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| How to Taste : A Guide to Enjoying Wine | 
 enlarge | Author: Jancis Robinson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $19.15
You Save: $6.85 (26%)
New (6) Used (6) from $11.58
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 778678
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
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| Customer Reviews:
 Throw A Wine Tasting Party May 14, 2007
Janice Robinson's books are wine gospels. This book is for anyone who wants to taste and enjoy more wine. Don't be intimidated. She is not a wine snob and writes her books for everyone. I threw a wine party after reading this book and passed along some of my new knowledge with my friends. I feel much more confident giving wine as a host/hostess gift now.
 Greg's Review!!! January 4, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am using the book as a reference guide because I am already reasonably proficient in tasting wine, however from what I have read so far it is very informative and an excellent learning medium for the novice and the experienced wine taster alike.
Nothing quite like it November 10, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
There are dozens upon dozens of reference books that explain wine in very technical terms. The Oxford Companion to wine has in depth entries on everything from the making of sparkling wines to polyphenols such as resveratrol. The World Atlas of Wine contains remarkable maps and explanations of all of the mapped regions. These are, of course, essential to anyone wanting to learn about wine.
But this transcends all reference guides. This book tells you how to truly enjoy this enchanting beverage *and* teaches you about wine along the way.
If you go through this book, and not only read but actually work with the practical tastings, you can not help but come out of it comfortable enough in your own understanding and convictions to "rap" with experienced oenophiles.
Great Intro to Tasting October 4, 2004
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
I bought the book a year or so ago so this review benefits from the added perspective of time. At about that time, I was becoming more and more interested in wine, but at wine festivals and the like I found that I knew what I liked, but not why I liked it, and where I could go to explore the favored elements in more detail. I remember going through this book doing some of the exercises like trying different glass shapes, trying wines blindfolded, tasting wines made from the same grape but from different regions, etc. I occasionally had friends over to do some of the exercises in a party environment, and the exercises proved to be a great date idea as well! I remember her exercises were quite flexible as well suggesting cheaper alternatives to the classic examples. Other reviewers have pointed to the omissions of their favorite wine regions or varietals, but this book is very much focused on exciting the novice, and might be overstepping its goal by presenting the limited reference section at all. Not everything can be covered here, but it's a fun springboard into the world of wine by one of the true experts in the field.
 Fun and interesting, but sometimes lacking March 4, 2004
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
The topic of wine can intimidate many people and Jancis goes out of her way to diminish the fear factor. Many of her explanations are excellent, her exercises are fun and she is always encouraging and positive. The best part is that she really does help the reader identify and isolate the different building blocks of taste: for example, what does acidity feel like on your tongue, and what does it taste like in a yoghurt versus lemon, and finally in a young pinot noir versus and aged cabernet? However, at times I found that Jancis did not give enough information and left me confused. For instance, she says that Riesling wines fall into the semi-sweet category, but neglects to mention that this is only for German Rieslings; Rieslings from Alsace are very dry. Buy this book if you are willing to spend homework time in the wine store and reading other books, supplementing what Jancis tells you herself. Also, since most of these exercises are based on blind tastings, buy the book only if you have someone with whom to do them.
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