“If you are curious about life as a sommelier, this charming book makes an easy, nutritious appetizer.” —The New York Times An illuminating guide to a career as a sommelier written by acclaimed food and drink writer Rosie Schaap and based on the real-life experiences of experts in the field—essential reading for anyone considering a path to this profession. Wine is a pleasure, and in its pursuit there should be no snobbery. The sommelier is there to help, to teach, to guide. Acclaimed food and drink writer Rosie Schaap profiles two renowned sommeliers to offer a candid portrait of this profession. Learn the job from Amanda Smeltz, a poet and wine director in New York, and Roger Dagorn, a James Beard Award–winning Master Sommelier. From starting in the cellar, grueling certification exams, to tastings and dinner service, Becoming a Sommelier is an invaluable introduction to this dream job.
"A hip, new guide to wine for the new generation of wine drinkers, from the sommelier creators of the award-wining site WineFolly.com"--Provided by publisher.
In Woody Allen's 1973 film, Sleeper, a character wakes up in the future to learn that civilization was destroyed when "a man by the name of Albert Shanker got hold of a nuclear warhead." Shanker was condemned by many when he shut down the New York City school system in the bitter strikes of 1967 and 1968, and he was denounced for stirring up animosity between black parents and Jewish teachers. Later, however, he built alliances with blacks, and at the time of his death in 1997, such figures as Bill Clinton celebrated Shanker for being an educational reformer, a champion of equality, and a promoter of democracy abroad. Shanker lived the lives of several men bound into one. In his early years, he was the "George Washington of the teaching profession," helping to found modern teacher unionism. During the 1980s, as head of the American Federation of Teachers, he became the nation's leading education reformer. Shanker supported initiatives for high education standards and accountability, teacher-led charter schools, and a system of "peer review" to weed out inadequate teachers. Throughout his life, Shanker also fought for "tough liberalism," an ideology favoring public education and trade unions but also colorblind policies and a robust anticommunism all of which, Shanker believed, were vital to a commitment to democracy. Although he had a coherent worldview, Shanker was a complex individual. He began his career as a pacifist but evolved into a leading defense and foreign policy hawk. He was an intellectual and a populist; a gifted speaker who failed at small talk; a liberal whose biggest enemies were often on the left; a talented writer who had to pay to have his ideas published; and a gruff unionist who enjoyed shopping and detested sports. Richard D. Kahlenberg's biography is the first to offer a complete narrative of one of the most important voices in public education and American politics in the last half century. At a time when liberals are accused of not knowing what they stand for, Tough Liberal illuminates an engaging figure who suggested an alternative liberal path.
While the subject of wine, beer, and spirits continues to grow in popularity, there are very few books that approach the subject in an accessible manner and that also contain the pedagogical features needed by instructors. In addition, most books cover the subject of wine only, while hospitality students need a broader base on knowledge that also includes beer and spirits. After finishing the book, readers will be prepared to take the introductory certification exams of the Court of Master Sommeliers, International Sommelier Guild, and Society of Wine Educators and receive a first-level certification. Divided into five parts, Gibson covers wine, beer, and spirits. Along with a history of each type of beverage, he also covers how these beverages are produced and manufactured, varieties and styles of these beverages, and food pairings. Most importantly, Gibson covers costing, pricing, merchandising, marketing, and storing wine, along with creating a balanced wine list and table service.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' PICK “Thrilling . . . [told] with gonzo élan . . . When the sommelier and blogger Madeline Puckette writes that this book is the Kitchen Confidential of the wine world, she’s not wrong, though Bill Buford’s Heat is probably a shade closer.” —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine—until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession, and whether she, too, could become a “cork dork.” With boundless curiosity, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism, Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, California mass-market wine factories, and even a neuroscientist’s fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what’s the big deal about wine? What she learns will change the way you drink wine—and, perhaps, the way you live—forever. “Think: Eat, Pray, Love meets Somm.” —theSkimm “As informative as it is, well, intoxicating.” —Fortune
“If you are curious about life as a sommelier, this charming book makes an easy, nutritious appetizer.” —The New York Times An illuminating guide to a career as a sommelier written by acclaimed food and drink writer Rosie Schaap and based on the real-life experiences of experts in the field—essential reading for anyone considering a path to this profession. Wine is a pleasure, and in its pursuit there should be no snobbery. The sommelier is there to help, to teach, to guide. Acclaimed food and drink writer Rosie Schaap profiles two renowned sommeliers to offer a candid portrait of this profession. Learn the job from Amanda Smeltz, a poet and wine director in New York, and Roger Dagorn, a James Beard Award–winning Master Sommelier. From starting in the cellar, grueling certification exams, to tastings and dinner service, Becoming a Sommelier is an invaluable introduction to this dream job.
NPR “Best Books of 2013” BookPage Best Books of 2013 Library Journal Best Books of 2013: Memoir Flavorwire 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2013 A vivid, funny, and poignant memoir that celebrates the distinct lure of the camaraderie and community one finds drinking in bars. Rosie Schaap has always loved bars: the wood and brass and jukeboxes, the knowing bartenders, and especially the sometimes surprising but always comforting company of regulars. Starting with her misspent youth in the bar car of a regional railroad, where at fifteen she told commuters’ fortunes in exchange for beer, and continuing today as she slings cocktails at a neighborhood joint in Brooklyn, Schaap has learned her way around both sides of a bar and come to realize how powerful the fellowship among regular patrons can be. In Drinking with Men, Schaap shares her unending quest for the perfect local haunt, which takes her from a dive outside Los Angeles to a Dublin pub full of poets, and from small-town New England taverns to a character-filled bar in Manhattan’s TriBeCa. Drinking alongside artists and expats, ironworkers and soccer fanatics, she finds these places offer a safe haven, a respite, and a place to feel most like herself. In rich, colorful prose, Schaap brings to life these seedy, warm, and wonderful rooms. Drinking with Men is a love letter to the bars, pubs, and taverns that have been Schaap’s refuge, and a celebration of the uniquely civilizing source of community that is bar culture at its best.
This wine book provides comprehensive coverage on all aspects of wine making, and puts wine, wine-making and wine drinking into historical perspective.
Sometimes we just want someone to hand us a bottle of wine. Sometimes we want to learn more about that wine. And sometimes we want to feel something about wine. In Vignette, sommelier Jane Lopes recommends the 100 bottles of wine (and some spirits and beers) to best expand your wine journey, giving you a complete palate education of the important styles, grapes, regions, and flavors of this magical and ever-growing world. Alongside that, you will find imaginative ways to engage with the foundational wine knowledge that underpins a good drinking experience. And then there is Jane's own narrative – the stories of triumph and defeat that comprise her life in wine. It's part memoir and part wine book, but a lot more fun than either alone. These are wines to live with, learn from and take solace in – a joyous, surprising, and revelatory response to that age-old question, "What should I drink?"
