Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style [Paperback]

Mark Oldman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2004

For the thousands of people who know nothing about wine and want to rectify that swiftly and painlessly, Mark Oldman-the "Naked Chef" of wine-is here to help with the kind of information readers can use right now:
• Australian Shiraz is the most instantly likable red under $15
• Drink slightly sweet wine with spicy food
• Judge a wine shop by whether it has homemade shelf signs
• Don't store unopened wine in the refrigerator for more than a week

Loaded with his personal recommendations-including the top 100 wines less than $15-Oldman's Guide also includes the wine picks of an eclectic mix of collectors, from Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni to Morley Safer of 60 Minutes. This is a wine guide like no other and is sure to be savored by anyone who wants their wine without the attitude.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Robust, hearty and full bodied describe not just a Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon but also this comprehensive wine guide for the novice oenophile. Oldman, who has taught wine courses for more than 10 years (and, incidentally, cofounded the career Web site Vault.com), boils the basics of wine down to 108 simple chapters (here called "shortcuts"). He proves "the dirty little secret of wine appreciation is that there's just not that much to it." While Oldman says this isn't a reference book, it may be best used that way. Without the benefit of a flight of tasting wines, the information is overwhelming. Yet to look up wines by type or region, or to learn how to order in a restaurant, Oldman's guide overflows with succinct, useful advice. Those determined to read it straight through will find Oldman's anecdotal style makes the subject lighthearted and fun, and Oldman is amusingly opinionated: "Drinking Pinot Grigio is often like experiencing an Ikea rug, Ben Stein's voice, or a dose of Paxil: neutral, monotone, and devoid of highs." The casual voice occasionally is forced (drinking old wine "won't earn you a prayer session at the porcelain altar") but it makes the information accessible. Each shortcut comes with even more shortcuts: a "cheat sheet" summary, wine picks by price range, a pronunciation table and suggestions for food pairings.
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Review

"Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine is the perfect primer-concise, evenhanded, fun, and practical"
-The New Yorker

"Oldman's Guide is THE benchmark book for a wine introduction and a book I've recommended to friends over and over again"
-Good Grape: A Wine Blog Manifesto

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (December 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142004928
• ISBN-13: 978-0142004920
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Wine > Wine & Winemaking
  • #73 in Books > Education & Reference > Consumer Guides

More About the Author

Passionate about helping wine enthusiasts jostle the jaded, slay the snooty, and drink bravely, Mark Oldman (@MarkOldman) is one of the country's leading wine personalities. He is the wine expert for Pottery Barn and wine columnist for the Food Network. His signature style was best summed up by Bon Appètit magazine as "winespeak without the geek" and by Publishers Weekly as "the ideal mix of wine connoisseur, showman, and everyday dude." He has twice won the Georges Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year Award.

Mark's latest book, Oldman's Brave New World of Wine (W. W. Norton), is the ultimate antidote for those craving new taste sensations. It plots a course to pleasure, value, and adventure beyond wine's usual suspects, focusing on that holy grail of wine lovers: insider wines of moderate cost and maximum appeal. The Wall Street Journal recently called Oldman's Brave New World of Wine "the perfect book for someone who's just caught the bug, or would like to." Winner of the 2011 Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year Award, it was named one of the "Best of Books of the Year" (Apple iTunes), "amazing, hilarious" (Marie Clare), "charismatic and cool" (Publishers Weekly), "wicked funny" (Palm Beach Post), "a welcome discussion of many little-known wines that have a great deal of pleasure to offer" (New York Times), a resource that "lives up to its promise" (GoodGrape.com), "for enthusiasts of all levels" (Fine Cooking), "hedonistic happiness" (wine personality Natalie MacLean), and "a book you will cherish" (Huffington Post).

Mark's last book, the best-selling Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine (Penguin), was called "perfect" (Wine Enthusiast), "shortcuts to a connoisseur's confidence" (BusinessWeek), and "the perfect primer--concise, evenhanded, fun, and practical" (The New Yorker). Currently in its ninth printing, it won the 2005 Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year Award, was a finalist for "Best Wine Book" at the World Food Media Awards, and is published in Japan, Belgium, and in four volumes in France.

Mark is a lead judge in the PBS television series "The Winemakers" and is in the middle of filming the show's next season in France's Rhone Valley. He is also a regular on Martha Stewart Radio's "Living Today" program on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Mark has written for several top publications, including Food & Wine, Departures, and Travel & Leisure, and he has chosen all of the wine picks for the 15-million annual readers of Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine. He regularly speaks to sold-out audiences at the country's top gastronomic festivals, including the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, the Boston Wine Expo, and the Food Network Wine & Food Festivals in New York and South Beach. In 2011 he is also appearing at a host of other leading venues, among them the James Beard House, the 92nd Street Y, the American Heart Association "Heart's Delight" Auction in Washington, D.C., Pebble Beach Food & Wine, the New York Wine Expo, Oregon's International Pinot Noir Celebration, and many other appearances.

