The River Cafe Wine Primer [Hardcover]

Joseph Delissio (Author), Robert Mondavi (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

Joseph DeLissio has been informing customers about wine at the River Caf for more than eighteen years. DeLissios approach to the fundamentals of wine appreciation is unintimidating. He explains what bad tastes to look for as well as what good tastes to search out. He shows how to observe, sniff, smell, and taste wine. He suggests the right tools for wine tasting and includes a full list of wine terminology. He thoroughly explores the major wine regions and grape varieties of America, France, Spain, and Italy. With this indispensable guide, DeLissio makes learning about wine fascinating and surprisingly simple.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Joseph DeLissio, wine director of the venerable River Cafe in Brooklyn, New York, throws his Haut-Brion into the crowded field of wine books for people who know nothing about wine. This self-styled primer opens with a mission statement about being "straightforward, honest, unintimidating, informative, liberating, and--above all--enjoyable," but after a few pages it becomes clear that, for the author at least, wine knowledge is wieldable weaponry. When opening pages suggest rituals such as sniffing your empty restaurant glassware for chlorine/dishwasher odors to "send a strong signal that you are... serious," most novices may well start backing off. That is, if they haven't already been spooked by the discussions on wine terminology, investing, cellaring, restaurant lists, and wine auctions that occur in the first 60-some pages. It's a shame, because DeLissio is obviously informed, opinionated, and passionate about the grape. Fortunately, he more often delights with insider advice: a winemaker's signature on a bottle may actually decrease its value; beware 11 bottles in an auction lot (frequently indicating that the 12th was drunk and deemed unsuitable). The Burgundy chapter alone is worth the purchase price; it could serve as a Cliffs Notes summary for the Master of Wine exam. --Tony Mason

Review

"...DeLisslo knows the value of a dollar...brim[s] with sensible information...his restaurant tips are smart..." -- New York Times, 11/5/00

"...approaches wine...with humor, honesty, and thorough professionalism...he set out...to share all the information you need to develop your own..." -- Joshua Greene, editor and publisher, Wine and Spirits Magazine

"...does exactly what he promises in the introduction...offers valuable tips...offers the most sage advice anyone could give a novice or veteran..." -- Wine Primer, May 2000

"...one of...[the] most insightful, consistent, and accurate sources of information on...on wine...offers valuable information to anyone interested in wine..." -- Peter Elliot, Bloomberg Radio

"...seasoned...with good-humored nature so it goes down easily...handy reference for amateurs...requisite for aspiring sommeliers..." -- Wine and Spirits, April 2000

"...straightforward, unintimidating, and refreshingly easy to read...the very qualities that the confusing subject of wine needs the most..." -- Bartender Magazine, May 2000

"...the ultimate insider's guide for ordering and understanding wines...for the beginners and the serious wine collectors..." -- Kevin Zraly, author Windows on the World Complete Wine Course

"A smart, commmonsense guide to wine and wine appreciation by one of the best in the business." -- Byran Miller, author and former New York Times restaurant critic

"Clear, down-to-earth, and covering a lot of ground...we couldn't put it down." -- WD Quarterly, June 2000

"Delisslo knows wine and, better than that, he knows the business of wine..." -- Beverage Media, 11/00

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316185922
• ISBN-13: 978-0316185929
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,629,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Form AND Content!, May 18, 2000

By 

"skrattypants" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The River Cafe Wine Primer (Hardcover)

Joseph DeLissio's new offering has it all--well-organized information and an attractive, easy-to-use format in a book everyone can afford (and can lift). From winemaking to tasting and evaluating wines, Mr DeLissio covers the terroir in a style that is basic enough for the novice and yet interesting enough for oenophile. Most helpful may be the focus on grape varietals and wine-producing regions (including phonetic spellings so you can order your favorites with confidence!). This would be the book I would give as a gift, along with a corkscrew and maybe a nice bottle of Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc Reserve. The only downside is a few fairly obvious mispellings of vineyard names.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshing Look At Wine, July 19, 2000

By 

Charles S. (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The River Cafe Wine Primer (Hardcover)

Reading this book was truly a pleasure for me. So often the subject of wine can be intimidating and pretentious, but Mr. DeLissio's obvious passion for the grape makes this book immediately accessible and a delight to read. Suitable for both the novice and the more experienced wine drinker, this graphically-pleasing book gives a great explanation about each grape type and offers some very practical advice on purchasing wine at a store or ordering at a restaurant. After reading this book I was inspired to approach wine with a completely different attitude and have already enjoyed many delicious bottles thanks to Mr. DeLissio's excellent recommendations.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not exceptional, November 19, 2002

By 

Daniel L Edelen (Mt. Orab, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The River Cafe Wine Primer (Hardcover)

Delissio's "River Cafe Wine Primer" is a nice place to start for the beginning oenophile. It reads easily, for the most part, and never insults the reader. The author joins the "all things are possible" attitude, leaving the appreciation of wine to the reader, while providing guideposts for enjoyment. Never is the reader talked down to, but neither is the author willing to keep his advice on a lowest common denominator level.

This book has an insider's information and I found some of the restaurant and background info on par with Boudrain's "Kitchen Confidential", but with a dash more restraint. I'm not sure if the wine industry has the kind of dirt that Boudrain exposes, but the novelistic style of Delissio's book still makes it a worthy read.

Where this primer fails is not so much the fault of the book, but rather in its competition. Zraly's wine course book and MacNeil's "The Wine Bible" are superior. The Zraly book is very basic, while MacNeil's is far more thorough. One reviewer noted how well Delissio clarified the wines of France, but I found his tour to be more confusing than similar discussions in the other two books. The sidenotes and fun facts in Zraly, and the ebullient, "zest for life" attitude of MacNeil also take them one step above "The River Cafe Wine Primer".

Another significant lack is that due to the writing style and the book's layout, it doesn't function well as a reference. In other words, it wouldn't be a book I would reach for if I had a question. Delissio avoids naming names - his wine recommendations are more generalized. This works well for a book that will probably not go through several revisions, but again, it makes it harder to use for specific help.

A nice day read, "The River Cafe Wine Primer" is a fine addition for wine lovers who seek to round out their knowledge, but in a crowded market of wine books, there are other more essential books to add to one's library.