Wine from Grape to Glass

by Jens Priewe

Overview

An extensively updated new edition of the classic guide to the wines of the world—and how they are made

Wine from Grape to Glass is the essential guidebook for wine lovers who want to understand how their favorite wines are grown, how they are produced, and how best to savor them. The first half of the book is devoted to the process of winemaking and wine appreciation. The mysteries of the vineyard and terroir, the grape harvest, fermentation, and aging are all explained in full, as are the intricacies of serving, tasting, and storing wine. The second half of the book examines the best wines of the world, country by country, in a level of detail that is satisfying without being overwhelming. More than one thousand color illustrations, including numerous maps, make this a visual as well as a textual guide.

This fourth edition of Wine from Grape to Glass is revised and updated throughout. It includes new sections on recent trends in winemaking—including rosés and natural wines—and expanded coverage of many winemaking regions, including Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America, China, and Japan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780789213464
Publisher:	Abbeville Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/15/2019
Edition description:	4th ed.
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 11.80(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Jens Priewe, originally a newspaper journalist, has been writing exclusively about wine for three decades. He is the author of several other critically acclaimed books on various aspects of wine, and editor of the online wine magazine Weinkenner.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Wine and the Thirst for Knowledge

If a hundred years from now someone happens to be writing the history of wine in our times, he will have no choice but to call the end of the twentieth century the golden age of wine. What characterizes the last two decades is an astonishing improvement in quality, unfaltering ambition among producers, and a seemingly infinite demand for fine wines in the marketplace. We are encountering an undreamed-of enthusiasm in many parts of the world for the drink that--except for water and milk--is the oldest in the world. Grape growing has expanded into new regions, and winemaking has undergone significant innovations, quickly absorbing and applying the discoveries of modern oenology. All these new developments need to be absorbed into our thinking as well. We need a new, comprehensive reference work to understand what it is we are drinking and to appreciate the work that goes into offering our senses pleasures they never enjoyed before. Wine: From Grape to Glass was written to quench the exquisite thirst for knowledge that lovers of wine feel arising within whenever they uncork a bottle of fine wine.

Fabled Vintages and Other Good Libations

Wine: From Grape to Glass was written not for those who exclusively love French, German, or Italian wines, or for that matter, any other particular wines. It is for those who will drink this today and that tomorrow, but are always reaching for the best. And what is best? That depends on each eclectic wine lover's mood. Yesterday it was a simple country wine brought back from a vacation. Today you go through the ceremony of opening one of the grand, awe-inspiring vintages. Tomorrowit might be a completely unknown wine, maybe from a country only recently added to the world's wine atlas. All of these wines have their own personalities. On the wine merchant's shelf, they stand side by side. What differentiates them is their prices. This book helps to explain why one wine may cost a hundred dollars, another only ten. It tries to provide a key to the complex language of wine, and to illuminate the science of winemaking while honoring the art that creates great wines.

Take Part in the Wine Revolution

Drinking wine is an experience. For this reason, a wine book should not be dry reading. Wine: From Grape to Glass is a book that presents the reader with the visual experience of the nature of wine, of the way it grows, of how it is made out of grapes. You will learn about whole-bunch pressing and find out what is meant by batonnage. Your eyes will see where great taste comes from and where the famous vineyard of Romanee-Conti is located. You will be shown why wines age faster in small barrels than in large ones and why it is sometimes a good idea to decant even a young wine. The book goes into its subject deeply enough to ensure that while you taste the characteristic flavors of great wines, you become conscious of exactly what you are experiencing. All the information is important: it makes clear what separates a good wine from a great one. Only when wine connoisseurs appreciate what winemakers do can they grow with the revolutionary changes now taking place in the world of wine.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents from:
Wine




Introduction
Winegrowing
Grape Varieties
An Inside Look at a Wine Estate
The Craft of Winemaking
Maturing Wines
Special Wines
France
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Eastern and Southeastern Europe
United States
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
Chile
Argentina
Wine Tasting
Wine Lore
Food and Wine
Wine and Your Health
When to Drink It
Table of Vintages
Glossary
Index
Picture Credits

Editorial Reviews

"Some might think this a coffee–table book, and it is. But it is loaded with solid information, in lay terms, about the world of wine —winemaking, wine grape varieties, wine regions, and the storing, enjoying and serving of wine. There are many other books that offer the same approach but From Grape to Glass, is a “mid–palate” compromise and the perfect anchor to your wine library." — Wine–Flair Blog


"The ultimate gift for any wine lover." — Touring & Tasting magazine

From the Publisher