Guides and Companions

Bundschu, J., et al. (c1999). The Wine Brats’ Guide to Living With Wine. New York: St. Martin's Griffin.

Written by three sons from different prominent wine families, this source attempts to fight the snobby stereotype associated with wine lovers using wit and impertinence. This collection of essays includes topics such as tasting, buying, evaluating, ordering, storing, and serving wine. Pairing food with wine, regions, and shopping, whether in the store, online, or in a restaurant, are also discussed.

Johnson, H. (2003). Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book. New York: Fireside.

Written by an esteemed wine connoisseur, this is a very popular pick for many wine lovers. It contains comprehensive vintage information and recommended wines for current drinking. It also discusses wine trends and food and wine matches. Using humor and style, this book is considered to be a good quick reference.

Kolpan, S., Smith B. H., & Weiss, M. (c2002). Exploring Wine: The Culinary Institute of America’s Complete Guide to Wines of the World (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

Food and wine are often chosen together. This work provides a chapter that is great for pairing wine and food, complete with tables and menus. Though much advise is given, Kolpan still allows for personal preference. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Parker, R.M., Jr. (c1995). Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon &
Schuster.

This guide is an educational buying manual. It may be a bit detailed for a beginner and reading the introduction is important to understand the ratings. Although this guide is intended for the more serious wine drinker, it is included in this pathfinder because Parker discusses additives in wine and gives a list of producers that avoid overmanipulation.

Robinson, J. (Ed.). (c1999). The Oxford Companion to Wine (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

This companion has a very broad scope. 3,000 entries, arranged in alphabetical order, cover topics such as the characteristics of wine, chemistry, grape varieties, agricultural practices, descriptive tasting terminology, people, customs, countries, commerce, and even the role of wine in poetry. Written scholarly by experts, many articles have cross-references and conclude with citations. This is not really a book to browse, there are few illustrations and articles are detailed. However, this is a good reference source for questions that may arise when learning more about wine.

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