The New Wine Lover's Companion [Paperback]

Ron Herbst (Author), Sharon Tyler Herbst (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003 | Series: New Wine Lover's Companion

The first edition of this popular wine reference was hailed by Jurgen Gothe of the Vancouver Sun as "the best new wine book in more than a decade." The New Wine Lover's Companion has been completely rewritten and updated to make it even better. No wine snobbery here. This book's style is relaxed and conversational, serving up information without intimidating its reader. Arranged alphabetically, nearly 4,000 entries include innumerable details on grape varieties; wine styles; wine-growing regions; wine label terms; winemaking techniques; how to buy, store, and serve wine; how to have a wine tasting; wine-testing terms; sizes and styles of glassware, wine bottles, and wine openers; ordering wine in a restaurant; opening and serving wine at home; temperatures for serving wine; and much more. This book is the only A-to-Z wine reference that offers phonetic pronunciations. It boasts a totally revised and expanded appendix enhanced with charts, line art, and sample labels. Praise for the previous edition came from many food and dining authorities: "…an invaluable, user-friendly reference. I learned something from the very first page I turned to, and keep learning as I keep turning." --William Rice, Food and Wine Columnist, Chicago Tribune . . . "A great reference! . . . excellent and accurate source for both wine professionals and those involved with wine purely for the love of it." --Jacques Pepin, cookbook author and TV chef

Editorial Reviews

Review

"… One of my favorite compact reference books."


—Laurie Daniel, San Jose Mercury News, December 2003





"At a mere $14.95, it's a steal. … The sections are not stody textbook like entries, but are well-written, informative and upbeat. It's so enticing that I find myself picking it up, opening it at random, reading and learning. … In the back of the book is a wide array of indices including a pronunciation guide to winery names and brands. The authors sagely recognize that such guides are essential for new wine buffs who want to get it right. … For any wine lover, beginner or old-timer, this work is a must. There is a wealth of information presented in a logical user-friendly manner. Highly recommended."


—Bob Foster, California Grapevine, January 2004





"Know what geropiga is? Neither did I until I saw the entry in this new edition… Obscurities like this make this squat book as addictive to flip through as it is useful. … a great addition to anyone's library, novice through expert."


—Tara Q. Thomas, Denver Post & Rocky Mountain News Grapevine, December 21, 2003



"…a handy reference …"


—John Griffin, San Antonio Express—News Morning Edition , December 10, 2003

About the Author

Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst are food and wine writers, consultants, and connoisseurs. Sharon is an award-winning author who appears frequently on TV. Her bestselling previous book for Barron's, Food Lover's Companion, was praised by The New York Times for being "As thick and as satisfying as a well-stuffed sandwich."

Product Details

• Paperback: 684 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 2 edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764120034
• ISBN-13: 978-0764120039
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Wine > Buying Guides

More About the Author

Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst are the authors of the bestselling Wine Lover's Companion. Sharon is the award-winning author of twelve books on food and wine, and the foremost writer of culinary reference books, including the bestselling Food Lover's Companion and Food Lover's Tiptionary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a wine dictionary, May 8, 2005

By 

M. Morris - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Wine Lover's Companion (Paperback)

I wasn't aware that this was a dictionary of wine terms when I ordered it, so I wanted other prospective buyers to be aware that that's what this is. It is not written like a regular book.

For its purposes, it's great.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I use this book often, January 14, 2004

By 

Patrick "paddy_mc" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Wine Lover's Companion (Paperback)

I am suprised that I am the first to review this book. I bought this book on the recommendation of someone who has been in the wine industry for 19 years. I, too, am in the wine biz and purchased this when I was starting and my knowledge was very limited. This book contains information on all words and terms associated with wine, from the genreal to the specific. It contains definitions for grapes, appellations, technical and scientific terms, wine making terms, etc. It also contains an appendix with useful information such as how to read a label, how to open a bottle, optimal serving temperatures for certain wines, bottle sizes and types, glassware, a wine aroma wheel, French classification systems,statistical tables...just to name some of the topics. Often, I pick up the book and just start flipping through a few pages and read.

This book is just as useful to the wine neophyte as it is to a master sommlier. If you have an interest in learning about wine, you really should have this book...the information inside is worth many times the price of this book.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At 15 bucks it's worth every cent, August 27, 2004

By 

Moneyman - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Wine Lover's Companion (Paperback)

The quote on the back cover from Harvey Steiman of the Wine Spectator attracted my attention to this book. He says "Wine Lover's Companion packs a tremendous amount of useful, intriguing information about wine. This book is a joy to use-information is what it is all about." As I browsed through it I could see what he was talking about. I purchased it about a month ago and have learned so much. At 15 bucks it's worth every cent and more. I just got interested in wine about 3 months ago and have looked through a couple of the "introductory" wine books and although they are useful, Wine Lover's Companion is the one I go to first to look up a new term or find out about a wine growing region or how to pronounce something (I haven't seen another wine book address this at all). If you're new to the world of wine this is a must have.