Wine’s Complication is Good…Read On
Need proof that wine is complicated, that a real learning curve exists in becoming wine-competent? How about an entire book just to decipher and translate wine labels.
I don’t bemoan the fact that wine is a complicated product. In fact in large part it is the complications of the different appellations, varieties, vintages, governing bodies and descriptors that go toward helping to describe a wine that makes the beverage so interesting. I mean, you don’t see many books the label on an can of green beans.
It strikes me that Peter Saunders’ "Wine Label Language" is just the kind of useful volume you might want to give someone who is just beginning to show an interest in wine. Saunders breaks the book into European and "New World" sections. This makes perfect sense. There are far more regulations and rules in Europe that are represented on their wine labels than their New World counterparts have to deal with. Add to this that it’s in Europe where wine is often described by it’s appellation, where the wine was made, rather than by the grape that made the wine as is done in the "New World". This takes some explanation.
Is this the NZ Peter Saunders? A quick google and appears it is. Either I missed it, or the book has had no publicity in NZ. I haven’t even seen it in the stores.