Discovering Wine

The subtitle says it all: Discovering Wine is, indeed, "a refreshingly unfussy beginner's guide to finding, tasting, judging, storing, serving, cellaring, and, most of all, Discovering Wine." If you thought you'd have to make a spectacle of yourself in public--sniffing corks, gargling bordeaux, etc.--in order to become educated on the subject of wine, relax. Author Joanna Simon makes it clear that even the most retiring persons can learn to judge wine without drawing attention to themselves. Using a combination of pictures and text, Simon describes the steps involved in tasting, serving, and storing wine. She offers suggestions for matching wines with different foods, then takes the reader on a tour of famous vineyards, explaining just what goes into a really fine vintage. Finally, she includes brief descriptions of the best-known wines from wine-growing regions the world over. So if you don't know your Asti from your Madeira, let Joanna Simon set you on the road to knowledge with Discovering Wine.