Sure the labels are confusing and the pronunciation daunting, but France's wines continue to set the standard for excellence around the world. Whether you're well versed in French terroir or you're dabbling outside your comfort zone, this comprehensive guidebook will make you an expert in today's best and best-value wines from France. Jacqueline Friedrich's unpretentious tasting notes are utterly enjoyable and contain the perfect balance of information on specific wines, vintages, prices, and producers. So, pour yourself a glass of Pouilly Fuiss?© (that's "pooh-YEE fwee-SAY"), sit back, and savor THE WINES OF FRANCE.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
It manages to make comprehensible a mass of information that is incomprehensibly dense and varied. . . Friedrich gives serious as well as casual wine students entr?©e to some of the world'¬?s most interesting wines. And for that we should all be grateful.-Wine News"[Friedrich] embraces France region by region, offering opinionated reviews of producers and concise demystifications of the French nomenclature that bedevils American consumers."-New York Times"[An] ambitious and idiosyncratic compendium. There's plenty of good information on some of the cutting-edge regions of the country."-Wine Spectator"Fans of French wines will appreciate The Wines of France. . . This is a guide that won'¬?t be obsolete by next year."-San Jose Mercury News"A lively read, like spending time with a connoisseur who would rather share than preach."-Bloomberg.com and Bloomberg Radio"An incredibly useful, comprehensive, and informative guide. The French still make more great wine than any other nation in the world, but they don'¬?t make it easy to understand. Friedrich does. Novices need this book; wine geeks will want it."-Jay McInerney"Remarkable in its depth and breadth of coverage, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in exploring the diverse wines of France. It has become the favorite reference of my entire staff."-Thomas Keller, chef and owner, The French Laundry"Much needed, fabulously realized. I especially like the author'¬?s unsnobby approach and compulsively readable style. This book is full of great wines at low prices, and Friedrich understands that wine is, above all, about pleasure."-Kermit Lynch, owner, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant"I love this book! Truly one of the most comprehensive and informative books of its kind, it is an invaluable tool for the wine professional and consumer alike. Definitely the perfect companion for your next trip to the wine shop."-Caroline Styne, wine director and owner, Lucques and AOC"Most Americans have an irrational fear of French wines-the nomenclature, vintages, edgier tannins, and go?ã?°t de terroir in place of obvious fruitiness. Friedrich has done a tremendous service in demystifying what makes the wines of France as special as they are, as well as helping to preserve a diversity of wine choices in a world that is rapidly becoming more homogeneous."-Randall Grahm, owner, Bonny Doon Vineyard"Straightforward, clear, and concise, Friedrich'¬?s book teaches all about the revolution in French winemaking and how French wines have never been better tasting or as well-priced as they are now."-Jacques P?©pin
From the Publisher
"Formidable detail; genuine insight; temptations on every page: this could be the most useful single book to take with you to France or to the wine shop!"
--Hugh Johnson
--Hugh Johnson
"An incredibly useful, comprehensive, and informative guide. The French still make more great wine than any other nation in the world, but they don't make it easy to understand. Friedrich does. Novices need this book; wine geeks will want it."
--Jay McInerney
"Remarkable in its depth and breadth of coverage, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in exploring the diverse wines of France. It has become the favorite reference of my entire staff."
--Thomas Keller, chef and owner, The French Laundry
"Much needed, fabulously realized. I especially like the author's unsnobby approach and compulsively readable style. This book is full of great wines at low prices, and Friedrich understands that wine is, above all, about pleasure."
--Kermit Lynch, owner, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
"I love this book! Truly one of the most comprehensive and informative books of its kind, it is an invaluable tool for the wine professional and consumer alike. Definitely the perfect companion for your next trip to the wine shop."
--Caroline Styne, wine director and owner, Lucques and AOC
"Most Americans have an irrational fear of French wines--the nomenclature, vintages, edgier tannins, and gout de terroir in place of obvious fruitiness. Friedrich has done a tremendous service in demystifying what makes the wines of France as special as they are as well as helping to preserve a diversity of wine choices in a world that is rapidly becoming more homogeneous."
--Randall Grahm, owner, Bonny Doon Vineyard
"Straightforward, clear, and concise, Friedrich's book teaches all about the revolution in French wine making and how French wines have never been better tasting or as well-priced than they are now."
