An Encyclopedia of the Wines and Domaines of France (Hardcover)

by Clive Coates (Author) "BORDEAUX IS BY FAR THE LARGEST FINE WINE REGION IN FRANCE..." (more)
Key Phrases: minimum alcohol level, departmental vin, cent new wood, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"It's extraordinarily detailed, provides a ton of information, and, most importantly, tells it like it is." -- the Quarterly Review of Wines

"Read it and you will never fear those French sommeliers again." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

"This is one for the connoisseurs, the serious scholars of fine French wines. An exhaustive survey." -- Associated Press

"This qualifies as a serious gift wine book with its imperial purple jacket alone." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

Product Description
In this handsome and engaging book, Clive Coates, one of the world's leading authorities on wine, gives us the most up-to-date, comprehensive, and detailed study of the wines of France ever written. Coates's vast knowledge of his subject together with his natural gift as a storyteller make An Encyclopedia of the Wines and Domaines of France as informative as it is entertaining. He discusses every appellation and explains its character, distinguishes the best growers, and uses a star system to identify the finest estates. With more than forty specially commissioned maps that show the main appellations and wine villages of France in detail and a format that invites browsing as well as in-depth study, this book will be essential reading for anyone, professional or amateur, interested in wine.

Coates gives ample reasons for his belief that France produces the finest wines in the world, in a volume and variety no other country can match. He shows how, despite savage competition from other countries, France holds its own. It not only creates great wines, he says, it also produces affordable wines. The outcome of thirty-five years of traveling around the French vineyards, this book displays a continuing love and respect for French wines and the vignerons of this remarkable country. In discussing each region and its wines in detail, Coates leaves no stone unturned. His encyclopedic knowledge is evident, bringing the places and the people where these great wines are created to life.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520220935
• ISBN-13: 978-0520220935
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #565,635 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Intense is good, Condensed is not, March 29, 2001

By	Vinophile "vinophile" (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Clive Coates is a charming and often acerbic British writer who happily flaunts convention in his monthly wine newsletter by eschewing any form of number rating (no stars, no points, no grades). His ratings are terms like "fine" and "very fine indeed," which may or may not be helpful to many American readers, but there's no doubting his expertise and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, his tone often gets preachy and borders on snobbism though, in some of his other books (especially his valuable tome on Burgundy), the judgements are still precise and well-researched. This book is precise as far as it goes, but it doesn't go very far.

By attempting to cover all the wine properties of France, even the best ones are invariably dismissed in a few lines rather than explored in depth (two short paragraphs on Chateau Latour and just one for Chateau Lafite, for rexample). It's the USA Today of wine reporting, and terse, short paragraphs just don't suit Coates' expansive style even if he does award 1-3 stars for key properties.

For the same money, you can get Jancis Robinson's excellent Oxford Companion to Wine, a much better and more detailed reference, or Andrea Immer's exceptional wine course for anyone interested in the basics.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master of Wine, indeed, August 9, 2001

By	"doctor_rock" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This is an excellent encyclopedia of knowledge about French wine. It is personal, of course, but after sampling some of Coates' recommendations I can start to believe in the rest of them and feel it would be a very useful accompaniment on visits to the local wine store! The maps are beautifully simple and, taken together with the book "Terroir" these two books alone will provide an excellent basic library for the understanding of why French wines are (a) the best and (b) why some French wines are better than others!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Professional's Guide to the Wines of France, November 24, 2007

By	Austin C. Beeman "www.music4midnight.com" (Maumee, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a working professional in the wine business, this book is my "Bible of French Wines." I keep it at my store and access it at least once a week. (and I consider myself an expert on French Wines."
With an incredible wealth of information on every appellation, and the best full-color maps in any wine book, this is a must own for "sophisticated amateurs" or wine professionals.