[Note: This is a web-extra for SLM's September 2009 feature "What We Talk About When We Talk About Wine: An amateur wine enthusiast's report of facts, figures, opinions, and advice from three weeks spent talking about nothing but wine with a dozen St. Louis oenophiles." (Here's one other web-only extra that was posted on Feast.) This feature article currently appears only in print.]
A Few of the Author's Favorite Wine Books*
- The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World, by Lawrence Osborne
- Making Sense of Wine, by Matt Kramer
- Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris tasting That Revolutionized Wine, by George M. Taber
- A Hedonist in the Cellar: Adventures in Wine, by Jay McInerney
- The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine, by Benjamin Wallace
- 1001 Wines You Must Taste Before You Die, edited by Neil Beckett
- The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste, by Elin McCoy
* Linking to Amazon, so you can read more about the books there; certainly check your neighborhood bookstore to see if a local copy can become yours. A few additional notes, while I'm footnoting: I didn't care too much for Alice Feiring's The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization, and was so-so on Neal I. Rosenthal's Reflections of a Wine Merchant: On a Lifetime in the Vineyards and Cellars of France and Italy. I'm about to start Robin Goldstein's The Wine Trials, so no take yet. Lastly, my thoughts on a few of these books can be seen in this post to SLM's arts blog.
A Few of the Author's Favorite Wine Websites
- jancisrobinson.com
- tv.winelibrary.com/
- snooth.com/
- oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/matt_kramer/
- vinography.com/
- wineanorak.com/blog/
- thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/
- grazzac.blogspot.com/
Got some feedback about the article? Or this post? Leave a comment, or contact the author.
Reader Comments:
As a new wine guy...
Books:
Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine - Mark Oldman
The "For Dummies" book without the word "dummy" on the cover.
Windows on the World Complete Wine Course - Kevin Zraly
Every edition is always a great primer for people that don't know shit about wine. I read it when I was 21 and I read a newer addition again when I was 31.
The Oxford Companion to Wine - Jancis Robinson
The mother-fucking tomb once you decide your into wine. No? You're not going to sit down and read this baby, but you'll reference it like mad as points of interest crop up in your journey to wine enlightenment.
World Atlas of Wine - Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson
You read the Oxford Companion, and now you need to have some good maps so you have a better idea about just where your favorite 100% Northern Rhone syrah came from.
Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia - Tom Stevenson
Because you need an opinion that isn't Jancis Robinson's
Websites:
cellartracker.com
Not only will you keep track of your increasing collection on this site, you can see who also rated your favorite wines high and cross reference it with other favorites of theirs you haven't had. It's a great way to guarantee success.
vinography.com
Sure this guy's often rating highly priced wines, but his biographies of winemakers and descriptions of vineyards keep me coming back for more even if I can't always afford them--or even track them down.
drvino.com
Tyler Colman's blog. This is one of the more laid back wine blogs I've run across while still spewing forth a wealth of information. He's also the guy who's always calling it like it is and I get the impression he's the guy the big wine dogs love to hate.
winespectator.com
Only for the forums which are infinitely more active then cellartracker--though they're filled with point whores.
erobertparker.com
Only because Parker and Jay Miller's tastes seem to be similar to mine. When they score a wine big, I generally like it. Tip: find a reviewer who's opinion you actually approve of and only bother reading them. A 100 point wine from a critic who's tastes vary wildly from your own serves you absolutely no purpose.
33wine.com
For the up to date wine list and sweet chalkboard sound.
wineanorak.com
goodgrape.com
steveheimoff.com (this is a must read for me, even if I don't have time for the others)
reignofterrior.com
winebusiness.com
I think that vincellar.com is a good tool for buying/selling, cellar management, etc.
Thanks for those 3 comments. Taking notes..... Stephen