Oz Clarke

I would have rated this book 4-stars if the author hadn't included 14 photos of himself in the book. In reading a book on wine, I'm not really concerned with what the author looks like. That having been said, the book got better as it went along. The sections on the classic Left Bank and Right Bank appellations were solid and contained the standard information, with the addition of a few choice nuggets drawn from the author's extensive visits to Bordeaux. Where the book shines is in the show more attention paid to the Côtes and lesser appellations. After reading the book, I feel like I'm beginning to understand the differences between Blaye, Bourg, Francs, and Castillon. Still, this book is fairly introductory. It's great for anyone new to Bordeaux, and a good review of the rudiments for someone studying for the WSET Diploma (i.e., me). But for more in-depth treatment, I plan to look elsewhere. show less

A brilliant guide to wine for a beginner as well as a more informed wine enthusiast I especially enjoyed the country-by-country articles in Part 3. There's some specific suggestions made in those articles too, which is helpful. This book is well worth the price. It's one to keep on hand for general reference purposes.

"As usual I received this book for the purposes of review; this time from NetGalley. Also as usual I will give my candid opinions below.

Usually what I would do next is give the positives and negatives of the book. In this case it's difficult to be sure since everything I say can either be interpreted as positive or negative. Therefore, I resort to bulletpoints.

* This one is most assuredly positive. The book is just filled with all manner of photos, maps, diagrams and every other imaginable show more visual aid.

* The book is meticulously detailed. This is no beginner's guide; I've seen textbooks in Organic Chemistry that contained less information. For each wine you get enough information that you could practically grow the grapes yourself.

* In addition to the depth of knowledge, the book's scope is amazingly broad. It tells you not only how to choose a wine but where it was grown, what weather conditions it prefers and all the way to how to get the cork out.

In summary, you really only need one book on wine and this is that book. If there's something about wine that's not in this book then you don't need to know it." show less

For those who love history but do not have much time, try The History of Wine in 100 Bottles: from Bacchus to Bordeaux and Beyond by Oz Clarke. Photographs and vivid descriptions will take you from 6,000 BC to Greece where the spread of the wine and the vine was launched in Europe to the history of bottles, famous vintners and vintages, landmark tastings, innovations and discoveries as well as fraud in the wine world all through the ages.