Book review: Choosing the Right Wine

Choosing the Right Wine
By: Beverley Blanning
Publisher: Teach Yourself

This is a soft cover, pocket size book on how to teach yourself about wine. Small, simple (no glossy paper, virtually no illustrations) and very good. One of the best introductions to learning about wine an in particular wine tasting we’ve seen in quite some time. The author explains the basics and then goes on to more advanced subjects. Her approach is also refreshingly free from snobbism and “wine nerdery”. This is a book that in simple steps can teach you how better to appreciate and understand wine – a book for the curious. One can of course have opinions about the opinions voiced in the book – but that’s what wine is about. Opinions and discussion. The first part of the book deals with how to taste wines, including some practical exercises of course. Part two goes more into details on the tastes of wines with a closer look on grape varieties, climate, winemaking and other things that influence the result. Part three is a very short overview of some of the most important wine regions including flavour profiles and tasting exercises. The last part of the book goes into practical aspects like wine and food, buy and serving wine. An excellent introduction, easy and pleasant to read, for the aspiring wine lover.

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