Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2003 (Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guides) [Hardcover]

Oz Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Series: Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guides | Publication Date: November 1, 2002

The latest edition of this indispensable guide, Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2003 has been thoroughly updated and offers Clarke's always-anticipated lists such as "World Class Wines that Don't Cost the Earth" and "The 10 Best-Kept Secrets."
Perhaps the most notable achievement of any annual guide is that it changes, and Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide is especially remarkable for this. For the 2003 guide, the wines, wineries, producers, and others have been meticulously reexamined and reconsidered. In addition, of course, the guide is notable for its ease of use. Unlike other comprehensive guides, every wine, grape, winery, producer, and region is accessible by name rather than by location.
As fresh as the last harvest, as handy as the yellow pages, Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2003 retains its position as simply the best comprehensive pocket guide to wine in the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Clarke, a columnist for Wine Enthusiast, presents a fully updated and alphabetized catalog of vineyards, grapes and growing regions in the latest edition of his annual wine guide. Although informative-detailing everything from recent climate changes in New Zealand to the correct wines to drink with game birds-the guide does suffer from tiny print and an almost maniacal attention to detail. It relies on a star-based rating system; the one-star Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc "highlights floral and melon flavours with a slightly earthy finish," while the three-star Romanie Conti Grand Cru burgundy is described as "the pinnacle." It's unclear exactly who this guidebook is for: some of the information is appropriate for a reader who's never even seen a wine list before, while other descriptions seem geared toward experienced-even fanatic-oenophiles. But the breadth of this tiny guide is such that it provides a real wine education for anyone willing to squint. (Nov.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Clarke, a columnist for Wine Enthusiast, presents a fully updated and alphabetized catalog of vineyards, grapes and growing regions in the latest edition of his annual wine guide. Although informative-detailing everything from recent climate changes in New Zealand to the correct wines to drink with game birds-the guide does suffer from tiny print and an almost maniacal attention to detail. It relies on a star-based rating system; the one-star Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc "highlights floral and melon flavours with a slightly earthy finish," while the three-star Romanie Conti Grand Cru burgundy is described as "the pinnacle." It's unclear exactly who this guidebook is for: some of the information is appropriate for a reader who's never even seen a wine list before, while other descriptions seem geared toward experienced-even fanatic-oenophiles. But the breadth of this tiny guide is such that it provides a real wine education for anyone willing to squint. (Publishers Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Copyright 2002 edition (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151008760
• ISBN-13: 978-0151008766
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 3.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,417,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with useful information!, December 26, 2002

By 

David Wilson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2003 (Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guides) (Hardcover)

This is a terrific guide! On the inside covers are charts that rate recent vintages. The book begins with discussions of the important winegrowing regions and brief analyses of the most recent harvests in each of them. But the main reason to buy this little gem is its main section, an alphabetically organised trove of information which not only offers opinions about thousands of winemakers, but also slips in informative tidbits about many grape varieties (not just the famous ones), and growing regions. A great guide for anyone who's interested in wine, especially those who want more than just the basics!
If you are looking for a first book on wine, Oz's "Introducing Wine" might be a better choice - it offers much of the same information in a more user-friendly format with larger pages and print, as well as great pictures.