The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine Basics, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Tara Q. Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: September 24, 2008

From grape lover to grape aficionado.

The possibilities of learning about and buying wine have expanded and so has The Complete Idiot?s Guide® to Wine Basics with a new edition. Here, readers can get their hands on new information such as ordering hard-tofind wine online, discussing the newest and most popular labels and vintages, and understanding the biggest trend in wine today?environmentally conscious wines and winemaking. Readers will find:

?Essentials about the winemaking process, key terms, tips for tasting, and buying advice
?Organic, biodynamic and natural winemaking
?Winemaking in states other than California, Oregon, and Washington
?Regions gaining popularity, such as South Africa, Eastern Europe, and Portugal

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tara Q. Thomas is the editor-in-chief for Wine & Spirits magazine. She also serves as the wine editor for Denver Post, where she writes a bi-weekly column for the nation’s fifth largest Sunday newspaper. She is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine Basics.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (September 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592577865
• ISBN-13: 978-1592577866
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars have a winetasting party, October 18, 2004

By 

P. Bupphavesa (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine Basics (Mass Market Paperback)

this is a great book for anyone wanting to grasp the basics of wine, not knowing where to start! I feel like the author doesn't talk down to readers who might not know alot about wine already. She explains things thoroughly, so you get involved in chapters, but it's not overwhelming, esp. because of the helpful summary of key info at the end of each chapter. The setups for the winetastings were really helpful when I had a winetasting party, everyone could participate, have fun, and learn something.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great first book about wine, December 4, 2007

By 

B. Simone "in mountain climbing phase" (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine Basics (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my perfect first book on wine, after this one I can now chose and read the others. In particular guided tastings are what I will be looking for when I will dig deeper into any given continent, country or region. Main chapters of this book are the 4 or 5 most known varietals for white and red. This way at your own pace you get to know the basics. This book will also help "red wine only" drinkers to discover the world of whites and, why not, vice-versa. I also liked the fact the author gave excellent suggestions to save money where possible. There is also information on different styles (like sparklings or porto for example), accessories and basic notions (one getting closer to this world would need to know something about how wine is produced). Great hints on organizing guided tastings, purchasing at the stores or reading wine lists at the restaurants.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction into Wine., November 28, 2008

By 

kiwanissandy "Go Bucks!" (Heart of Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine Basics, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

It is really down-to-earth advice on selecting wine for every occasion and taste. I found it to be invaluable advice to selecting 5 different bottles of Riesling for a wine tasting party. It doesn't give specific wine choices but rather regional wine choices and then allows you to pick a wine from Austria, Australia, Germany, California, etc to contrast and compare the different tastes among the same grapes.

This book breaks down the wines into the Big 9. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zinfandel. It further breaks it into Regional Specialties, Special Styles and creating your own wine tasting party with tasting sheets provided.

It gives good advise without being uppity like some wine connoisseur books are. I really liked this book. I compared it to the "Wine Lover's Dessert Cookbook" and I liked them both really well. This book does give some dessert wine advise but the other book gives really good recipes for desserts that go well with the suggested wines. I combined it with a Pampered Chef party that was a dessert party and then had 5 different wines to drink with the desserts. Everybody had a really good time.

This Wine Basics book is really good and a nice addition to your library.