Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide 6th Edition : The Complete, Easy-to-Use Reference on Recent Vintages, Prices, and Ratings for More Than 8,000 Wines from All the Major Wine Regions Thoroughly revised and updated, this sixth edition of the Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide has been eagerly awaited by seasoned collectors and occasional drinkers alike. No one wants to waste his or her precious dollars on an unenjoyable bottle, and with Parker’s advice in hand, no one ever will. Employing his famous 100-point rating system, Parker rates more than 8,000 wines from all the major wine-producing regions in the world — including newly expanded sections on the popular wines of California and Italy. Each wine producer is evaluated separately, and Parker’s independence allows him to be completely honest in his opinions. In addition, the book includes other essential information, such as how to buy and store wine, how to spot a badly stored and abused bottle, and how to find the best wine values for under $10.
Customer Review: Five books in one
Parker’s guide currently available came out some time already and does not cover the latest vintages, but the book is still an incredible source of information about wine-making, geographical regions etc. It’s as if we were buying a few good books in one. You have over 1,600 pages in the book! As such, it offers very good value, especially at the discounted price at which it’s available now. It is especially useful for people interested in European wines, as it does not cover New World brands in such detail as it does, for example, French or German wines. I strongly recommend the book not just to wine buyers but also to people who want to know more about wines. No other book offers so much at this price. Personally, I treat the reviews as guidelines only though; You may not necessarily like the wines Parker likes, or you may not necessarily be able to afford them. The book does not cover the cheapest lot
Customer Review: A Brilliant Wine Buying Guide
This book is a wine buying guide, pure and simple, by one of the most highly recognized wine critics of our generation. Put the man aside whether or not you agree with his rating systems and the impact they have had on the price structure of wine. Instead, focus you attention on the purpose of the review, his book. 1635 pages in which he rates wines from the greatest producers on Earth over the past decade. His descriptions make you want to run right out and purchase a bottle to have with dinner. His rating scores are right on and there is no reason to doubt them. Very well done in 2002, this work is very much out of date today.
(Joseph Broski - Dionysian Society International)

From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table Wine is seen as the natural partner of many great cuisines, but few people associate it with Persian food, one of the world’s most sophisticated culinary traditions. The ties, in fact, are age-old. From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table (Mage; $50; 264 pages, with 160 color photos) weaves together history, poetry, a look at modern viniculture, and a wealth of recipes and wine pairings to celebrate the rightful relationship of wine and food on the Persian table.

“Whoever seeks the origins of wine must be crazy,” a Persian poet once declared, implying that simple enjoyment of this greatest gift of the grape ought to be enough. Since he wrote those words, however, winemaking has been traced all the way back to the northern uplands of the Fertile Crescent some seven millennia ago, the start of a journey that would take it across the Near East and then into Europe in the dawning years of civilization. Iran was one of the nurseries of the wine grape, and, as empires rose and fell there, princes, priests, poets and people in ordinary walks of life all embraced wine in various ways. After Islam came to Iran, wine drinking sometimes slipped from public view, but it never disappeared.

In this lavishly illustrated book, Najmieh Batmanglij explores that long and eventful history, then shifts her story to California’s famed Napa Valley, half a world away. There, in a kind of up-to-the-minute homage to the past, an Iranian-American named Darioush Khaledi uses the latest vinicultural techniques to make superb wines at a winery reminiscent of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the ancient Persian empire.

The final section of the book offers 80 recipes, a guide to Persian hospitality, both old and new, and seasonal menus for various occasions. Grapes play a role in most of the recipes, whether in the form of the fruit, the leaf, the juice, the syrup, unripe grapes or their juice (verjuice), vinegar or wine. Although these recipes are presented for the modern table, they are traditional–based on sources as various as a tenth-century Persian cookbook or the culinary archives of a sixteenth-century Persian court.

