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Site Contents Wine Tastings Wine Books Book Awards
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Books on Wine Appreciation and WinemakingAlthough nothing can replace actually tasting wines in order to figure out what you like, wine books often provide an interesting perspective with recommendations by wine region or by wine type. Other wine books offer more of a perspective on the winemaker's philosophy. Together, they can give you the courage and enough curiosity to try something new. For a first book on simply tasting and enjoying wine, I would highly recommend the The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine (2nd Edition). (All books available from Powell's Bookstore.)
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![]() Head of Christie's wine department since 1966, the author has tasted almost everything. In this volume, Broadbent offers detailed accounts of wines he's tried, peppered with anecdotes of wine dinners and wealthy oenophiles. Each major wine-producing region, from Bordeaux to California to New Zealand and everywhere in between, has its own chapter. This book just won the James Beard Award for the best book of 2003 in the Wine and Spirits category. (Buy from Powell's or Amazon.com.) |
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Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage by Dorothy J. Gaiter, John Brecher | Hugh Johnson's Cellar Book by Hugh Johnson | The River Cafe Wine Primer by Joseph Delissio |
Zin: The History and Mystery of Zinfandel by David Darlington | Napa Valley: The Land, the Wine, the People by Charles O'Rear | Hugh Johnson's Story of Wine by Hugh Johnson |
Bordeaux: People, Power and Politics by Stephen Brook, Gary Latham (Photographer) | A Century of Wine by Stephen Brook (Editor) | The Far Side of Eden: The Ongoing Saga of Napa Valley by James Conaway |
Featured Books
Wine
Spectator's California Wine by James Laube
A refreshing perspective to those serious
about California wine. It draws on more than 50,000 personal tasting notes and two decades as a
wine writer -- most of it as the Napa-based correspondent for the Wine Spectator. California viticulture has seen a lot of changes --
vineyards replanted, wineries sold, CEOs turned vintners asking $100-plus for their first bottlings -- and
Laube has tasted pretty much all of it. (Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
Connoisseurs' Handbook of the Wines of California and the Pacific Northwest
by Norman S. Roby, Charles E. Olken.
We live in the Northwest so this is a useful reference as it is the most
complete reference we have found of our region. More than 700 wineries
and labels are listed (including 100 for the first time). This edition features the latest word on all the wines of Oregon and Washington
State. (Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
Italian Wines 2004: A Guide to the World of Italian Wine for
Experts and Wine Lovers by Gambero Rosso
Unlike Parker's 100 point scale, the Gambero Rosso only scores wines with 3, 2, 1
(and zero) glasses. This simple scoring system results in more flexibility for
different styles of wines to shine and for enthusiasts to have
more fun in choosing their favorites. (Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2005 by Oz Clarke
For a small pocket guide to wines, this book is about as comprehensive as
they get. Given its size and the number of descriptions, we found this book to be one of the easiest to find the wines that we
were looking for. As a bonus, the thumbnail descriptions offered more than a
basic sketch of the wines which makes it even more valuable. (Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
Other Highly Regarded Books
Bordeaux: A Comprehensive Guide to the Wines Produced from 1961 to 1997 by Robert M. Parker, Jr. |
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Great Domaines of Burgundy: A Guide to the Finest Wine Producers of the Cote D'or by Remington Norman, Michael Broadbent | |
Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich, David Lynch | Discovering Washington Wines: An Introduction to One of the Most Exciting Premium Wine Regions by Tom Parker | Wines of the Pacific Northwest: A Contemporary Guide to the Wines of Washington & Oregon by Lisa Shara Hall | |
The Wine Regions of Australia: The Complete Guide by John Beeston | Australia & New Zealand Wine Companion 2002 by James Halliday | Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2005 by Hugh Johnson | |
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Featured Books
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis and the Battle For France's Greatest Treasure
by Don Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup
This book details the conflict between the Germans and the French for control of
wine during World War II. Sources include numerous anecdotes from many winemakers
and their families which lends credibility to the narrative. (Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
Other Highly Regarded Books
The Wine Project: Washington State's Winemaking History by Ronald Irvine | Vinum: The Story of Roman Wine by Stuart Fleming | Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson by James M. Gabler |
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Napa Wine: A History from Mission Days to Present by Charles L. Sullivan | The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker's Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir by Marq De Villiers |
Bottled Poetry: Napa Winemaking from Prohibition to the Modern Era by James T. Lapsley |
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Featured Books
How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine by Jancis Robinson
(Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
In fairly simple steps, this book describes exactly how to taste wine starting
from how the various equipment our body provides (eyes, nose, tongue) work in
order to discern differences in color, aroma, bouquet, taste, and mouth-feel
among different wines. With a detailed set of notes describing what is expected
to be different between even closely-related wines (cabernet sauvignon is
different from cabernet franc, etc.), this is a very useful guide to have on any
wine-lover's bookshelf.
The Wine-Tasting Class Notebook: Expertise in 12 Tastings by Judy Ridgway
(Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
Featured Books
The Oxford Companion to Wine; Jancis Robinson (Editor), et al.
With more than 3,000 entries on every aspect of wine from vine pests to grape varietals,
this has something for everyone. It work covers all aspects of wine, traveling back in
time to early Greece, then returning to today's wine centers to explore all aspects of
wine appreciation. A third of the book is dedicated to specific wines and wine-producing
regions. Together with the Sotheby's guide, this is a great reference. (Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
New
Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia; Tom Stevenson. Hardcover
Within the first sixty pages, this weighty tome offers a very good introduction to some
differences in wine-making techniques and geography -- followed by pages and pages of
thumbnail sketches of thousands of wineries from around the world. This book is arguably
a better reference for "old world" wines with extensive coverage of French,
Italian, and German wines. Coverage of "new world" wines from the US, Australia,
and South America is somewhat skimpy so I would balance this with a book providing better
coverage of your area. (Buy from
Powell's or
Amazon.com.)
Other Highly Regarded Books
A Companion to California Wine: An Encyclopedia of Wine and Winemaking from the Mission Period to the Present by Charles L. Sullivan, Hugh Johnson
If you want to obtain a deeper appreciation of wine, we sugest two other book pages to check out:
![]() | Recommended books on winemaking and grape growing |
![]() | Wine book recommendations from Decanter Magazine |
Return to The Ragen's home page on wines.
For other books on our best books list, follow the links below.
![]() | Our Current Book List that we are reading this month. |
![]() | History Books that relate to our family history or that e have enjoyed. |
![]() | Children's Books for our boys or their cousins. Click here for the Seattle Children's Theatre booklist. |
![]() | Mountain Climbing and Outdoor Adventures. |
![]() | Other Books that we are waiting to categorize. |
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