Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine, 1998 [Hardcover]

Hugh Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 1997

Fully revised and updated, this handy guide to the wines of the world describes more than 6,000 foreign and domestic wines, including varieties from every wine-producing country, region, and chateau. "Perhaps the only guide to wine that anyone really needs."--Newsweek. Regional maps, vintage charts, & label guide. Two-color throughout.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A long-standing member of Cambridge's Wine and Food Society, Hugh Johnson edited Wine & Food magazine and has written an impressive array of oenological masterpieces, such as The World Atlas of Wine. What makes Johnson special is his ability to translate his knowledge into language the average wine-sipping Joe can appreciate and understand.

The Pocket Encyclopedia takes all Johnson's erudition, selects the most useful and necessary tidbits, and puts it all in a convenient, portable size. Take California. Focusing on one of four featured North American regions (the others being the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, Texas, etc., and East of the Rockies & Ontario), the California chapter starts off with a brief but savvy wine history of the region and the market, then launches into thumbnail sketches of the principal vineyard areas and a summary of the qualities and characters of recent crops (1985 to 1996 for Chardonnay, 1974 to 1996 for Cabernet Sauvignons), providing an easy and precious reference on the value of various vintages. Then come the wineries--alphabetically listed, rated with a star system, pithily revealing for each their varietals, vintages, flavor characteristics, and any other notable details, such as new owner or direction.

Johnson supplies the same attention to the wines of the world, with chapters dedicated to Sherry, Port, and Madeira, and the Châteaux of Bordeaux.

Johnson provides the skinny on all the major wines you could expect to find in quality wine stores and restaurants, plus a hundred or so more obscure wineries that ship only to private orders. It's all most people need to know. --Stephanie Gold

Review

Perhaps the only guide to wine that anyone really needs. -- Newsweek

The classic work in the quick reference field... the prototype for all others. -- The New York Times

The finest single wine guide available today... very highly recommended. -- California Grapevine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Fireside; 1st edition (November 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684843803
• ISBN-13: 978-0684843803
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 3.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,283,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hugh Johnson is acclaimed as the world's favorite wine writer. Since his first book, Wine, appeared in 1966, he has been making the subject of wine approachable to all with his witty and humorous style. His other books include the bestseller "Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book." He is also President of The Sunday Times Wine Club. Jancis Robinson is internationally renowned for her witty, authoritative wine writing and her books Vines, Grapes and Wines, and Oxford Companion to Wine are among the most important in wine literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for French but weak for New World, December 5, 2000

By 

Elaine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2001 (Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book) (Hardcover)

A handy, entertaining read with excellent coverage of French wines and good coverage of the rest of traditional Europe (mostly German, Italian and Spanish). Unfortunately, New World coverage paled in comparison (60pgs for USA, Australia, NZ, South America AND South Africa compared to 180pgs for Europe!). This was a serious deficit as it is precisely in the exciting and confusing new world of wine that amateurs like myself need the sharp eye (palette, rather?) of experienced tasters.

Still, a great read -- balanced viewpoint (i.e. not egocentric), succinct writing, well-organised, easy to use, and full of enthusiasm for the subject. Has a healthy respect for humbler wines that is lacking in other publications; a timely reminder that wine is to be enjoyed in all dimensions and not just an excuse to be poncey. Definitely worth buying.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unsurpassed reference!, December 2, 1999

By 

Frederic Woodbridge - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2000 (Paperback)

Being a recent inductee into the wine lover's hall of study, there haven't been many books on wine I haven't studied or browsed. Most of them regurgitate unoriginal thought. I found Johnson's encyclopedia both very entertaining and extensive in it's coverage. I also found his recommendations to be spot on! When was the last time you could say that about a reference book author? Needless to say, this excellent piece of work will be a constant companion in my wine store excursions!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much bias, October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine, 1998 (Hardcover)

Coming from certainly one of the most knowlegeable wine experts of our time, I expected a quite thorough look at the wines of the world. However, I was dismayed to read his subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle bias towards the French wines of classic reknown. Having compared French wines with their American, Australian, and Spanish counterparts, I feel that it is truly unfair to judge and describe all other wines versus the "perfect interpretation of what wine is about" which is the philosophy to which I perceive Mr. Johnson subscribes.

He gives too little attention to promising American wineries which produce beautiful (but admittedly different) interpretations of wine varietals and blends. Likewise, other new world winemaking countries (Australia in particular) have created a handful of legendary wines that, when placed next to their French contemporaries, outright beat them in a blind tasting. And wines from Spain, which taste quite different but have a unique beauty in their peculiarity, are dismissed quite readily as inferior. Rather, I would have preferred a more objective representation of the wines of the world which, while perhaps stating the author's preferences, also recognizes the inherent beauty of the different winemaking regions of the world: each has a particular taste and flavor that, if you take the time to learn and appreciate, can reward you with the smile of fond memories each time you taste another wine from that locale.

Were I to dote on this book, I'd hear Mr. Johnson's voice every time I open another bottle of wine saying, "you should have bought a Bordeaux..."

No question, fois gras and sauternes make my mouth water and my heart race, but no thanks, my paella tastes better with a Rioja, and my kangaroo burger with a Shiraz!