Vines, Grapes & Wines: The Wine Drinker's Guide to Grape Varieties [Paperback]

Jancis Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2006

As more and more wine consumers become grape conscious, they identify and buy wine according to its grape—and this is the guide to help them choose. Written by one of the world’s most highly respected wine writers, Vines, Grapes, & Wines covers the numerous grape varieties that are grown internationally, examining an extensive range of the varieties that the enthusiast is likely to encounter both as a plant and as a wine style.  Each one is described in its geographical context, and there are hundreds of inspiring illustrations throughout.
 
Winner of the Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year and André Simon Drink Book of the Year awards
 

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Robinson, author of The Great Wine Book ( LJ 2/1/83 ), approaches wine in this book by examining the nearly 1000 varieties of grapes used by winemakers around the world. Maps of major wine producing regions show the international distribution of grapevine varieties. More detailed maps and descriptions of great vineyards illustrate the effects of climate and geography on the selection of grapevines. Descriptions of 9 "classic" and 28 "major" vine varieties present qualitative and quantitative assessments of the most popular grapes. A country by country listing of less popular varieties adds information about the taste and status of hundreds of unique wine grapes. This is an important and accessible book for wine connoisseurs. Recommended for larger collections. Peter C. Leonard, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: MITCH (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857329996
• ISBN-13: 978-1857329995
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

One of a handful of wine communicators with an international reputation, Jancis Robinson writes daily for JancisRobinson.com (voted first-ever Wine Website of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards 2010), weekly for The Financial Times, and bi-monthly for a column that is syndicated around the world. She is also editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, co-author with Hugh Johnson of The World Atlas of Wine, co-author of Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, each of these books recognized as a standard reference worldwide.

An award-winning TV presenter, she is invited all over the world to conduct wine events and act as a wine judge. In 1984 she was the first person outside the wine trade to pass the rigorous Master of Wine exams and in 2003 she was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen, on whose cellar she now advises.

She loves and lives for wine in all its glorious diversity, generally favouring balance and subtlety over sheer mass.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep perspective October 5, 2001

By F. G. Hamer

Format:Paperback

Jancis Robinson has long been one of the established authorities on wine. I once watched her and Oz Clark in a wine tasting 'contest' on television. They were an even match with scores of almost 100% on vineyard, price, year, quality etc. I've also watched Robinson's television series on wines and her knowledge and enthusiasm seem to know no bounds.

In 'Vines, Grapes and Wines' Jancis Robinson puts this enthusiasm and knowledge to good use, producing 280 large format pages of unadulterated information and pictures. It's clear she wants her readers to know not just about the wine itself, but about the region, the soil, the climate, the vintners, the wine's history.

This is not an cozy weekend read, it's much more a reference book that gives both pleasure and information, but well worth the investment for any serious wine buff.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A reference book no-one should be caught without August 16, 2003

By stephen wong

Format:Paperback

Simply put, this is one of the classics and a must-have for anyone with more than a passing interest in wine. Although it is several years old now and certain parts are out of date in terms of trends and the planting patterns of some younger wine-producing countries, the important bits are still are relevant as ever. The most comprehensive and invaluable book on grape varieties, purely for its reference fact value. Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand have written a more up-to-date bok covering the same topic, but that is less focussed on the grape itself as the wines made around the world with the particular grape. If you can have both, all the better, but if you had to choose one, this one would be it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating September 1, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This is a fascinating, well-written book, sure to be of interest to anyone wanting to deepen their knowledge of what's in their wine glass. It's a perfect companion piece to Johnson and Robinson's _Wine Atlas_. The bulk of the book is devoted to descriptions of "classic," "major," and "other" varieties, with the first two categories getting detailed treatment. There's also a section on "Where grapes grow and why" and some very interesting maps and analyses of great vineyards (e.g., Chateau Margaux and the Rutherford Bench).

One minor caveat is that the book doesn't seem to have been revised since it first appeared in 1986. So some of the "sociological" parts of the text (e.g., where specific varietals are being grown, and comments on their popularity) are becoming increasingly out of date, especially for the New World. But it's kind of interesting to be reminded that in the mid-1980s Syrah (aka Shiraz) enjoyed only "very limited popularity" (p. 90).