Customer Reviews

The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm not much of a scientist. In fact, my career as a doctor ended abruptly in the first week of college when I discovered that a required chemistry course also required my attendance three days a week at 8:00 AM. So I approached this book with trepidation on several levels. Would it be pitched too heavily in science-speak for me to understand? Was it really more of a textbook than consumer's guide? Was it a soulless sucker punch for the reductionist school of winemaking so hideously embodied in companies like Enologix that use modern "science" to manufacture high-scoring Parker wines? Truth be told, I would probably have never gone near it but for a favorable blurb in a recent issue of Decanter magazine.

Well as Johnny Carson might have said, "Wrong, brettanomyces breath". This is in fact an astoundingly wonderful book for anyone with a passion for wine. It's too detailed and complex for beginners or people who don't really care about some of the factors that affect the taste and quality of wine. But it's also a remarkably humane pitch for the application of the scientific method to wine growing and wine making without in any way denigrating the mystery or romance that enshrouds the subject. Maybe a better quote would come from Joe Friday: it's "just the facts, Maam," wherever the facts that underlie the magic of wine can be ascertained.

The chapters in The Science of Wine systematically address the major factors and issues that contribute to the quality of wine from the vineyard to the winery. Each one is structured like a consumer-friendly, mini-version of an article in a refereed scientific journal. The author starts out with a description of what he will talk about, states his hypothesis, and then examines the evidence before ending with a conclusion. After a while I picked up the rhythm and realized it reminded me of the hundreds of clinical study write-ups I read while working in the marketing department of a pharmaceutical company.

What's really cool about this book is the way it tackles so many controversial subjects head-on, assessing the available evidence on the way to proving its points. It seems at times like the author has read and interviewed everyone who has written a scientific paper on wine anywhere in the world (especially Australia) in the last 10 years, and he quotes these authorities extensively. Here are a few of the critical topics he systematically examines and a quick summary of his findings (close your eyes now if you don't want to know the answers):

Brett-it's everywhere-you can run but you can't hide
Terroir-sorry, no one's ever proven you can taste the soil in the wine, so stop thinking the minerals come from the Kimmeridgean limestone
Sulfites-they don't cause headaches, try drinking less
Global warming-the Rhone will be making Algerian wines and Burgundy will have 15% alcohol before much longer
Tasting-humans can't discern more than about 4 flavors at a time (don't tell Parker or the Spectator)
Terroir-oops, since it isn't the soil,you're probably tasting reduced sulfur compounds
Actual rate of cork taint: about 5%
Best closure on the planet right now: screwcap
Average effective lifespan of a synthetic cork closure: 2 years
Biodynamics-no proof yet

Just to prove I'm not a complete spoil sport, here are some of the other subjects you'll get to learn about (this time without the answers):

Impact of oak
Micro-oxygenation
Wine and health
Precision viticulture
Regulated deficit irrigation
Pruning and trellising systems and more!

I suppose the major weakness of the book isn't what's covered, but what's still undiscovered. If you come to it hoping for the definitive answer to every question you've ever had about wine, you'll be disappointed. A lot of what we'd like to believe is the truth about wine has yet to be definitively proven, so many chapters end with the promise of future revelations instead of a real resolution. That certainly leaves room for a revised edition in 5 years! And truthfully, a few chapters have passages that are written in impenetrable scientific jargon that most of the book assiduously avoids. Finally, while it's a pretty book from an art director's viewpoint, the layout often presents massive amounts of block type on a page and the many sidebars, while illuminating, are as visually distracting as they are helpful.

All that being said, this book is well nigh indispensable for a wine lover. If you meet this criterion, and you know who you are, you need to get your own copy. Me personally? I feel like I need to start re-reading it right now to figure out how to scientifically approach the lovely bottle of A-F Gros Echezeaux I'm drinking tonight.

I am in the wine trade and a MW student. This book compiles some very high-tech arguments on various topics in an organized, compelling, and clearly-written style. It was a joy to see all of these topics in one book, rather than searching 100s of journals and university studies on the web! I was able to use my new found knowledge immediately in discussions with colleagues--sounding like a true expert.

A great read for true "wine geeks".

I echo the praise for this book. As a wine geek with a liberal arts background, I was a bit hesitant to get into this book for fear it would lose me quickly. Quite the opposite. While there is plenty of "science" in the book, the book is written in a way that non-scientist types can fully follow and understand everything. There are snippets that go beyond the layman (like me), but overall, the author gets into just enough science without getting overly technical.

And, I greatly enjoyed the organization and structure of the book. I found the process of starting in the vineyard and going through the process up to the glass the exact right approach.

That approach also makes this a book one can do in stages, as each chapter/section is essentially a complete read in itself. I took probably 3 months in total to complete the book. And, having done so, I am ready to start all over again!

Highly recommended for anyone who wants a better understanding of what it takes to actually put the stuff in the glass and make us want to come back for more.

A generally well-written, informative, balanced, and certainly provocative look at a wide variety of subjects. Brings a welcome dosage of reality to wine, a topic that tends to produce flights of fancy in those who discuss and comment on it (me included), but at the same time the author is careful not to destroy our dearly-held beliefs. In other words, reading this book will enhance your drinking and thinking about wine. I did find myself wondering about how well some of the studies/experiments cited in the book were designed, and I kept hoping for the author to comment on that subject...

This is agood book. It has 2 ways of being read. 1- Quick overview if you are not that interested in that particular chapter 2- then of course if you like the content of that chapter you can read it much more in depth.

Keeps it simple, yet good content and an easy quick read.

If you are interested in why wine tastes, well, like wine. Or, if you are interested in what it is in certain wines that make them more appealing. Of, if you are interested in ANYTHING beyond knowing certain wine names, this book is a must buy! Author Goode not only makes some seriously scientific information understandable to non-scientific people (like me), but also enhances the appreciation for wine itself. After reading this book, I found myself really appreciating all of the work which results in wine I enjoy - and wines I think longingly about, during winter nights, or while being stuck in traffic during rush hour. Wine is a subject which contains within it a lot of passion. This book demonstrates the background and foundation for much of how we humans have guided nature in such a passionate way as to allow wine to be formed in such a way that it is "good" and pleasing to our pallet. And, I have used this book also as a resource manual while making my own wine for the previous couple of years; it explains what properties will be imparted to wine by various types of oak, and how cultured yeast strains can be more predictable than native yeasts. I find myself constantly reviewing sections of this book and think anyone interested in the subject will benefit from its reading.

This is a decent overview of the science of making wine. It is occassionally a bit dense (lots of buzzwords), and the author avoids taking positions on anything remotely controversial (biodynamics, UC Davis' impact on winemakine, etc). But it does contain information you are unlikely to find elsewhere.

I agree with one of the other reviewers about the printing problems. Every photo is too dark too see clearly and has a blue tint. These photos aren't just pretty pictures to look at, but are supposed to illustrate an important point in the text. The publisher never should have sent this run to be sold.

A really good book for wine tasters, bringing all kinds of knowledge that is hard to encounter at wine tastings. Going through the most important topics & problems of modern winemaking technology, giving a scientific review of brettanomyces, the chemical composition of wine, wine & terroir, etc...

A short handbook & reference manual on what we scientifically know about wine. Factual and fascinating. Really loved it, can look up any single chapter any time.

This appears to be a nice book, but it is ruined by problems in the printing process. Every picture or illustration is DARK BLUE.. making illustrations unreadable and the pictures unpleasant. I sent back one copy already to have amazon replace it with another copy of the book identically flawed. The publisher needs to recall all misprinted stock and reprint.