This new and completely updated edition, by one of the wine world’s greatest authorities, sets out to teach you that wine, like anything else that gives us pleasure, can be enjoyed more fully by those who have taken the trouble to learn something about it, and who have tried to develop their individual sensory systems. The human sensory system, which includes sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing, can be trained, just as our minds or muscles can be trained. In fact, a high level of assessment skill is within reach of the average wine lover. With the tools given in this book, wine’s myriad sensory cues of quality become discernible, and the distinct and deep pleasure of wine accessible.
Taste, perhaps the most intimate of the five senses, has traditionally been considered beneath the concern of philosophy, too bound to the body, too personal and idiosyncratic. Yet, in addition to providing physical pleasure, eating and drinking bear symbolic and aesthetic value in human experience, and they continually inspire writers and artists. In Making Sense of Taste, Carolyn Korsmeyer explains how taste came to occupy so low a place in the hierarchy of senses and why it is deserving of greater philosophical respect and attention. Korsmeyer begins with the Greek thinkers who classified taste as an inferior, bodily sense; she then traces the parallels between notions of aesthetic and gustatory taste that were explored in the formation of modern aesthetic theories. She presents scientific views of how taste actually works and identifies multiple components of taste experiences. Turning to taste's objects—food and drink—she looks at the different meanings they convey in art and literature as well as in ordinary human life and proposes an approach to the aesthetic value of taste that recognizes the representational and expressive roles of food. Korsmeyer's consideration of art encompasses works that employ food in contexts sacred and profane, that seek to whet the appetite and to keep it at bay; her selection of literary vignettes ranges from narratives of macabre devouring to stories of communities forged by shared eating.
Featuring a fresh layout, revised maps, and more detail than ever before, the seventh edition of Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide offers collectors and amateurs alike the ultimate resource to the world's best wines. Understanding that buyers on every level appreciate a good deal, Parker separates overvalued bottles from undervalued, with wine prices instantly shifting according to his evaluations. Indifferent to the wine's pedigree, Parker's eminent 100-point rating system allows for independent, consumer-oriented, inside information. The latest edition of Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide includes expanded information on Spain, Portugal, Germany, Australia, Argentina, and Chile, as well as new sections on Israel and Central Europe. As in his previous editions, Parker provides the reassurance of a simple number rating, predictions for future buying potential, and practical overviews of regions and grapes. Altogether, an indispensable resource from the man the Los Angeles Times calls “the most powerful critic of any kind.”
Supplies the reader with information about wine producers and growers, vintage critiques, and wine purchasing strategies for most major wine-producing regions world-wide.
International Wine Academy director, Alan Young has taught wine appreciation classes from Australia to Napa California and from Hong Kong to Bordeaux France. His depth of experience with all wines of the world, combined with a scientific approach to sensory evaluation of wines provides an authoritative and user friendly book. A serious discussion of the nature and role of sight, smell, touch and taste in the evaluation of wine, combined with practical exercises to improve sensory perception.
Alcohol consumption goes to the very roots of nearly all human societies. Different countries and regions have become associated with different sorts of alcohol, for instance, the “beer culture” of Germany, the “wine culture” of France, Japan and saki, Russia and vodka, the Caribbean and rum, or the “moonshine culture” of Appalachia. Wine is used in religious rituals, and toasts are used to seal business deals or to celebrate marriages and state dinners. However, our relation with alcohol is one of love/hate. We also regulate it and tax it, we pass laws about when and where it’s appropriate, we crack down severely on drunk driving, and the United States and other countries tried the failed “Noble Experiment” of Prohibition. While there are many encyclopedias on alcohol, nearly all approach it as a substance of abuse, taking a clinical, medical perspective (alcohol, alcoholism, and treatment). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol examines the history of alcohol worldwide and goes beyond the historical lens to examine alcohol as a cultural and social phenomenon, as well—both for good and for ill—from the earliest days of humankind.
This wine book provides comprehensive coverage on all aspects of wine making, and puts wine, wine-making and wine drinking into historical perspective.
Inside Tips from Top Wine Experts Michael Mondavi, Jacques Pépin, Gina Gallo, and Kevin Zraly are just four of the contributors to Wine Secrets—a compilation of tips and tricks from today’s top wine experts, with advice on everything from buying and tasting to cooking and pairing. Readers will discover: • How to find the best wines by sticking to the classics • How to judge whether a wine is “good” • How to act like you know what you’re doing when ordering wine • How to guesstimate wine style from packaging clues • How to taste wine like a pro • And much, much more!
One of the most respected professionals in the wine industry-Ron Jackson, author of Wine Science (now in its second edition)- covers all practical and theoretical aspects of wine tasting in his new book. It details the basic techniques used by professionals to sense all visual, gustatory, and olfactory wine properties (sight, taste, and smell). It also describes the physiologic, psychologic, and physicochemical origins of sensory perception and discusses wine types to illustrate the characteristic features that distinguish the majority of wines. A large portion of the book is dedicated to the practical concerns of preparing and performing wine assessments. Readers are instructed in how to differentiate between the various types of wine tastings (each requiring its own design, tasting sheets, training, skill measurement, and analysis). Included is a general overview of the types and sources of wine quality and how wine is most appropriately paired with food. Special features include a flow chart of wine tasting steps, details of errors to avoid, procedures for training and testing sensory skills, sample tasting sheets, original data from 14+ years of training tasters, and numerous tables, charts, and figures. Modern treatment of all relevant data relative to wine tasting, both professional and personal Separates the practical and more technical and theoretical aspects of wine tasting, allowing easy access to people of different interests Stresses the explanation and significance of each step in the tasting process, as well as errors to be avoided Outlines procedure in the training and testing of sensory skill (professional and personal) Presents sample tastings designed to teach tasters specific varietal, regional and stylistic types of wines Provides examples of tasting results and means for analysis Discusses the evolution of cuisine and wines association with food Outlines the diversity of wines and the sensory experiences expected with each Outlines the nature and origins of wine quality Illustrative Material: Flow Chart of Wine Tasting Steps Examples of Tasting Sheets: Hedonic (hierarchy and numerical ranking), Wine Appreciation (blank and complete examples), Quality assessment (general, sparkling, artistic ranking), Sensory Analysis (quality and aroma specific) Fragrance Chart (with colored icons) Off-odor Chart (with colored icons) Color transparency representing standardized wine color terms Color illustrations representing the appearance of wines of different ages Warming-cooling chart for bottles of wine (air and ice water) Table of aroma descriptors for the major grape varieties (red and white) Chart of the warming rate of wine in a glass Figure showing the influence of alcohol content on 'tears' formation Taster variability to the major tastant and odorants in wine
An authoritative and inspirational winetasting course, from one of the world's leading wine educators. 'Explains the mechanics of taste and tasting better than any book I've seen.' - Richard Ehrlich, Independent on Sunday Learn how to taste wine, with one of the world's leading wine educators. This book offers a particularly clear and precise means of teaching yourself how to taste and how to get more out of your wine, whatever your level. All the major grape varieties are explored, and their key characteristics in different regions. Ten practical tastings then cover core tasting techniques. Do you want to explore Dry Whites, for example, looking at 'Old World' versus 'New World' Sauvignon Blancs? Or investigate 'terroir' in a range of Bordeaux wines? Additional information on subjects such as Wines and Age and the impact of climate change complete the picture, making this book a powerful tool for understanding and appreciating wine at all levels.
