Customer Reviews

Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: 2004 Edition: A Lively Guide

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What I enjoyed out of the book was the "best bets" recommendations for what vintage years to purchase for each wine/region. What I did not enjoy was that many of the wines Zraly recommends are in the high end range. I just looked up one of his favorite Cab. Sauv. from CA--it sells for $100. I found some of his terminology confusing--Burgundy is a region, yes, but then he switches around the terminology for areas w/n a region--Cote D'Or and Cote de Nuits w/n Cote D'or--sometimes refering to all of these as "regions". At one point he calls a Pouilly Fouisse a "quality level" of a Maconnais.??? In the Rhone Valley he talks about Chateauneuf du Pape, but does not even mention Gigondas-- a similar style,but more affordable than Chat.du Pape. Gigondas has become more popular lately- and deserves a mention. Zraly's emphasis is on French red wines. He mentions briefly CA, WA, OR, and NY wines. I did not get much out of the wine and food pairings as many of the pairings were recommendations for foods I do not find myself eating: turbot w/ hollandais, shad roe, Breton lobster, Dover sole, etc...

In short, I'm glad I read it, but I would get more just talking with someone at my local wine merchant--asking them to explain different wine styles, and asking them to help select a wine based on a meal I would actually eat.

This book is a fine primer for beginners and a good simplifier of winemaking processes-particularly with describing the involved method for Champagne.
Wher the book falls far short is its limited horizon on newer quality areas producing excellent wines: in short, California ia hardly the "end all" for excellence in American wines-Sraly completely ignores the great wine sthat have been coming out of the Northwest. Oregon Pinot Noirs certainly are much more Burgundian than most of California's. Leonetti Merlot and Quilceda Creek Cab have reached worldwide stature-and British Columbia does the finest Icewines now in the world! He also ignores the New Zealnd wines and their great Pinot Noirs , never mind that Cloudy Bay is the benchmark for greatest Sauvignon Blanc in the world. We can't deny California's great importance-but, frankly,its wines are now over produced, overhyped, over oaked -and far, far over priced.If Zraly would just get west of the Hudson and north of LA, he just might widen his perspectives and make this book really valuable in an updated version in tune with the times.

First and foremost you will ENJOY reading this book ! You can either skip around or go through it in a logical progression of basic wines to very fine wines of each region and grape variety.Ultimately you will come away with literally tons of information about how wine is grown, made, tasted, bought and above all enjoyed. Plus you will have lots of interesting tidbits to impress your friends with when dinnertable conversation pauses. All around an enjoyable experience.

I recently became an independent wine consultant with The Traveling Vineyard. In short, I conduct wine tastings in people's homes. Part of the training for this position was reading this book. I highlighted, made note cards, and find myself constantly referring back to it. The best vintages for the varietals was by far, my favorite. But I have also used a lot of the facts to play trivia games at my wine tasting events. I would have liked less emphasis on French wines and more emphasis on American wines, but that is the only negative I can think of. Also, the food/wine pairings are really elaborate and I don't think most people would be found cooking these items up in their kitchen. But all in all, it was a great book to read to become familiar with the varieties and where they are grown. I just purchased a couple of books by Andrea Immer as I started watching her show and I'll be interested to compare the two styles. I'm sure I'll review her book here as well!