Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

Nov 26, 2012

Wine: And Through Me You Shall Know Truth

Loam Baby: A Wine Culture Journal is a very familiar thing provided in a very antiquated package. Loam Baby (Vol 1) arrived at my home by mail because it is in print form. Yet, upon opening this little black volume and reading it cover to cover, I felt like I was reading a wine blog. Its contents, a collection of interviews, ruminations and location guides covering 66 pages of pulp could have easily been delivered digitally in the form of…

Oct 25, 2012

The Most Important Wine Book in Years

The list price of Jancis Robinson’s new “Wine Grapes” is $175. It’s a bargain. Since working in the wine business beginning in 1990, only one book has been released in those 20+ years  that I consider essential, something that must be in your collection simply because without it you risk being uninformed, unenlightened and possibly without inspiration when you need it. That book is the Oxford Companion to Wine, published first in 1994. Jancis Robinson edited that book. Today I…

Sep 25, 2012

A Real Insider’s Guide To Napa Valley

Between 1985 and 1995 I traveled to France fairly regularly; usually twice per year. Due to various familial circumstances, each of my visits to the the country included a week in Paris, alone. I can say without equivocation that the most important item I always brought with me to Paris was a great guide book. In the 80s and 90s, a “great guide book” possessed a few essential features for me: 1. It had to be very handy to lug…

Sep 11, 2012

The Whole (mostly) Wine World: In a Nutshell

If you by chance had it in mind to author a smallish pocket book that economically and entertainingly attempted to condense and describe the bulk of the global wine world, don’t bother. Oz has that covered. Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Book 2012 is the 21st incarnation of this amazing little book. By use of code, symbols, small type, varied typeface and years of experience, Clarke uses this (literally) pocket sized book of 368 pages to draw a very concise picture…

Sep 6, 2012

The Wine Books You Will Be Buying

Wine literature doesn’t just appear between the 1’s and 0’s of the Internet and in the pages of magazines and newspapers. In fact, many of us have for years relied on book form publications for our foundational wine education and for some of the best writing on wine anywhere. So, it’s always interesting to see what’s coming down the pike. Below is my list of some of the most interesting, important and unique wine books set to be published before…