This is basically a compendium of brief reviews of those wine- or spirit-related books that I think are worth reading for their educational and entertainment value. Only the best books I’ve read make the cut. You can buy them from Amazon through our site, and help support us that way, Just click the book name in the paragraphs below.

The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil

This lively, well-written book is a thorough introduction to the world of wine. If you are looking for an enjoyable way to learn about the major wines of the world, The Wine Bible, is the book you need. The first 100 pages or so are a primer of grape-growing, winemaking, grape varietals, serving wine, tasting wine and an artful attempt to clarify what makes a good wine. The rest of the book is divided into sections of the most important wine-producing nations, and serves as a great reference. It is filled with sidebars about food, spirits, personalities and summaries of the most important facts about each region. The writing is easy to follow, yet full of vivid description and literary embroidery. The book’s only flaw is that too much time is taken up on peripheral wine-growing regions in the US, when she could have written about the wines of Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition by Tom Stevenson

This is the reference book for wine. It has information regarding almost every aspect of wine grapes, production, growing, storage, serving, pairing, aromas, and on and on. The bulk of this huge book is an evaluation of the state of wine on every continent and in every country that has any amount of viticulture. It contains tens of thousands of recommendations and is well-organized for the reader’s reference. This is a great reference book, but is not really the type of book you would get for casual reading. It is a great tool for somebody who is trying to study wine in-depth and also makes a good coffee table book, bookshelf filler and a way to look up information about wine, the same way an encyclopedia is to general subjects.

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France by Kermit Lynch

If you like Kermit Lynch’s wines, this is a great way to find out how he selects them. Lynch searches far and wide around France for artisanal wines that are made not by Michel Rolland’s template or to please Robert Parker’s palate, but by time-honored traditions that create unique, natural wines that are made to enjoy and not to score points. He is a great storyteller, though the book does begin to drag on a bit at the end. Though a bit outdated by now, an astute reader will pick up many tips on buying wine and traveling in France.

Tasting Pleasure: Confessions of a Wine Lover, by Jancis Robinson

Robinson may be the most talented wine writer I have ever read. Her prose is a wonderful tapestry of words and information, though this can sometimes make it difficult to actually understand how a wine she describes tastes. This novel is an inspiring tour of the evolution of her own career; an informative explanation of the evolution of the wine industry; and an entrancing series of wine tastings and dinners that she somehow makes interesting to read. This is the perfect book for the wine lover boarding an airplane, stepping on to BART or just needing a good read at home.

Big Shots: The Men Behind the Booze by A. J. Baime

This is a book about the big names of the spirits industry (and Dom Perignon) for good measure. I had trouble putting it down for long enough to babble on and on to my girlfriend about how Jack Daniel learned to make bourbon from a slave at the age of nine; or about the raping and pillaging of Captain Morgan; or about Bacardi putting up money with the US government to hire mob hitmen to try and kill Castro; or… I’ll stop. This book is hilarious, very lively and full of great stories to tell your fellow bar patrons. Heard the rumor about the Irish guy who invented Bailey’s? You can find out if it’s true or not in this book. This is one of those books you’ll either read in one sitting or just leave in the bathroom for great reading material.

The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World by Christy Campbell

This book is a combination of a history book, a wine-growing primer and an adventure book. It is an amazingly well-researched, well-fleshed out and colorful account of when a species of aphid, known as phylloxera, almost destroyed wine forever. It is packed full of interesting viticultural information that is fun to read and informative. It has little direct connection to the state of wine today, but it is a spectactular and enjoyable book written about a scourge that meant to wine what the American Revolution meant to the history of the world. It is one of my all time favorites.

Mondovino by Albiera Antinori, Lodovico Antinori, Michael Broadbent and Battista Columbu.

This movie is all about wine and nothing like Sideways. Wow, I don’t no where to start. Well, it is a whirlwind tour of dirt and beauty of the world of wine. From the industry-shaping pen and palate of modest Robert Parker to the empire of micro-oxygenation of the flamboyant Michel Rolland (Parker’s friend and the world’s eminent wine consultant) to the passionate producer in Brazil with one acre who produces quality wine in the middle of the jungle to help himself survive, this movie is the best movie ever about the worl… y’know what cut that short … if you love wine, this is the best movie ever. I first saw it with my friend Angelo, a winemaker imported from Italy who lived for wine, women and food and appreciated all three gracefully. He described it with the same passion he spoke of women, with a romantic lilt to his Italian accent saying so much more than just the word that came out of his stunned lips: “Beautiful!”

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