The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation [Hardcover]

Emile Peynaud (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 1997

The definitive text of tasting and evaluating wine by the recognized world authority. Physiology of the senses, the role of memory, analysis and training, pitfalls, illusions, tricks and techniques. How to determine and define quality and value in wine. Practical guidance on statistical interpretations, tasting tools and wine vocabulary. Essential for all wine professionals and serious wine lovers. 6 1/2 x 10 inches, graphs, charts and illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

This English language translation by Michael Schuster of this new, second edition of Le Gout du Vin is a complete examination of the process and practice of tasting wine. Attractive and well-illustrated, it covers the visual aspects of wine, sense of smell, taste and tasters, and errors in perception. It includes a wine tasting vocabulary and other elements essential to evaluating a wine's quality. Intended for the wine enthusiast, the wine maker and merchant, and the wine buyer this book provides a practical guide to evaluating wine quality. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Wine Appreciation Guild (June 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932664644
• ISBN-13: 978-0932664648
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A SECOND EDITION? I THINK NOT, January 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

First of all, this is the essential text for anybody serious in developing the skills and the vocabulary to discuss the taste components of wine. Solid reference books on the subject of wine do not come along every year. Last year two titles by Remington Norman (Rhone Renaissance and his second edition of Great Domaines of Burgundy) could be added to that pantheon. But for every serious book like Emile Peynaud's or Remington Norman's, there are dozens regurgitating reviews on a 100 point scale from trade publications. A second edition of this classic text could have been a special event, but instead John Wiley & Sons chose to add a couple of paragraphs of new text and repackage it as a new edition. How could one possibly improve upon the original seminal work? We do not know because this effort seems to have been knocked off in a lazy afternoon. I read most of both and found whole chapters left intact. A true second edition may have incorporated photos (more than the four included) such as those found in the original French Le Gout du Vin. But until then the first English translation is still in print (ISBN0-932664-64-4) at a better price $39.95 vs. $54.95. This is an amazing book, but its new format is a bit disingenuous. Michael Stratton [e-mail]

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A scholar's work in understandable ways, February 13, 2008

By 

Tufi Neder Meyer (Tręs Coraçőes, MG, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation (Hardcover)

Prof. Emile Peynaud has revolutionized winemaking practices, initially at Bordeaux and France and, from such fulcral places, in the whole world. Procedures now taken for granted, like production lowering, using only good grapes, cleanliness and extensive use of inox steel, are linked to his heritage. A lifelong teacher of Enology, Peynaud examines, in this book, the scientific foundations of tasting, in a way easily understandable, even for the novice. His writing style is tipically french and quite agreeable. A must for winelovers.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Buy the First Edition Instead, March 27, 2009

By 

Kent Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation, 2nd Edition (Hardcover)

This second edition is little more than a repackaging of the first edition, and a poor one at that. Even in the preface to the second edition, collaborator Jacques Blouin offers no specific examples of updates to the first edition. There is a new chapter, The Interpretation of Tasting Tests, which is somewhat interesting, but the first edition is complete without it. This second edition has only a summarized contents page versus a very detailed version in the first edition. Incidentally, the second edition does not come with the dust jacket pictured. (Twice, I attempted to secure one with a dust jacket, to no avail) It has a blank, solid black front and back cover. To add insult to injury, the second edition is almost four times the price of the first. Buy the first edition.