Wines of the Rhone Valley: Revised and Expanded Edition (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The Rhone River starts as a trickle of water in the icy depths of Switzerland and passes in view of some of that country's best..." (more)
Key Phrases: last tasted, inox vats, enamel vats, Vieilles Vignes, Grenache Blanc, Pape Tel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

GQ With his revolutionary rating system and infallible palate, Robert Parker is the world's most influential wine critic. -- Review

Product Description

Are there wines to rival the greatest first-growths of Bordeaux and the grand crus of Burgundy? Robert Parker's answer is a resounding Yes -- they are to be found among the finest wines of the Rhône Valley. With this new edition of Wines of the Rhône Valley, Robert Parker, the world's most influential wine critic, provides the key to enjoying the winemaking world's best-kept secret. And publication of Wines of the Rhône Valley coincides with reports that the 1995 vintage from this region may be one of the best ever.

With the precursor of this book, The Wines of the Rhône Valley and Provence, first published in 1987, Parker began a campaign to share with the wine consumer the wealth of wines found in this underappreciated region. The area contains the oldest vineyards in France -- indeed the heyday of some of the Rhône Valley wines was 2,000 years ago, around the time of the Roman conquest of France. In recent centuries, these wines have been misunderstood and ignored -- and consequently undervalued. All of which means that some of the great wines of the world are available for a fraction of the cost of those from better-known regions.

Wines of the Rhône Valley is the ultimate resource for every wine lover, highlighting both the greatest wines of the Rhône Valley and the region's finest wine values. These wines range, in Parker's words, "from the humble generic Côtes du Rhône to the most sublime and celestial wines of Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, Condrieu, and Châteauneuf du Pape." With his trademark thoroughness, Parker has fully revised and expanded this edition to reflect changes in the region, new personalities, and the latest vintages.

Parker's previous books -- the critically acclaimed Bordeaux and Burgundy and four widely praised editions of the Wine Buyer's Guide -- firmly established him, in Time magazine's words, as "the man with the paragon palate." His appeal lies not only in his unabashed consumer advocacy, insightful reporting, and clear, lyrical writing but in the deep enthusiasm that infuses his work. Parker is an impassioned champion of wine and has made it his cause to give everyone -- from the novice whose curiosity about wine is just burgeoning to the expert who cellars by the case -- the information they need to be informed buyers and educated consumers. In this edition, Parker returns to the region closest to his heart, exploring the sun-drenched Rhône Valley in unprecedented candor and detail.

Wines of the Rhône Valley is divided into two main sections; the lush valleys of northern Rhône and the sunbaked hillsides of the southern Rhône. Within the sections, Parker profiles each appellation. A handy summary box provides information at a glance, including types of wines produced, grape varieties planted, and number of acres under vine. The price range of the wines is listed along with an assessment of their quality and aging potential. The description of the appellation that follows -- its history and personalities, successes and failures -- is accompanied by a rating of recent and older vintages. Then, Parker provides his classification of the growers of each appellation, comments on and explains how the wines are vinified and bottled, and gives guidelines for how long to cellar and when to serve the wines. Brief aromatic and textural profiles in this section give a hint of the detailed tasting notes that accompany the profiles of the top producers later in the chapters. Throughout, Parker tastes and evaluates the wines using his revolutionary 50-100 point scale.

The book's introduction thoroughly explains Parker's methodology and gives guidelines on how to use his ratings and reviews most effectively. His wine terms are also defined in a detailed glossary. And there's a section that provides Parker's guidelines for what a visitor traveling in the Rhône Valley can expect to pay for a meal as well as recommendations for restaurants and lodging.

Wines of the Rhône Valley is certainly the most comprehensive and detailed book ever written on this region. These wines, long overshadowed by their more well-known neighbors, are now thoroughly analyzed and reviewed, providing the ultimate resource for today's savvy wine consumer.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Revised & enlarged edition (June 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684800136
• ISBN-13: 978-0684800134
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #233,914 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A BOOK ! Impressive tastings, writings and insights!, April 19, 1999

By A Customer

As a French and especially a French born in a little town located at 20 kilometers from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, I am really amazed that Mr Parker get to know the wines of my own country so deeply. He really understands their 'spirits' and he is - as no one that I know of - able of explaining them and detailing them in beautiful, and in the mean time, trully informative and practical ways. This Rhone Valley's guide - because I consider this to be a real guide even though it is a shot from one author alone - is really pleasing to read and to use. It is motivating! This is a masterpiece to be highly considered by all wine lovers in the sense that the wines from the Rhone area were - and maybe still are - not very well considered by all wine drinkers. Because Mr Parker, as a well know master taster with a huge knowledge about the wines and wine producers of the Rhone Valley, did write this book, people might now get a better understanding of what these wines are, how they are made, and who is doing them best. Mr Parker loves powerfull wines... (so do I) ...I am not suprised that he wrote such a book about this region because the Wines of the Rhone Valley ARE VERY powerfull - but not all of them. This is what you will learn by reading this book. You will find plenty of details as well as plenty of very good addresses there. This book is definitely THE reference for now. Give it a try. It is worth it. And if you visit the Rhone Valley wine country, bring it along with you or you'll miss most of the fun: tasting the good, the excellent and the exceptionnal. A la votre.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another excellent book from Parker, January 31, 2000

By	Kim Nielsen (Skovlunde, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This is Parkers first book on Rhone - and what a result ! All areas of the Rhone are covered, some to a bigger detail than others but anyway, the outcome is great. Maybe a little more in-depth details on the smaller - or should I say lesser known - regions (which are the ones we mere mortals can afford !) would be nice but, knowing Parkers affection for Rhone, that'll probably (hopefully) come in the next edition. All-in-all, very recommendable..

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must bring when you vist the Rhone Valley, June 2, 1999

By A Customer

An excellent book. My husband loves it for their reviews. When we visited the Rhone, we relied heavily on the travel section in the back of the book and found excellent lodging and restaurant recommendations, which made for an unforgettable trip.