--Jacques Pépin
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The guide-hater's guide to wine,
By A reader (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers (Paperback)
Normally I don't even pay attention to the wine guide genre--they're outdated almost immediately and are characterized by "points" which are almost always awarded in the highest quantity to the usual suspects. Luckily I happened to open a copy of this one, probably because the author's book on Loire Valley wines is so invaluable. This is the guide I've always wanted. The focus is on winemakers, not vintages, and Ms. Friedrich has definite tastes and preferences which (importantly) coincide with mine. She happens to know a lot more than I do, however, and has a knack for ferreting out the unusual and succinctly characterizing a winemaker and his wines in a few pithy sentences. Her emphasis on terroir-driven and naturally made wines has major appeal for me. Many of these wines, while not household names, are available in the U.S. (alas, not all) so you don't have to be planning a trip to France to benefit from this book.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One to get and another to give,
This review is from: The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers (Paperback)
Whether you are a debutante at choosing wines or a serious collector, this book is just what you've been wishing someone would write! Jacqueline Friedrich is already well-known in the food and wine writing world but her latest book is not only a handy "pocket tool" of a wine guide, it makes you feel like you've been given the keys to the cellar. Wow, just leafing through it as I walked back from the mailbox, I was grinning at many of the cleverly described entries and the way it works, with crib sheets at the end of each region and the useful how-to-order-wine-in-a-restaurant appendix.
Get one for yourself and one for each of your friends even if they may not be going to France any time soon - they'll be dreaming they were while opening a bottle of one of Jackie's recommended vintages.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Leave Home without It,
This review is from: The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers (Paperback)
I took this helpful and witty guide along with me on a tour of Burgundy and it proved extremely useful in helping to decide which producers to visit. And of course nobody knows the wines of the Loire Valley like Jacqueline Friedrich. I'm looking forward to taking it on my next trip to another wine region in France.
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First Sentence:
Bordered by the Vosges mountains to the west and the Rhine River to the east, the region of Alsace snakes its way in a long, thin line from Marlenheim, due west of Strasbourg in the north, to Thann, due west of Mulhouse in the south. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
promising domaine, young domaine, family domaine, pure carignan, drink the youngest, domaine making, newish barrels, vinous whites, several cuvées, pure grenache, young vigneron, négociant line, deluxe cuvée, pure syrah, vieilles vignes, good domaine, two cuvées, traditional bottling, unfiltered reds, small domaine, domaine run, fer servadou, ambitious wines, different cuvées, top cuvée Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Côtes du Rhône, Coteaux du Languedoc, Premier Crus, Côte de Nuits, Cru Bourgeois, Vin Doux Naturel, Côtes du Roussillon, Coteaux du Layon, Stéphane Derenoncourt, Côtes de Bergerac, Côte de Beaune, Michel Rolland, New World, Vins de Pays, Cotes du Rhone, Muscat de Rivesaltes, Clos de Vougeot, Fifth Growth, Bordeaux Supérieur, Les Clos, Vin de Corse, Coteaux du Loir, Grande Cuvée, Coteaux Champenois, Muscadet de Sèvre New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Bordered by the Vosges mountains to the west and the Rhine River to the east, the region of Alsace snakes its way in a long, thin line from Marlenheim, due west of Strasbourg in the north, to Thann, due west of Mulhouse in the south. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
promising domaine, young domaine, family domaine, pure carignan, drink the youngest, domaine making, newish barrels, vinous whites, several cuvées, pure grenache, young vigneron, négociant line, deluxe cuvée, pure syrah, vieilles vignes, good domaine, two cuvées, traditional bottling, unfiltered reds, small domaine, domaine run, fer servadou, ambitious wines, different cuvées, top cuvée Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Côtes du Rhône, Coteaux du Languedoc, Premier Crus, Côte de Nuits, Cru Bourgeois, Vin Doux Naturel, Côtes du Roussillon, Coteaux du Layon, Stéphane Derenoncourt, Côtes de Bergerac, Côte de Beaune, Michel Rolland, New World, Vins de Pays, Cotes du Rhone, Muscat de Rivesaltes, Clos de Vougeot, Fifth Growth, Bordeaux Supérieur, Les Clos, Vin de Corse, Coteaux du Loir, Grande Cuvée, Coteaux Champenois, Muscadet de Sèvre New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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