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Books for beginners, books for experts, books for traveling, books for cooking, wine books everywhere on every subject! Even books on how to open a winery.
There have been thousands of books published covering nearly every aspect of wine you can think of. It can be difficult to sort through them all to find the gems that are actually worth reading.
We've broken out the 15 best wine books below. Whether you're a wine newbie, a world-class sommelier, or a wine negociant looking to make the best wine list , there's a book for you!
Best Books to Learn About Wine Overall
Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide
When Wine Folly was first published in 2017, it became an overnight sensation. This visual masterpiece conveys an expert-level knowledge of wine using simple infographics. Now back as an even larger wine omnibus, the Magnum edition is the best overall book for beginners and experts alike. More than 100 wines and grapes are color-coded by style to make it even easier to determine the best wines for your tastes and pairing options, including the best wine to pair with turkey. Food and wine pairings are listed and it even explains the role of acid in wine and the importance of tannins in wine. You can't read Wine Folly and not learn something new. You may even find some new gluten free wine brands.
The World Atlas of Wine 8th Edition
Since 1971, The World Atlas of Wine has been considered one of the most essential and authoritative wine reference books available. The newest iteration is a 2020 James Beard Award winner and is bigger and more comprehensive than ever. The book is filled to the brim with beautiful maps, stunning photography, and more. There are plenty of in-depth explanations regarding the origins and characteristics of grapes and the wines they produce. The World Atlas of Wine belongs on every wine lover’s shelf. It is the perfect resource for all people interested in wine including those new to wine, vineyard owners, or sommeliers. If you run a wine bar, reading this may teach you how to increase restaurant sales.
Best Wine Tasting Book: The Wine Bible
There's a reason The Wine Bible has been praised by the likes of master chef Bobby Flay and award-winning wine educator Kevin Zraly. The Wine Bible is a perennial bestseller that covers winemaking to wine tasting and everything in between-maybe even a lamb wine pairing. Karen MacNeil based the book entirely on her first-hand research with descriptions so vivid you can almost taste the wine yourself. You can learn about the best regional wines, the history of winemaking across the world, and wine food pairings. The Wine Bible is one of the most comprehensive, yet palatable, wine books on the market. You won't find a more helpful and easy to read wine tasting book.
Best Books for Learn About Wine for Beginners
The New Wine Rules: A Genuinely Helpful Guide to Everything You Need to Know
Critically acclaimed wine writer Jon Bonné demystifies the world of wine and tackles many misconceptions about wine in this easy-to-read book. Far-removed from the idea of "wine-snobbery," The New Wine Rules is a wine book written for the common person. Rather than explain the minute differences between wines, this book aims to answer questions that can actually help a beginner. If you want to learn about the proper wine storage temperature or how to age wine, this book makes it easy. Jon Bonné eliminates the feeling of being judged by wine aficionados and gives you the answers you want most while making it fun.
Wine Simple: A Totally Approachable Guide from a World-Class Sommelier
Ever pick up a wine book hoping to learn more? Then discover that you've opened one of the most confusing and largest wine reference books known to man. Just keep it simple. Aldo Sohm filled Wine Simple with beautiful accessible infographics that contain all the knowledge you need to begin your wine journey without getting overwhelmed. From illustrated drinking and tasting guides to an aroma pie chart, you're guaranteed to be entertained and educated. There's even a step-by-step guide to sabering open a bottle of wine if you're daring enough. Though, we prefer the normal way to open a wine bottle.
Wine: A Beginner's Guide
Kenneth Fredrickson's book offers some of the most simplified and easy to understand explanations for a variety of wine questions. He covers important topics like the four proper steps for taste testing wine. How to handle and open a wine bottle. Or how to store bottles to ensure you never experience bottle shock in wine. If you're looking for a wine guide that's practical for the everyday person, Wine: A Beginner's Guide might be right for you. You can learn about the complexities of wine flavors or what wine to drink with a fish dinner.
The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert: Take a Whiff of That
It may seem like a joke, but this is one of the most interesting wine books on the market. Master sommelier Richard Betts has taken his years of experience and knowledge and distilled it into 22 pages of scent-filled fun. Will this book teach you about wine oxidation? Will it help you understand the number of calories in wine or calories in rose wine? No, it will not. What it will do is let you experience the aromas of wine without having to visit your local wine dealer. It's also a great book to break out at parties and display near your growing collection of wine.
