The Sommelier's Guide to Wine [Hardcover]

Brian H. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008

This updated and revised edition is the essential guide for aspiring wine connoisseurs who are seeking the knowledge and confidence of a C.I.A. wine professional.

Written by a leading wine educator from the esteemed Culinary Institute of America, The Sommelier's Guide to Wine is an engaging, in-depth introduction to the often-intimidating world of wine.

This fully updated guide provides a basic text for wine aficionados. Created in a handy size and format, it gives wine lovers the confidence and savvy to navigate the wine list in a restaurant or the aisles of the local wine store. Foodies, wine expert wannabes, wait staff, and wine lovers alike can learn how to present, serve, drink, and store wine just like a sommelier. The guidebook explains different wine styles, grape types, wine regions, and includes tips on how to properly pair wines with specific foods. Learn about all the new wine trends, too.

Full of photos, maps, and illustrations, The Sommelier's Guide to Wine takes readers from winemaking methods through reading labels, buying, ordering, and presenting all varieties of wine. It's the perfect introduction to the complex world of wines.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Select, serve, and enjoy wine like a pro!
The more you know about anything, the more enjoyable it can be. That is certainly true of wine—and Brian Smith, a leading wine educator at the Culinary Institute of America, is the perfect guide to this sometimes intimidating subject. “If you want to make wine complicated, you can,” Smith says, “but to select and serve wine effectively, you simply need to know the basics.”
He’s included all of those basics in this lively and comprehensive guide to the world of wine.

You’ll learn:
All about the various wine style, grape types, and wine regions
How to pair wines with specific foods
How to decipher wine labels like an expert
How to order, taste, and decant wine with confidence
And much more!

Detailed maps and color photos of vineyards, bottles, labels, and more make this book as inspiring as it is useful, and the perfect addition to the library of any wine-lover from the novice to the seasoned connoisseur.

About the Author

Born in London, Brian H. Smith was educated and worked in the wine trade in England before moving to the United States. He has taught and lectured extensively here and abroad, and for the past 15 years has been one of the leading wine educators at the renowned Culinary Institute of America. He is the co-author of Exploring Wine: The Culinary Institute of America's Complete Guide to Wines of the World (2001). He lives in Kingston, New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; 2nd edition (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579127762
• ISBN-13: 978-1579127763
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Handy dandy wine guide, August 10, 2009

By 

E. Jessica (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sommelier's Guide to Wine (Hardcover)

I knew virtually nothing about wine prior to reading this, but since I wanted to educate myself on wine tasting (and avoid feeling like a total dolt at restaurants), I picked this handy book up to give myself a lesson. I would recommend this book to beginners, or anyone who wants to refresh their knowledge of wine. Or, anyone who's interested in the history of wine, its production, areas of production, etc. For a relatively small volume, this covers those topics pretty thoroughly. I'd imagine that wine experts would find at least half of this book--if not all--pretty tedious, as it covers a lot of beginner concepts.

One thing I appreciated a lot was Smith's inclusion of pronunciation guides. He writes in a clear, effective, unpretentious manner that made it easy to understand and absorb information. The major topics that Smith covers: how to taste, wines by type, label reading, areas of production, how to order/match with food, what to do and what not to do, buying and storing, vintage charts.

I kind of wish there were more pictures (the pages are colored, but there are barely any pictures in here). Overall, a handy quick guide to wine tasting, would definitely recommend, especially as a gift to those starting to acquaint themselves with the world of wine.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Quick Resource, March 28, 2011

By 

Edward Rasiulis - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sommelier's Guide to Wine (Hardcover)

As a sommelier this is a nice book to have for quick resource. Particularly, I really like the quick reference to the French region and the different villages with their respective grapes that they grow.

5.0 out of 5 stars Greateful didatic introduction to the world of wine, February 4, 2011

By 

Jorge L. M. Mesquita (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sommelier's Guide to Wine (Hardcover)

I liked the book very much. For those who don't have any knowledge of the world of wine as me, I considered this book a greateful introduction to the subject.
The author made use of a collocquial speech in writing the book. So, it looks like he's talking to you, which turns the reading a greateful conversation, certainly a consequence of the author's teaching experience.
I found the book complete for what I expected to learn about wine. I recommend it strongly for those who wants a didatic introduction to the subject and also for those who are afraid of reading a bore text about it. The book has also an interesting format, which eases hand or bag transportation. Although not being colorful, I found the book well designed for easy reading.