Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2000 [Paperback]

Hugh Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine | Publication Date: November 19, 1999

Revised and updated for the new millennium, Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2000 is the essential reference for every wine enthusiast. This 23d edition gives expert help in choosing a wine for every occasion and every budget.

With current information on more than 6,000 wines, growers, and regions worldwide, the Pocket Encyclopedia is packed with advice to assist you in wine selection, whether in stores or restaurants, for cellaring, or for special events. Extensive coverage -- from reemerging European growing regions to the newest additions in the United States -- will introduce even the experienced oenophile to little-known finds, while detailed entries clarify information for the novice.

Johnson names the top-valued wines from every country and highlights those to drink in 2000, with predictions for wines to watch for in the future. Also included are regional maps, label guides, and vintage charts, along with fascinating entries on the history, production, and appreciation of wine. Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2000 is the peerless standard of wine guides, a crucial addition to the library of every wine lover, devotee, and connoisseur.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Hugh Johnson is the Grand Old Man of wine writing. For nearly a quarter of a century--during which there's been an exponential growth in the number of Napa wineries--Johnson has been distilling the entire world of wine into Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2000. This is the 23rd edition of this lively, biased, Eurocentric, and highly informative compact reference.

Johnson's foreword to this "micro-encyclopedia" (his term) states his intention to craft a nontheoretical, practical volume "designed to take the panic out of buying." He candidly declares his business interests in both Chateau Latour and Hungary's Royal Tokaji Wine Co., and admits that his information is culled from various sources. This edition begins with chapters on grape varieties, with information ranging from the astute ("Trebbiano: Mostly thin, bland wine; needs blending [or more careful growing]") and the contentious (his idea that Sangiovese has top-quality potential in California would probably come as a surprise to the Napa growers who've been struggling with it for years) to the incomplete (no mention of Zinfandel's relation to Italy's Primitivo) and the just plain wrong (Syrah and Petite Sirah are not the same grape). The "Wine and Food Matches" chapter is just as idiosyncratic. The best match for kippers? "A good cup of tea, preferably Ceylon (no milk, no sugar)." And hamburger? "Bulgarian Cabernet. Or Coke or Pepsi (not Diet)." By the time he suggests that you pour expensive Margaux claret on your strawberries, you may want to skip right to the alphabetized chapters, arranged by country, which comprise the heart of Hugh Johnson's Pocket Encyclopedia of Wine 2000. Wine terms, grape growers, wineries, geography, maps, opinions on top vintages, advice on when to drink them--this is the stuff that'll have your copy dog-eared and falling apart just in time for next year's edition. --Tony Mason

Review

Dan Berger Los Angeles Times Still the benchmark guide...offering sage advice for wine-lovers.

The Wine Spectator An indispensable guide that distills a library of useful and amazingly up-to-date information into its pages.

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

The Sunday Times (London) A Slim, data-packed little weapon...all the names are in there from Apremont to Warre -- what they are, what to do with them, best vintages -- all at your fingertips when you really need them.

The Boston Globe The classic work in the quick-reference field...the prototype for all others.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (November 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684867567
• ISBN-13: 978-0684867564
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 3.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,457,408 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!