Best Wine Books for Experts
The Oxford Companion to Wine
The Oxford Companion to Wine is the definitive guide to wine and has the accreditation to prove it. Since first being released in 1994, the book has received every major wine book award, including the James Beard award for this newest edition. It has more than 180 contributors with backgrounds ranging from renowned academics to famous wine writers and wine specialists. There is no better-researched wine book available and all wine professionals and experts should have this book on their shelves. The in-depth analysis of grape cultivation to the fermentation process can answer any question you have. It can even explain why there's sugar in wine or tackle what may set off wine allergies.
Kevin Zraly Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: Revised & Updated / 35th Edition
If there are 34 editions published, you know the book is good. For the past three decades, James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award winner Kevin Zraly has unraveled the mysteries of wine for his readers. Windows on the World distills all of his knowledge into entertaining and informational stories that can make anyone feel like an expert. If you want to know the wine alcohol content of your favorite variety, look no further. By the end of this book you'll be aching to pick up the best wine decanter to use with all the new varietals you discovered. His analysis is second-to-none, and he even quizzes the reader throughout the book. This is one of the most-loved and most important wine books for all self-proclaimed wine experts.
The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia
This new edition of a perennial classic is 800 pages filled with deep, robust explanations for all manners of wine-related questions. The book includes everything from tasting charts to lists of unusual wines to a 500-million-year history of wine. If you want to know if you can freeze wine and the effect it has on the wine, this book will have the answer. The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia is one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date wine books in the world. No wine shelf is complete without this landmark book.
Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours
Understanding wine begins with understanding the grapes that it is made from. There is no other book or resource that comes close to being and detailed and useful as Wine Grapes A Complete Guide. This 2,500+ page book details more than 1,400 different grape varieties. Using cutting-edge DNA analysis, Jancis Robinson left no stone unturned in the quest to understand wine grapes. The book even features an eight-page gatefold wine family trees and many beautiful illustrations. Any wine expert or student can gain something from reading this masterpiece.
Best Food and Wine Pairing Books
What to Drink with What You Eat
James Beard Award winner authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg put together this award-winning comprehensive guide to food-wine pairs. This knowledgeable duo has gone further than anyone else and compiled a list of the best food pairings for wine, coffee, tea, and more. Using their knowledge as world-class sommeliers, the pair have created a book that's just as useful for professionals as it is for novices. You'll never again question whether a particular red wine goes with the chicken you're having for dinner, or if it’s the best wine to pair with salmon.. What to Drink with What You Eat is the pinnacle of food-related wine books. As a bartender, this book is vital in learning how to sell wine.
Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food
Evan Goldstein tackles the twelve most common varietals and their perfect food pairs in this 328-page book. Goldstein chose not to only focus on French, Italian, and Californian wines. In Perfect Pairings, South African, Chilean, Argentinian, New Zealand, and Australian wines all make an appearance. He also helps explain pairings for Asian, Creole, and Latin American dishes. The book even includes 50+ recipes from celebrated chef Joyce Goldstein to help you make the most out of the pairings. So, get ready to break out that cooking wine.
The Food & Wine Guide to Perfect Pairings: 150+ Delicious Recipes Matched with the World's Most Popular Wines
The editors of Food & Wine Magazine put together this kitchen-essential cookbook. With an emphasis on the most popular wine varietals, this book supplies 15+ recipes for each. These recipes are from some of the most famous people's kitchens including Ina Garten and Francis Ford Coppola. Any wine you purchase can be paired to a delicious dish if you just follow this handy guide.
Max McCalman's Wine and Cheese Pairing Swatchbook: 50 Pairings to Delight Your Palate
Another fun entry to the list, Max McCalman's Wine and Cheese Pairing Swatchbook is a perfect gift for the party planner in your life. Put together by the country's foremost cheese expert (yes, that's a real thing), this swatch book is written with the cheese lover in mind. Just fan out this swatch book to your favorite cheese or wine and see what you should be pairing it with. There are also some fun descriptions on each swatch card. You'll get a little more information about the cheese and related cheeses if you can't get your favorite. This is the perfect "book" to break out next time you want to have a fun wine-and-cheese night.
Fill Your Bookshelf With Wine
Don't just drink wine, understand wine.
A good selection of wine books can help you further your knowledge about this mysterious elixir. Whether you like red wines or white wines, are an expert or a novice, there's a wine book for you. You may even learn things like the calories in white wine. They also make the perfect shelf decorations for when you host your next gathering. For even more informations check out some of the best wine lists or most popular wine lists in the country. You can even watch a sommelier documentary if you're so inclined.
Just make sure not to spill that wine on your new book or you'll have to purchase a new one. A good wine pourer can help prevent that. If you do spill, we can help you learn how to remove red wine stains or pick up one of the best wine stain removers.
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