Customer Reviews

The New Short Course in Wine

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Have you ever wondered what the so-called 'experts' were up to when they defined a wine as 'grassy yet herbaceous' or 'palate pleasing and with a long nose'? Have you ever gazed in horror at a far-too-lengthy wine list at a restaurant and wondered what to do? Well, this book won't answer those questions directly but will teach you how to teach yourself about all of these wine issues - and more. This is a simple, easy-to-read, and completely devoid of pretension manual on enjoying wine. In fact, it's decidedly irreverent, which is a pleasant change from the usual wine book. It's also thorough in coverage of differing types of wine, wine-making, and how to train the palate to enjoy wine. This book de-mystifies wine beautifully, and as such it's a perfect beginning manual to appreciation. I am going to recommend it to my students in my Medical Anthropology of Alcohol class, since it provides both history as well as practical learning. It's an ideal introduction to wine for students and the curious of all ages.

If you've ever taken a sip of wine and were at a loss to describe the wonderful aromas in your nose and tastes in your mouth -- much less know how to locate such a gem on a wine menu -- this book is for you.

I first saw it in draft form and would have published it at Great Reads Books if Prentice Hall hadn't. Don't miss Lynn's New Short Course in Wine.

It's not only short and to the point, it's fun to read and you'll close the book an expert.

What's wine? - Having had a bit of it during the past quarter century or so, the question with which this lovely little book starts, never had occurred to me. Sure, wine is made of grapes, I knew that. But what Hoffman has to tell about wine, and the role it has played in our civilization was really fascinating.

I personally got the book because I wanted to know how to taste wine like the professionals do and to sound really sophisticated: "This cuvee has a thick cherry nose with a distracting streak of green pepper and raw alcohol. I really enjoy the incredible density in the palate. And the tannins on the finish! Oh, how well it goes with this spicy and fatty lamb steak!"
So I went to my wine shelve, opened a bottle of Burgenland Blaufraenkisch (it's even mentioned in the book!), and followed the instructions: see, swirl, sniff, sip. then I chose for swallow (instead of the alternative spitting), had some aftertastes and afterthoughts. Hoffman's New Taster's Checklist helped me to go through my Blaufraenkisch and then through my St. Laurent-Zweigelt cuvee, but it was hard to decide, was this some almond taste or other nuts?
So I needed quite a lot of sips. There was definitely some black pepper, at little mushroomy note. I figured that it was a bit hard on the toast and had strong tannins, but with some more swirling and a piece of Bergkaese, which I tried as suggested, I felt really high.
I experimented using the different glasses (by the way, Riedel is best, and not because I am an Austrian patriot. Surprisingly though, the cheap water glasses came in second, long before the old cute wine glasses my grandparents had gotten when they married), and I must admit that I can't remember what it said in the chapter on alcohol and moderation. I really recommend this book, you get what you need to know and you get it quickly.

A work of art - as The New Short Course in Wine most assuredly is - deserves to be reviewed by just the right person, one who with a half dozen deft sentences can capture the essence and convey it.
Until then, see if this'll hold you:
I've just read the book, see, a manufacturer's rep visiting my local wine shop invites me to taste his product. He has a table - stacked cartons with dispenser spouts, one labeled Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet? To quote author Hoffman - "For some, wines made from this grape are the best evidence God is in his heaven and all is right with the world."
Few realize that in the Americas, wines are labeled by variety rather than region. In France, red wine from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes would be labeled Bordeaux. Hey, I didn't know I knew that. I decide to do my first tasting.
As instructed by Author Hoffman in his chapter on tasting, I stick my nose in and sniff, snorting just like he said would be okay. Heads turn, people stare. The cup wants to close over my nostrils. Evidence of God, maybe, but I doubt those who revere this wine were thinking of the taste out of a Dixie cup. Even though I swirl first to aerate the wine, I don't smell a darn thing other than waxed paper, and the consistency is thin - watery. The color - do they use dye? Too purple. I give it a three.
Weak attempts at humor aside, here's my six; Lynn Hoffman is worldly and his background in Anthropology much in evidence. Hardly a paragraph of The New Course in Wine passes without a pearl of wisdom or droll observation aimed at our cultural condition. His knowledge of what has gone before brightens and enhances our understanding of the subject, and like the best wines, The New Course in Wine lives on more than one level. As a general observation, I just love the view of life presented here and the part wine did, and would again play if we'd only relax a little. This would be a wonderful addition to any curriculum hoping to produce well rounded individuals. Should be required reading for anyone about to celebrate their 21st birthday.
Art Tirrell - author of The Secret Ever Keeps - March 07 from Kunati Book Publishers.