Adventures with Old Vines: A Beginner's Guide to Being a Wine Connoisseur

by Richard L. Chilton Jr.

Overview

Adventures with Old Vines offers an engaging and knowledgeable guide to demystify wine for novice enthusiasts. Richard Chilton provides detailed information about buying and storing wine, how to read a wine list, the role of the sommelier, wine fraud, how wine is really made, and how weather patterns can influence the quality of a vintage. A vineyard owner and lifelong wine lover, the author encourages readers to discover wine by tasting, taking notes, and tasting again.

The book also includes a richly illustrated, full-color reference section on a select group of vineyards from all over the world, describing their history, winemaking philosophy, terroir, and top vintages—what Chilton calls benchmark wines. The characteristics of these memorable wines provide the essential starting point to understand what to look for when evaluating any wine. Equipped with this easy-to-read reference, readers will have all the tools they need to begin their own wine journey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538106136
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/2017
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Richard L. Chilton Jr. co-owns an award-winning winery, Hourglass Vineyard, in Napa Valley. He is the founder of Chilton Investment Company, a trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a trustee of the Classic American Homes Preservation Trust, all three located in New York City. Mr. Chilton has been a member of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, a Burgundy wine society, for thirty years.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 Getting Started and Buying Wine Chapter 2 Storing Wines: Establishing a Cellar Chapter 3 The Art of Tasting: How to Appreciate Wine Chapter 4 Collecting versus Connoisseurship Chapter 5 How to Read a Wine List Chapter 6 The History and Role of the Sommelier Chapter 7 Vines, Grapes, and Climate. .. After All, It’s Just Farming Chapter 8 From the Grape to the Bottle: How Is Wine Really Made? Chapter 9 The Benchmark Wines. .. Let the Journey Begin Vineyard Profiles Notes Credits Index

Editorial Reviews

They say that great wine is made in the vineyard—and Richard Chilton believes that great wine lovers are made there too. His engagingnew book, Adventures with Old Vines,is a personal guide for aspiring wine connoisseurs, focusing on iconic vineyards, wines, and the factors that make them truly great. Vintage reading for connoisseurs and wine newbies alike!

Mike Veseth

If you are like me, great wine and good food are two things that have the ability to enhance your happiness in life…. [This book] can help elevate those already good moods. If you’re new to wine, check out Richard L. Chilton Jr.’s new book, Adventures with Old Vines: A Beginner’s Guide to Being a Wine Connoisseur. Chilton, who owns Hourglass Vineyard in Napa Valley, delivers a book grounded in his 40-year wine journey to help ‘new wine connoisseurs’ with theirs. Chilton dissects the art of winemaking, tasting and reading a wine list before introducing profiles of his ‘benchmark’ wines. Chosen because of the ‘unique place they hold in the wine world,’ Chilton supplies information newbies should know about why each of these vineyards, and their classic vintages, are significant.

The Pulse Magazine

Chilton, owner of a Napa Valley winery, captures his extensive subject-matter wisdom in this loosely structured collection of how-tos on purchasing, storing, tasting, collecting, manufacturing, and reading a list of wines, among other topics. Chilton’s advice is wide-ranging and. .. hits the mark. Some examples: avoid low humidity and lights when building a wine cellar. Opt for cork closures, not screw caps or plastic resins. Be aware of possible wine fraud (citing the 2012 case of Rudy Kurniawan, famously convicted of the crime). The second half of his discourse is dedicated to several-dozen select vineyard profiles, featuring at-a-glance snapshots (including details like location, people involved, key wines, grape varieties, etc.), vineyard history, and top vintages. Expect high reader recognition for many labels, like Lafitte Rothschild, Dom Pérignon, Penfolds, Stag’s Leap, and others.

Booklist

This is an excellent instruction manual.... Chilton owns Hourglass Vineyard in Napa Valley and let’s just say he has done his homework.... [I]t’s a very solid guide to 'what’s really good, and why' and is a terrific choice if you or someone you know is planning an oeno-tourismo type trip to, say, France. It gives you tons of details on where to go and what to drink, and you’ll pick up the knack of acting Ultra Knowledgeable about the Good Stuff.

Paste Magazine

Wine is endlessly fascinating, and the artistry and science behind it engages all our senses. But its complexity can also be intimidating to novice wine lovers. Adventures with Old Vines equips beginning enthusiasts with the knowledge to fully appreciate and understand each wine they taste and to start a wine collection of their own. Richard Chilton’s passion for the grape and the beverage shines through in this delightful and insightful guide to all things wine.

Beth Novak Milliken

Chilton, owner of a Napa Valley winery, captures his extensive subject-matter wisdom in this loosely structured collection of how-tos on purchasing, storing, tasting, collecting, manufacturing, and reading a list of wines, among other topics. Chilton’s advice is wide-ranging and . . . hits the mark. Some examples: avoid low humidity and lights when building a wine cellar. Opt for cork closures, not screw caps or plastic resins. Be aware of possible wine fraud (citing the 2012 case of Rudy Kurniawan, famously convicted of the crime). The second half of his discourse is dedicated to several-dozen select vineyard profiles, featuring at-a-glance snapshots (including details like location, people involved, key wines, grape varieties, etc.), vineyard history, and top vintages. Expect high reader recognition for many labels, like Lafitte Rothschild, Dom Pérignon, Penfolds, Stag’s Leap, and others.

Booklist