4 Great Books on Wine

We often get asked to recommend books on wine. With so many wonderful books available, selecting only a few to recommend is a huge challenge.

We have listed four exceptional books below.

They are exceptional because they are targeted at specific audiences and are written in a way truly matched to those audiences.

Wine could never be described as a dry subject but understanding wine can involve some sobering reading. The skillful authors below provide Grand Cru excellence to the world of wine appreciation and understanding.

Regardless of your current level of knowledge and expertise, at least one of the books recommended will improve your knowledge and appreciation of wine.

Enjoy!

The Best Wine 101 book you can buy:

Wine Folly – The Essential Guide To Wine

by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack

Wine can be so very complicated so recommending a book for someone who has just become interested in wine and wants to learn more should be a challenge, but it isn’t.

The Wine Folly, Essential Guide to Wine is the perfect introduction to learning about wine. Short, simple and clear explanations are provided on the key, need to know elements, that form the building blocks to wine knowledge. Easy to read with lots of images this is the perfect Wine 101 manual.

The Next Step – I want to learn more!!!!

Certified Specialist of Wine Study Guide

By Jane Nickles (also known as the Bubbly Professor)

This book provides a serious insight into all aspects of wine and wine making. It is designed for wine lovers and wine professionals who want greater knowledge on wine and wine production, grapes and regions. It also includes information on wine tasting and wine faults and will provide readers with a comprehensive knowledge base on all matters wine.

Of critically importance, and why it is on our recommended list, is it is really well laid out and written, so even though it is a serious text book it is very easy to read.

Examination Question: Is wine making an art or a science? Please discuss. The answer of course is “Yes!” If anyone wants to truly understand the science of wine making, look no further than:

Understanding Wine Technology

By David Bird

Now this book is a text book. It covers all aspects of wine making and, while most of the book is reasonably easy to read, some parts involve “heavy lifting.” The beauty of this book is the depth to which the author takes the reader in understanding each step of wine making. It is difficult to imagine how anyone could present the detail in this book in a more easily digestible (quaffable) manner.

Of particular interest to those wishing to improve their tasting skills are excellent chapters on Wine Faults and Wine Tasting (Chapters 20 and 21).

As both a Chartered Chemist and a Master of Wine, there is probably no-one better placed to explain
the science of wine.

Last, but by no means least, anyone wanting to learn about wine needs to learn about grapes. The most in-depth book on grapes is the amazing “Wine Grapes” by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz. For most mortals however this is not a book for reading but a wonderful reference book or encyclopedia of grapes. So, as a great introduction to grape varietals we suggest “Grapes & Wines” by Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand.

Grapes & Wines

by Oz Clarke & Margaret Rand

Oz Clarke, a long-standing wine guru (i.e. Master of Wine), and Margaret Rand (of Decanter fame) have produced a very readable and enjoyable book on grapes described as “a comprehensive Guide to Varieties and Flavours.” Entitled “Grapes & Wines” this is a fabulously presented, well written book and one that can either be read from start to finish or can be delved into at any point for a pleasant tasting that will help slake that thirst for wine knowledge.