|
| How to Taste : A Guide to Enjoying Wine | 
 enlarge | Author: Jancis Robinson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $18.28
You Save: $7.72 (30%)
New (7) Used (8) from $13.73
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 153383
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
ASIN: B0000CAR5J
Publication Date: September 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Whether Montessori or Merlot, kindergarten or Cabernet, the importance of a good instructor during the formative years is crucial. That's why newcomers to the world of wine could do a lot worse than having a corkscrew in one hand and a copy of Jancis Robinson's How to Taste in the other. A revision of 1983's Masterglass and published in the U.K. under the superior title Jancis Robinson's Wine-Tasting Workbook, How to Taste is a primer by a certified Master of Wine and star of the PBS series Jancis Robinson's Wine Course. From acidity to Australian Shiraz, oak to Oregon Pinot, Robinson delivers chapters of information and theory, intermingled with shaded "Practice" exercises, presented in a style as off-dry as one of the author's beloved Rieslings (the tannin in a lesser vintage Barolo is "like sucking on a matchstick"). Sometimes tuition at Jancis U. runs high: the lesson on sugar/acid balance culminates with expensive Sauterne "Practice." And even if Robinson risks, by dropping words like "charred" and "umami" early in the book, sending novices back to tear open a fresh box of Franzia, vinous virgins are encouraged to stick with it. By the time they get to the glossary at book's end, they'll be identifying wines at blind tastings with professional accuracy--which, Robinson encouragingly reveals, and she ought to know, is about 50 percent. --Tony Mason
Product Description
Hailed by Paul Levy in The Wall Street Journal as "our cleverest, most thoughtful wine writer," Jancis Robinson makes learning about wine almost as enjoyable as drinking it. With How to Taste, she's put together a unique wine-tasting course based on practical exercises that appeal to wine connoisseurs of all levels.Robinson explains first how we taste wine and food, and then about the grapes and wines themselves. In separate sections on theory and practice, she offers basic technical information about wine appreciation, then shows us how to apply it in sipping exercises -- all of which are based on readily available and, in most cases, inexpensive bottles. And how better to learn about wine than by actually drinking it? By the time you finish this book, you'll know how to recognize the most popular grape varieties from Chardonnay to Riesling, to Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, and why you should choose a good sparkling wine over a cheap champagne. You will know how to judge sweetness, acidity, and fruitiness as well as the difference between the length and weight of a wine, and you will be able to distinguish wines from around the world. Robinson also arms you with practical advice about dealing with wine in the real world: choosing from a wine list; setting up and recording your own wine tastings; spitting out your sample mouthful correctly; and complementing food flavors with wine. Innovative, informative, and above all fun, How to Taste is designed to be taken with you everywhere, from the armchair to the vineyard to the wine shop and back to the table.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 me likey August 8, 2008
i thought it was a good beginners book. it had plenty of detail about wine (and everything that goes into producing it) without encumbering a neophyte (such as myself)
 Wish I had read this before my wine tasting tour May 8, 2008
Easy and enjoyable to read. I learned a lot from page one. I did not feel like I was studying for a test, but painlessly absorbing interesting information about grapes. The book answered questions I didn't know I had, and explained things I had been wondering about for years, like how to spit at a tasting.
 Beginners essential book February 16, 2008
There are three books I recommend to all eager students of wine: Kevin Zraly's "Windows on the World Wine School"; Karen MacNeil's "Wine Bible" and Jancis Robinson's "How to Taste". Jancis's book is a fun guide to learning the most important part of wine, the taste. Knowing how to taste and compare wine makes it so much fun. Even if you don't do all of the exercises, you will learn a lot and enjoy wine more.
Excellent material for winelovers and beginners February 13, 2008
In this book, Jancis Robinson's witty style is more relevant than ever - good british humour at its best. For seasoned wine appreciators and for those who begin their initiation in the affairs of this fascinating beverage, this book is an invaluable and veritable course on the art of tasting. If you're interested in improving your sensibility and using your senses in a more refined and pleasurely way, this is a most welcome work. Highly recommended.
A Blind Taster's Handbook! November 25, 2007
I actually put this book at about a 4.5 rating. This is a great little handbook that helps educate the reader about blind tasting and tasting terms. As far as learning about critical evaluation of wine this is a must unless you have access to the WSET Advanced Handbook (you have to be a WSET student). Bravo Jancis on another great read.
Pros: has great tasting games and tips, great terms, well written
Cons: limited scope, some non-pertinant info
|
|
|
| |
