Looks at how and where wine is made and how this affects its quality and pricing, including information on how the professionals taste and rate wine and a country-by-country tour of the latest vintages.
“When it comes to beginners’ wine guides, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course is one of the perennial best.” —Wall Street Journal With more than three million copies sold, this perennial bestseller by James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Kevin Zraly is the definitive guide to understanding and appreciating wine. Kevin Zraly, America’s ultimate wine educator, demystifies every aspect of choosing, tasting, and enjoying wine. From the renowned reds of Bordeaux and California to the trail-blazing whites of Washington State and New Zealand, this essential volume features maps of each region, lush photographs, a wealth of infographics, best value bottles for each country, hundreds of labels to help you find the right wines, and guided tastings. It also includes the latest vintages to savor, comprehensive notes on food pairings, and answers to frequently asked questions. This revised and expanded edition features new classes on South America, Australia, and New Zealand, sparkling wine, and fortified wine as well as information on cutting-edge trends (rosé, Prosecco) and emerging wine regions, including Sicily and China. The Windows on the World Complete Wine Course gives you all the tools you need to discover and enjoy the best wines for you.
Looks at how and where wine is made and how this affects its quality and pricing, including information on how the professionals taste and rate wine and a country-by-country tour of the latest vintages.
To help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the latest edition of Kevin Zraly’s classic book, we have created this tasty supplement: a wine journal of the same excellent vintage. Elegantly produced, this deluxe edition will debut this October along with the Complete Wine Course. A 64-page introductory section includes lots of information--including details on wine basics, tasting, and buying; How to Understand our Sense of Taste and Smell; What to Look for in a Wi≠ How to Indentify the Major Grape Varieties; and Vintage Best Bets from the Top Wine Regions in the World. The actual journal contains a fill-in area for jotting down tasting notes and for saving your favorite wine labels. It’s a gift any wine lover would savor!
"With Catherine Fallis’s approach of ‘less is more,’ all you need to begin your wine journey are ten grapes." —Kevin Zraly It’s easy (or easier) to become a wine expert when you narrow the field down to ten grapes. For the wine drinker who loves Pinot Noir but doesn’t know what to try next, wants a French Chardonnay but isn’t sure what to look for on the bottle, or needs a little support before they open the wine menu at lunch with a client, Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis’s authoritative but inviting introduction to wine is an indispensable guide. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel make the cut. The book covers the basics of tasting (and why wines taste the way they do), buying, and pairing wine. Fallis gives readers tricks to remember the difference between the côtes of Burgundy, offers dozens of specific recommendations in every price range, provides tips for talking to sommeliers, and shares memorable tasting exercises. This book will help readers build their wine confidence whether they’re looking for an inexpensive bottle for dinner at home or trying to impress the in- laws.
No one can describe a wine like Karen MacNeil. Comprehensive, entertaining, authoritative, and endlessly interesting, The Wine Bible is a lively course from an expert teacher, grounding the reader deeply in the fundamentals—vine-yards and varietals, climate and terroir, the nine attributes of a wine’s greatness—while layering on tips, informative asides, anecdotes, definitions, photographs, maps, labels, and recommended bottles. Discover how to taste with focus and build a wine-tasting memory. The reason behind Champagne’s bubbles. Italy, the place the ancient Greeks called the land of wine. An oak barrel’s effect on flavor. Sherry, the world’s most misunderstood and underappreciated wine. How to match wine with food—and mood. Plus everything else you need to know to buy, store, serve, and enjoy the world’s most captivating beverage.
An “engrossing” history of the restaurant atop the World Trade Center “that ruled the New York City skyline from April 1976 until September 11, 2001” (Booklist, starred review). In the 1970s, New York City was plagued by crime, filth, and an ineffective government. The city was falling apart, and even the newly constructed World Trade Center threatened to be a fiasco. But in April 1976, a quarter-mile up on the 107th floor of the North Tower, a new restaurant called Windows on the World opened its doors—a glittering sign that New York wasn’t done just yet. In The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World, journalist Tom Roston tells the complete history of this incredible restaurant, from its stunning $14-million opening to 9/11 and its tragic end. There are stories of the people behind it, such as Joe Baum, the celebrated restaurateur, who was said to be the only man who could outspend an unlimited budget; the well-tipped waiters; and the cavalcade of famous guests as well as everyday people celebrating the key moments in their lives. Roston also charts the changes in American food, from baroque and theatrical to locally sourced and organic. Built on nearly 150 original interviews, The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World is the story of New York City’s restaurant culture and the quintessential American drive to succeed. “Roston also digs deeply into the history of New York restaurants, and how Windows on the World was shaped by the politics and social conditions of its era.” —The New York Times “The city’s premier celebration venue, deeply woven into its social, culinary and business fabrics, deserved a proper history. Roston delivers it with power, detail, humor and heartbreak to spare.” ?New York Post “A rich, complex account.” ?Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Left penniless after her husband's death, Fiona Lenihan and her two children set out for California in search of a fresh start. Ten years ago Fiona fled the Irish Potato Famine. She has crossed an ocean, so why not a continent? Kier Moran is a loner with a reputation for being the best tracker, best shot, and best guide. As a favor to his aging parents, he is leading their wagon train West, to the Santa Clara Valley, known as the Valley of Heart's Delight. Kier intends to deliver his parents safely to California then resume life under the sun and stars. But meeting Fiona Lenihan threatens his simple plan.
This glorious book not only brilliantly showcases one man's love affair with all the beauties that can flow from the bottle, it definitively makes the case for the wines that are the most superbly suited to be served with food.
It’s America’s bestselling wine book, now fully revised, updated, and in color! Beloved and trusted by everyone, from newcomers starting their wine journey to oenophiles, sommeliers, restaurateurs, and industry insiders, The Wine Bible is comprehensive, entertaining, authoritative, beautifully written, and endlessly interesting. Page after page grounds the reader deeply in the fundamentals—vineyards and varietals, climate and terroir—while layering on passionate asides, tips, anecdotes, definitions, illustrations, maps, labels, and over 400 photographs in full-color. Plus this completely updated 3rd edition offers: New chapters on Great Britain, Croatia, Israel. A new section called In the Beginning… Wine in the Ancient World. New fully revised Great Wines section with recommended bottles to try for each country and region. Expanded chapters on France, Italy, Australia, South America, and the U.S. A deeper grape glossary including 400-plus varieties, and an expanded Mastering Wine Section incorporating latest science on taste and smell.