Customer Reviews

Oz Clarke's New Encyclopedia of Wine

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If you're looking for an informative, well organized, and entertaining wine encyclopedia (versus, say, an obtuse, sloppy, and dull wine encyclopedia), then look no further. Generally speaking, I find encyclopedia-type wine books to be rather dull and a little thin on information, but Oz Clarke has truly succeeded. Clarke's writing style is concise, informative, and amusing. Not an easy feat for an encyclopedia. This 400+ page encyclopedia is an A to Z of wines, wine regions, producers, and grape varieties.

There were some areas I wanted a little more detail in, but this is by far the best read out there for those studying wine - well written, and interesting without the punchy or gimmicky writing style of so many other food and wine books. This book was exactly what I was looking for.

Oz Clarke, of Decanter magazine fame, has done it yet again. This is a beautiful book presenting complete, yet concise evaluations and descriptions of the world's wine regions and producers. As this book was written in 1999, and new producers are blooming everywhere, all the time, the book is not 'per-se' complete. However, Clarke's efforts provide anyone, from the novice drinker to the wine-master, a valuable reference. What I think sets this book apart from other wine encyclopedias, is Clarke himself. His palate is much more keen and his descriptions much more accurate than those of, say, Robert Parker, whose lifelong addiction to highly tannic, alcoholic, "fruit-bomb" wines has completely killed his palate. Clarke is one of the best in the business, and you can have confidence that you bought more than just a prety book for the coffee table.

This is a reference I turn to regularly. I like the fact that you can start with a general term like Beaujolais, and the bold-print entries will take you to more specific entries such as Moulin-a-Vent and Fleurie which are recognized crus of the Beaujolais district. I also like that the author gives his opinion about what vintners are improving their production and which properties may be resting on withered laurels. You still may want a specialized book on wines (California wines say, or German wines) but for the overall view, this is a good choice. In contrast to one review that said this is not as complete as the Oxford Companion to Wine, I find it gives more attention to German wines than does the Oxford Companion. I picked up the Oxford Companion to Wine in a bookstore, looked up a few entries and got disgusted at its omissions, and bought a different wine guide.