of Sustainable Wine, internationally recognized expert in environmental sustainability, Sandra Taylor, offers a new view of how the industry can be an important actor in sustainable agriculture and provides a unique insight for the consumer on what to look for on supermarket shelves.

Champagne [Boxed Book & Map Set]: The Essential Guide to the Wines, Producers, and Terroirs of the Iconic Region by Peter Liem

From Peter Liem, the lauded expert behind the top-rated online resource ChampagneGuide.net, comes this groundbreaking guide to the modern wines of Champagne--a region that in recent years has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations in the wine-growing world. This luxurious box set includes a pullout tray with a complete set of seven vintage vineyard maps by Louis Larmat, a rare and indispensable resource that beautifully documents the region’s terroirs. With extensive grower and vintner profiles, as well as a fascinating look at Champagne’s history and lore, Champagne explores this legendary wine as never before.

The New Wine Rules: A Genuinely Helpful Guide to Everything You Need to Know by Jon Bonne

There are few greater pleasures in life than enjoying a wonderful glass of wine. So why does finding and choosing one you like seem so stressful?

Now, becoming a happier, more confident wine drinker is easy. The first step is to forget all the useless, needlessly complicated stuff the “experts” have been telling you. In The New Wine Rules, acclaimed wine writer Jon Bonné explains everything you need to know in simple, beautifully illustrated, easy-to-digest tidbits. And the news is good! For example: A wine’s price rarely reflects its quality. You can drink rosé any time of year. Don’t save a great bottle for anything more than a rainy day.

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France (25th Anniversary Edition) by Kermit Lynch

“Wine is, above all, about pleasure. Those who make it ponderous make it dull . . . If you keep an open mind and take each wine on its own terms, there is a world of magic to discover.” So wrote the renowned wine expert Kermit Lynch in the introduction to Adventures on the Wine Route, his ultimate tour of France, especially its wine cellars.

Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink Like the World's Top Wine Professionals by Rajat Parr, Jordan Mackay, Ed Anderson

A fascinating exploration of the inside world of sommeliers, sharing their unique perspectives, extensive expertise, and best stories.

Rajat Parr’s profound knowledge of wines, deep relationships with producers, and renowned tasting abilities have made him a legend in the business. As wine director for the Mina Group, Parr presides over the lists at some of the country’s top restaurants. In Secrets of the Sommeliers, Parr and journalist Jordan Mackay present a fascinating portrait of the world’s top wine professionals and their trade. The authors interviewed the elite of the sommelier community, and their colleagues’ insights, recommendations, and entertaining stories are woven throughout, along with Parr’s own takes on his profession and favorite winemakers and wines. Along the way, the authors give an immersion course in tasting and serving wine; share strategies for securing hard-to-find bottles at a good price and identifying value sweetspots among the many regions; and teach readers how to make inspired food pairings.