Making Sense Of Wine [Paperback]

Matt Kramer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2004

The paperback edition of this highly praised wine classic includes a new preface and an all-new chapter that covers changes and advances in winemaking since the book’s initial publication in 1989. Kramer explores connoisseurship through the practical devices of “thinking wine” and “drinking wine,” making for an engrossing journey through one of life’s great pleasures. Wine’s complexities are often glossed over in favor of sound bites tailored to the novice. Kramer embraces and celebrates these complexities. The superbly written text covers the basics, from food and wine pairings to setting up a wine cellar.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Recommend Kramer's book to cherished adult "children" who refuse to be weaned from the beer bottle--this book may do the trick of transforming wine drinking into a familiar pleasure. While much wine writing verges on pedantry, columnist Kramer brings a disciplined reporter's ear to his job, along with wit and intelligence to spare. A relatively recent convert to wine, the author remembers how intimidating the drink can be, and seeks to tame it by solving the mysteries of its history, customs and manners. Why, for example, are many corks branded with their vineyard's name and year? As a precaution and tool for identification, lest the bottle label deteriorate in a damp cellar, and the cook or host need to verify the contents. Kramer is also not afraid to say, in his blunt style, that the overly technical language often used to explain how champagne comes by its bubbles is "gobbledegook." And because he asserts that wine is meant to be imbibed with food--"without the context of food, wine is a eunuch"--his final chapter includes recipes for such delicacies as blanc-manger and butternut squash soup.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The author, a widely published food and wine writer, discusses the fundamentals of wine, as well as its fine points, from a perspective that combines common sense with scientific fact. Topics such as wine storage, service, and matching wine with food are dealt with in a no-nonsense fashion. Perhaps more interesting is the opening discussion of connoisseurship and the social dimension of wine. Some recipes are offered in the section on wine with food. The point of view taken is refreshingly free of dogma. This is recommended reading for those interested in wine and is a useful supplement to such standards as Andre Simon's Wines of the World , edited by Serena Sutcliffe (McGraw-Hill, 1981. 2d. ed.).
- Bruce Hulse, Vanguard Technologies Corp., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; Rev Upd edition (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762420200
• ISBN-13: 978-0762420209
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent intro to wine, February 11, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Making Sense of Wine (Making Sense Series) (Paperback)

The wine writer for the Portland Oregonian presents a truly intelligent introduction to wine, an excellent starting point for a novice who wants to ramp up his knowledge quickly and well, and a good read even for those who think they know it all

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarity and Finesse, November 2, 2010

By 

Terri J. Rice "ricepaper" (WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Making Sense Of Wine (Paperback)

"At their best, wine grapes give voice to the earth."

Matt Kramer does a great job of mingling the history of wine with the enjoyment of wine tasting. He thoroughly explains in a very engaging manner, just what it is that we are tasting when we say we like a wine. Further, he says it's fine to simply like a wine but when you combine your preference with knowledge you can begin to appreciate wine more fully. You can, for example, not like the taste of a particular wine and yet know that it is an excellent wine in spite of your dislike.

He's not keen of the judging of wines. Judging wines by scoring them on a 1-100 scale makes wine seem mechanistic as though it were a precise manufactured substance that can be assigned an exact grade and that it deserves one as well. This approach does not allow wine to make sense; it just makes it orderly and competitive.

What is lacking is a more fundamental sense of what makes a good wine good. Matt Kramer spells it out for us with clarity and finesse.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegantly written, December 26, 2004

By 

CAB (Michigan) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Sense Of Wine (Hardcover)

An elegant book about an elegant subject. Learned a lot and was intellectually engaged. Not a thorough primer on wine or tasting but rather a thorough discourse on the important topics in wine today.