The book has two special sections. One, written by Dick Davis, a leading authority on Persian literature, discusses the unique links between poetry and wine-drinking in Persian culture. The other, by wine-and-food expert Burke Owens, offers guidelines for pairing wine with the distinctive ingredients used in Persian cooking. He has also provided wine suggestions for each recipe.
Customer Review: History, culture, food and wine… all in one book!
I have been enjoying “New Food of Life” for the past several years, and when I saw “From Persia to Napa” for sale at a vineyard in Napa, I knew I had to have it. While “New Food of Life” is primarily a cookbook sprinkled with wonderful bits of history, culture, poems, fables and Persian art, “From Persia to Napa” is a love story about wine. In the first half of the book, Ms. Batmanglij covers the history of wine, the evolution of wine and culture in Iran, and includes a long discussion of the new Darioush Winery in Napa Valley, with many vivid photographs. The second half of the book are persian recipes that she has designed specifically to be paired with wine. The recipes are in general designed for high-end meals. Most are accompanied by photographs which make my mouth water! At the end of the book she includes suggested menus for persian meals at different times of the year. This is an aesthetically wonderful book as well as being fascinating reading, and she has elevated it to much more than a book of recipes matched with wine.
Customer Review: beautiful, unique book
A beautiful way to learn some Persian history and culture, and the role that wine has played.

Wines of Burgundy (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides)

Customer Review: Essental Burdundy Guide
A thorough review from A-Z with Burgundian wines and Domaines. Our recent visit would have been too haphazard without this guide.
Customer Review: Wines of Burgundy
There is simply no better guide to bring with you when traveling in Burgundy. It is pocket size and yet comprehensive. Other books maybe have great depth but they are suited for reading at home. This is the book that you bring with you and can satisfy the needs of the novice or the connisseur. Serena Sutcliffe is equal to any in her knowledge of Burgundy and you can not go wrong following her advice.
Make sure you get the 2005 edition as it has the latest vintage notes.

Curious Wine: A Novel

“The ultimate lesbian love novel.”-The Lesbian News

“A masterpiece of lesbian love.”-The Sacramento Star

The intimacy of a cabin at Lake Tahoe provides the combustible setting that brings Diana Holland and Lane Christianson together in this passionate novel of first discovery. Candid in its eroticism, intensely romantic, and remarkably beautiful, Curious Wine is a love story that will remain in your memory.

Katherine Forrest is the author of 12 books, including the groundbreaking science-fiction novel Daughters of a Coral Dawn and the enduringly popular Kate Delafield Mysteries. She lives in San Francisco.

Customer Review: A little outdated by now, but probably a good intro into the genre
This is the first lesbian romance that I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. The book can’t help being a bit outdated given when it was published and the time period it’s set in. The characters were well developed, and the romance was sweet. I felt a bit let down at the end, since once they left the cabin the remaining characters were completely neglected (we never even found out for sure if Liz took her husband back). I also wondered about the ease of Diana’s outing, in that the only person addressed was her dad. Having never come out to anyone, obviously I can’t attest to the accuracy of it, but I thought his reaction was sweet and sincere. I don’t much care for the “bodice ripper” style in general, and the whole interaction with Chick felt a bit that way — kind of unnecessary, and I could really have done without the detail in the aftermath (I doubt young women today would know what a good deal of the terms are referring to). It was slow going in the beginning, but picked up about 1/2 through, then did tend to turn a bit trashy, but I like trashy romance novels, so that worked for me. Anyway, I don’t have much to say that hasn’t been said already, but a heterosexual’s viewpoint can’t hurt, right? I doubt this will be the only dip into this genre I take, but I think I’ll stick with books written within the last 10 years or so, just so that I’ll be able to follow along a bit better. I was only a few years old in the time this book was set in, so I’m probably missing a bit of it.
Customer Review: One of the first lesbian novels I read and still one of the best!
Excellent novel. You will not be dissappointed. It might be too predictable for some, but I had a great deal of fun reading it. I could not put it down.

