Customer Reviews

Food & Wine Magazine's Wine Guide 2002: New Expanded California Section (Food & Wine Magazine's Official Wine Guide)

5 star:		(2)
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This guide has two things going for it - one, it is small enough to take along to the store, and two, it is well-balanced. Many wine writers carry their tastes too far, leading to books that are 80/20 red/white or somesuch. Jamal Rayyis lets you know his tastes (and i'm biased... i share his lack of enthusiasm for bombastic over-oaked California chardonnays, and his interest in unusual grapes from unusual places), but he doesn't insist that you share them. He has an eye for real bargains (like Eastern European wines), and his food matching advice, while necessarily brief, is always interesting and useful.

Highly recommended.

I must admit, I am a wine novice who is still learning all the rules, etc., but this little guide is SO HELPFUL!! Not only does the author recommend varietals from every price range and geographical region, but he also helps break down grape type, appelations, etc in a quick and easy format. This book gets to the point and is so perfectly organized it really helps break it all down. I recommend it for those learning (like me) as well as the expert wine shopper. I just love it.