Wine on the Run: Enjoy, Learn & Save Money Too! (Survival Kit Series)

Welcome to a new way of thinking about wine. This is a simple down to earth way to enjoy wine, have fun, learn the basics, and save money. Our approach will save you anxiety, time, and trouble too.

Our mission is to take the mystery out of drinking wine, suggest simple solutions for the non-expert, and refer people desiring to become experts to sources more congenial to the variety and complexity they seek.

As experts admit, wine standards have improved enormously in recent years. They admit that Australia and California have led the way. They admit that Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the wines produced most and are entirely satisfactory as well as many moderately priced.

We will build on those admissions to suggest you focus on these two wines and two countries until you choose to become more expert. This will let you buy incredibly well priced wines at mass market retailers such as Costco, Walgreens, and Walmart, where discounts prevail and selection is focused and not overwhelming as in many wine shops. It will let you scan restaurant menus quickly for the safest most affordable choices.

Above all, trust yourself. This is supposed to be about fun--and you can save money at the same time. This is a short handbook, the kind we specialize in from William Strunk's The Elements of Style, the original format, to Talking Cooking and Wine on the Run. If you want to dive deeper into the subject, do so. If you just want great wines at a great price, we have that for you plus some tips of how to impress others (should you wish to do so), confound the experts, and have fun with your family and friends (the point of it all).

The tracks say it all!

1. Wine is to Enjoy not Worry About!
2. Where Did All This American Anxiety About Wine Come From? History!
3. Choosing Your Wine Group or Groups: Your Core List
4. Preliminaries: Read the Label; Tasting, Smelling
5. Opening Your Bottles
6. Core Knowledge: Varieties and a Basic Road Map
7. Basics in Buying & Drinking
8. Basics at Restaurants
9. A Brief World Tour
10. Experts: Putting Them in Their Place
11. Value Plateaus in Wines
12. A Few Nice Things to Know: Health & Drinking Tips
13. Summary: Trust Yourself