The Wine and Food Lover’s Diet: 28 Days of Delicious Weight Loss Eat good food, drink a little wine, lose weight! Sounds too good to be true? Not with The Wine and Food Lover’s Diet. Created by a sports doctor with a background in nutrition, this is a diet that combines healthful eating with a love of eating. Imagine a meal of bacon-topped arugula salad, pecan-crusted chicken paired with the perfect glass of wine, and closing with chocolate souffl or some ice cream and a cup of coffee and then, even better, looking at the decrease on the scales the next morning. Dr. Phillip Tirman’s 28-day plan sheds the pounds and the diet angst. He knows that most diets fail because they’re based on restricting the foods everyone loves the most and they’re impractical for today’s busy lifestyles. So he has developed a lifetime eating plan based on satisfaction, not deprivation. The key to feeling slimmer and healthier? It’s the surefire combo that is the foundation of the diet: one protein + two low-glycemic carbs = success. Using this formula, Dr. Tirman has created a menu plan to jump-start weight loss. He clearly and simply describes why high-glycemic carbs promote weight gain, while low-glycemic carbs do the opposite. Included are handy lists of beneficial Savvy Carbs and Super Savvy Carbs, which make it easy to tailor the diet to anyone’s tastes plus 100 really delicious recipes with wine pairing suggestions, illustrated in full color. There’s also clear advice for choosing take-out foods, for selecting diet-friendly restaurant dishes, and for using the diet to lose weight or simply to keep off the pounds already lost. The Wine and Food Lover’s Diet is the ultimate key to a healthier, fuller, longer, and more satisfying life.
Customer Review: Same ol High Protein Diet
I was really disappointed with this book and sent it back. I was hoping for a book that was about having balance, eating healthy but not depriving yourself. Instead, this book is the same old song about eating loads and loads of protein. There are absolutely NO carbs in any of the recipes (unless you count your veggies). This just isnt realistic. Power to you people who can follow Atkins, but our brains need glucose in order to function optimally - I know I do! Dont buy this if you’re hoping for a balanced diet - this is not. I give two stars because the recipes look good and are presented well.
Customer Review: not my type
This book has set diet menus and recipes instead of what I was looking for, a guide line for how to plan and carry out your own diet preference.

Michelin Green Guide Wine Regions of France The long-standing Michelin Travel Guides are an ideal travel companion for travelers who really want to connect with the world. Get to know the local way of life through detailed background information on the country, people, and culture. Quickly identify the best places to visit using Michelin’s star rating system. The best sites are highlighted on the sites map or you can follow a pre-planned driving tour. With the Michelin Travel Guide, let France’s wine regions tempt you to leave your car inland for wine sampling on ?le de Porquerolles and to go underground to the champagne cellars of Reims. Visit a cooperative to learn about the “terroir” of a Bordeaux red or explore Dijon’s Mus?e des Beaux-Arts.

The Food Lover’s Companion to the Napa Valley: Where to Eat, Cook, and Shop in the Wine Country Plus 50 Irresistible Recipes This is the first of its kind: an insider’s food guide to that gourmand’s paradise, the Napa Valley. Author and longtime resident Lori Lyn Narlock goes behind the scenes to discover where chefs shop, the best places to take a cooking class, or where to get a grapeseed oil massage. With complete details on the where, when, how, and how much, plus dozens of artful black-and-white photographs, this indispensible guide for food lovers even includes 50 recipes honoring the region’s local specialties. It’s a mouthwatering roster of the best that Napa has to offer.
Customer Review: Don’t go to Napa without this book!
Have been to Napa many times - but was unaware of the many gems this book uncovers - an incredible and fun resource for the food and wine lover! I will be seeking out these finds in the future! Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Great overview of Napa
This book covers all the areas I was interested in learning about before our trip to Napa Valley. The reviews seem unbiased and thoughtful. We had visited Napa 18 years ago and while we already had a few ideas, reservations, etc., this guide gave us even more places to consider. I’ve “earmarked” so many pages and even took this guide with us. It also includes maps, addresses and phone numbers and/or websites. Some good recipes are in the back. A good companion guide.

Soils for Fine Wines In recent years, viticulture has seen phenomenal growth, particularly in such countries as Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Chile, and South Africa. The surge in production of quality wines in these countries has been built largely on the practice of good enology and investment in high technology in the winery, enabling vintners to produce consistently good, even fine wines. Yet less attention has been paid to the influence of vineyard conditions on wines and their distinctiveness-an influence that is embodied in the French concept of terroir. An essential component of terroir is soil and the interaction between it, local climate, vineyard practices, and grape variety on the quality of grapes and distinctiveness of their flavor. This book considers that component, providing basic information on soil properties and behavior in the context of site selection for new vineyards and on the demands placed on soils for grape growth and production of wines. Soils for Fine Wines will be of interest to professors and upper-level students in enology, viticulture, soils and agronomy as well as wine enthusiasts and professionals in the wine industry.
Customer Review: Soils For Fine Wines
A great book on beginning growing. To get the full understanding about what Mr white is talking about the book Science in Agriculture I feel, should be read first. Great section,along with the pros and cons, of different types of irrigation. Seems to lean a little heavy on the soils of California. For the person not growing grapes but enjoys good wine it is an excellant sorce of how the wine gets its flavor. The principles presented will aid anyone growing almost anything.
Customer Review: A long-needed book
In “Soils for Fine Wines” Robert White sets to provide information needed for better understanding of how soils and their properties relate to management and wine-grape production. This book is a long-needed one indeed; most other viticultural books are discussing soil as an environmental factor only in passing.