Mark began his wine journey in 1990 when as a student he founded Stanford Wine Circle, a popular university club hosting tastings with California wine legends, earning him the nickname "Bacchus on the Campus" in Wine Spectator magazine. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a B.A., M.A., and J.D., Mark has long been keenly interested in innovating in the areas of education and consumer advocacy. Mark co-founded the career portal Vault.com in 1997 and served as the company's president through its successful sale in 2007 to a private equity firm. He has served on four major boards of Stanford, including the university's Board of Trustees.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest wine book out there, September 1, 2005

By 

argosy46 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style (Paperback)

Since I buy Oldman's Guide here so often as a gift, I'll add my voice to the chorus. I agree with the last reviewer that OG stands at the head of the line for wine books. I consider myself somewhere between a wine connoisseur and still-learning novice and I'll go so far to say that OG is the best wine book that I own. It is a book that I'm still learning from, while most of my other wine guides molder on the shelf after a few sittings. -And here in my home office I have two and a half bookshelves of wine books- The author Mark Oldman offers just the right amount of commentary on major wine topics-grape types, storing wine, dining out, et cetera. The descriptions and explanations are really clever and very dead-on and just the right tone for someone to learn about wine (or learn more about wine after they've mastered the basics). Oldman's Guide cost me only about $14 (with shipping) here at Amazon and I have referred to the book so much that it is already looks like I've had it for a decade. It is furthest thing I've seen from the standard monotonous wine encylopedia. This is the book to get.

I also endorse Karen MacNeil's Wine Bible as a solid all-around reference book - it covers everything in a lot of accurate detail. And if you want a graphical overview, you can't go wrong with World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson, which is a large display-style book and very high quality.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wine Book to Buy, July 10, 2005

By 

Bobby Joseph (Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style (Paperback)

I finally found the wine book I was looking for! I previously read a couple to wine books to educate myself but they were either too complicated or packed with information I really did not need. Oldman's book is so well written, easy to read and understand. It is full of practical knowledge and organized into 108 short chapters. Each of the 350 pages is packed with useful information, and the material is arranged in an eye-catching manner. It is an entertaining read. It offers reference books and web sites for those who wish to learn more about a suject. It discusses basic grapes, regions, different types of wine, cost, pronunciations, how to pair wine with specific foods or occasions etc. This book clarified so many misconceptions and answered some of my questions in a clear way. For example: "Just say no to cork inhalation" is a memorable line that gets the message across. Another example is when Oldman describes the smell of blackcurrant and Cabernets. This book is perfect for novices who will not be ovewhelmed with useless facts. Even for someone like me who is somewhat knowledgeable about wines, this was the perfect book. I wish I read this years ago!

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best all-around wine book, hands-down, January 5, 2005

By 

M Lee (Redlands, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style (Paperback)

With this incredible book, it's hard to even know where to start.

Ever since I accidentally opened a friend's bottle of '86 Heitz Napa cabernet and fell in love, I've been studying wine whenever I get a chance. I've purchased books like "The Wall Street Journal's Guide to Understanding Wine," "Wine for Dummies," and some more advanced "grape-specific" books. After reading through a few pages of this book, I was blown away and proceeded to spend two hours engrossed in one of the most entertaining books I've ever read - even among non-wine books! I laughed throughout, poked on by Oldman's extremely clever wit and knowledge.

The book can be used as a reference - lately I've been checking it to make sure I'm serving Fume Blanc (same as Sauvignon Blanc, as I've found out) at the appropriate temperature - but it's more likely that you'll read this as a novel. A very, very entertaining one.

Among the valuable things I've picked up from the book - besides the already-cited examples of what prominent and celebrity wine lovers like to have on their tables - include:

- How to pronounce everything related to wine you ever worried about trying to say. I'm talking about Riedel, Taittinger, Chateau Cos d'Estournel and Moet, which is pronounced "Mo-EHT, not Moe-AY."

- The many affordable options in the world of wine - encouraging those who are either shy, unadventurous, poor or all of the above to try new, good-value wines.

- What wines to pair with food, and more importantly why - from the science to the history to what is most accepted in popular culture (things like champagne and cake at weddings) even though they technically might not taste that great together.

- Decoding the many different designations: reserva, gran reserva, brut, extra-dry, sec, demi-sec, classico, classico riserva... to a point where you're more than comfortable with them.

- Wine etiquette and a generous helping of insider information on getting the most bang-for-your-buck at a restaurant without looking like a cheapskate.

If you're a wine lover and think you know everything about wine, you'll prove yourself wrong with this book. If you're a wine consumer, you will at least double the value of wine you drink - just based on how much more you'll appreciate what's in your glass. If not that, then on the tips Oldman gives you to save dough. It will likely be both. Even if you don't know anything about wine, this book will grab you in.

I've watched my girlfriend - who didn't care much for my wine obsession before - turn into an crazed fan: we were at Costco (tips on this, too!) and she replaced the bottle of BV cabernet I chose for dinner with a Pinot Noir because "Pinot Noir goes better with smoked sausage."

I'm obviously a very big fan. This book has been worth every penny.