The Wine Avenger [Paperback]

Willie Gluckstern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 1998

IT STANDS TO REASON THAT IF OUR FOODS ARE NOW LIGHTER AND MORE DYNAMIC, OUR WINES SHOULD BE ALSO.

A longtime champion of the victimized wine consumer, Willie Gluckstern debunks the myths and misinformation surrounding the (allegedly) complex subject of wine. His straightforward advice includes:

• The wines that go BEST with food -- and why.
• A cure for label worship: "There are just as many lousy $60 bottles as $3.99 bottles."
• How to avoid getting ripped off in stores and restaurants.
• How to choose a great wineshop: "Do they know where Italy is?"
• Dreary housekeeping tips, such as storage, decanting, saving opened wine, and "that sulfite thing."

Plus, the straight poop on oak, "the MSG of wine," a few well-chosen words for greedy restaurants and retailers ("Those bastards!"), and an unprecedented expose of mass-market Champagne, including how to find the good stuff by cracking the secret label code.

Irreverent, informative, and controversial, The Wine Avenger is indispensable for beginners as well as enthusiasts.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Gluckstern does not give amateurs a brief, fundamental course in wine appreciation; for that, pick up Mary E. Mulligan's Wine for Dummies (IDG, 1995) or shorter pieces by authorities like Matt Kramer. Instead, his book belongs in the company of Leslie Brenner's Fear of Wine (LJ 10/1/95), offering solace to the intimidated beginnerAthough it's more acerbic. The purchasing director for a popular New York City wine store, Nancy's Wines, Gluckstern takes extreme positions that are both the guide's strength and its weakness. For instance, he justly reprimands those mainstream critics who focus on too narrow an audience but then diminishes his credibility with polemic (e.g., while qualified "wine experts" these days agree that chardonnays have been over-oaked, his tone completely dismisses this grape, which does produce some very graceful wines). Gluckstern gives more (deserved) attention to the virtues of German wines and provides excellent advice on food and wine matching. Not a required purchase for substantial wine collections, but it's good to have someone advocating for the novice.AWendy Miller, Lexington P.L., KY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...a destroyer of myths, a protector of the consumer and a teller of truths that no one else will say." -- Harvey Steiman, THE WINE SPECTATOR

"A book that divides the viticultural world handily into angels and demons." -- Robin Raisfeld, NEW YORK MAGAZINE

"Armed with "The Wine Avenger", most will feel comfortable and confident when ordering wine." -- Margaret Howell, CNN

"Gluckstern's best selling "Wine Avenger" has the snobs hyperventilating and down-to-Earth wine lovers cheering." -- Al Bassano, BLOOMBERG MULTI-MEDIA

"His theories have proven intoxicating." -- Tai Hernandez, NEW YORK ONE NEWS

"It doesn't weigh much." -- Peggy Gradinsky, THE JAMES BEARD HOUSE

"Willie Gluckstern's new book is invaluable." -- Leonard Lopate, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (June 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684822571
• ISBN-13: 978-0684822570
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #845,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read if you love wine and laughter, February 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wine Avenger (Paperback)

This is a great book! It's a well-organized quick and fun read which I've returned to many times when selecting the small number of wines (typically 10 or less) we keep on hand in our home. While Willie's writing is laugh-out-loud funny, he really does give clear and useful advice, and I feel like we haven't made a bad selection since stumbling onto his book. My favorite advice of his is this about merlot: "Get a life!" I recommend this book to everyone I know who enjoys wine. You won't regret buying it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent quick intro to wine, February 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wine Avenger (Paperback)

A well written intro to wine that you can breeze through in a couple of hours. Gluckstern is very opinionated, to say the least! His basic philosophy on wine seems to be summed up as 1) it should go well with food 2) Instead of paying through the nose and drinking heavily oaked wines, save money and eat the oak chips directly. While this book hardly makes me an expert, it did give me a basic idea of what to look for when choosing a wine for food, and how to ignore all the hype surrounding wine. A superb book...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wine Avenger (Paperback)

If you buy one book about wine, this should probably be it. It will open your eyes. Gluckstern cuts through all the nonsense that has congealed around wine, and explains what's really going on. It's also a very amusing book.