The book begins by explaining how the soil is formed and how it relates to the environment; how it changes with time and how it should be managed sustainably. Then it goes into a deeper analysis of the soil’s makeup and structure, with a particular emphasis on understanding the vine root habitat. This is very important if a viticulturist is to understand effect of soil management practices on vine growth and production. Then the book details the supply of nutrients, explaining how these move into plant roots and what affects their availability. The reader is also given a brief introduction into precision viticulture and organic viticulture. The next section discusses soil, water and vine interrelationship, understanding of which is paramount for good irrigation management. The book contains information on various aspects of soil quality (physical, chemical and biological). The book then deals with soil as an important attribute for site selection and vineyard establishment. The final chapter discusses soil as it relates to the quality of the final product - wine. Here the author gives a well-balanced overview of the current state of knowledge of what is known as ‘terroir’ and he takes the reader on a journey around the wine-producing world by providing regional examples of how the soil and wine attributes seem to be related.

The book is well-written and easy to follow, although some might find it a bit technical at times. However, good explanation of technical terms is provided throughout and the book also has a number of illustrations and photographs that are helpful for easier understanding of the text.

I can recommend this book to students and professionals in viticulture and wine science. It is a long-awaited text dedicated specifically to vineyard soils and the way they affect grapevines and management strategies. This book will also be of great interest to anyone who wishes to better understand the link between environmental conditions and wine.

The Food and Wine of Greece: More Than 300 Classic and Modern Dishes from the Mainland and Islands

Customer Review: visually not appealing
I spotted it in a local book store and wasn’t that impressed. There’s tons of info and recipes which I’m sure are authentically excellent however what put me off is the poor, dark gray paper pages and lack of bright, high resolution color photos like you find in other cookbooks. I love to see how the dish is supposed to look like so I can know I’m preparing it the right way. Having to use a cookbook that looks more like a dusty, mystery novel is not too helpful nor inspiring.
Customer Review: A great book to own and share
I was raised on the recipes found in this book. Diane makes even the most seemingly complicated recipes manageable. I gave the book out as gifts this holiday season. I highly recommend it.

Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits Turn to Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits for quick answers to your questions about any alcoholic beverage and for insights into the history and origins of liquor. Whether you’re looking for technical advice or interesting conversation pieces, this resource is sure to meet all of your needs.
Customer Review: Get up to speed on spirits in 600 pages
There may be more recent books focused on wine or beer, but this is the most comprehensive guide to alcoholic beverages in general. Tired of listening to a couple of colleagues discussing a subject that I knew nothing about, I read this fascinating book, and soon turned the tables: until I showed them evidence, they simply would not believe that Amaretto was made made from apricot pits rather than almonds! Many other products, like Spanish sherry, have interesting details and histories that I had never suspected. About the organization, roughly one-third is devoted to wines (a chapter per country), one-third to other alcoholic beverages, and one-third to technical advice and appendices on menu-planning, storage, vintages, etc. A highly enjoyable and informative book, very nicely balanced.
Customer Review: Grossman’s sets a standard
Meant principally as a textbook, _Grossman’s_ is nevertheless imminently readable for fun. If you feel awkward in some social situations because you can’t comment intelligently on fine drink, this is a good place to start. You’ll come away from the book with a working knowledge of:

* world wine regions

* legal definitions of various liquor types

* liquor, beer and wine production

* principles of marketing and purchasing

* beverage service

* proper glassware

* liquor trivia

Certainly, this book lacks a contemporary voice. With an original copyright date of 1940, some of the text has remained unaltered for 60 years. It misses trends in recent American beer production, and doesn’t give very complete information about emerging wine producers, such as post-Apartheid South Africa. But at its heart, this is a thoroughly objective textbook which has been written and continuously edited specifically to be brand-neutral. This makes it the pre-eminent textbook for use in a general survey course on liquor service, or an invaluable resource for anyone trying to gain a healthy appreciation for alcohol.