Customer Reviews

Food & Wine Magazine's Official Wine Guide 1999

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The Guide takes the falutin topic of wine and maeks it easy and fun. For the beginner to the expert, the Guide provides ratings, availabiltt, pairings and price and value charts that are clear, concise, and fun.

This is the most intellectually compelling wine guide written in the modern era. I continually find myself turning to it and reading it again and again. There are few pallets that match the constellation of Stephen Tanzer, David Schildknecht, and Joshua Raynolds, and they are all available within these pages. An invaluable tool that will save you costly mistakes and pay for itself in the selection of a single mixed case.

Wine geeks frequently cite that this guide is for more easily obtainable bottles, implying a criticism of Robert Parker's phenomenal access to and reviews of obscure releases. In addition, the median price and price range of those wines considered here is less lofty than the Parker world. My own view is that there is a place for both, and that world wine offerings are so bountiful and complex that there is more than enough reason for the serious wine drinker, or the casual fan who wishes to maximize their budget, to read this guide and other leading critics' guides as well.

A particular strength is Schildknect's appreciation for German and Austrian wines, and particularly in the case of the latter, the last true wine bargains on the planet. The complexity, fineness, and excellence of both terroire and grape are unmatched in Austrian whites. Couple that with excellent winemakers, then add the coup de graces: fewer corked bottles than white burgundy, and you have no contest. This guide is essential.