24-Hour Wine Expert

• Publisher: Abrams Image
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781613129579
• Topic: Kunst
• Subtopic: Kulinarische Künste

Many wine drinkers wish they knew more without having to understand every nuance or go to expensive wine tastings. In her new book, Jancis Robinson, the leading international authority on wine, grants the wishes of would-be wine experts the world over. With The 24-Hour Wine Expert, anyone can learn all that is really important about wine in a single day. In her pithy, approachable, comprehensive guide, Robinson shares her expertise with authority, wit, and approachability, tackling questions such as how to select the right bottle at retail, what wine labels signify, how to understand the properties of color and aroma, and how to match food and wine. Robinson's proposition is irresistible: In just 24 hours, anyone can become a wine expert. So pour a glass and get reading!Note: the simulated wine stains on the cover of the book are a design element and are intentional.

Matching Wine to the Occasion

What I love about wine is its variety. Not just in terms of color, strength, sweetness, and fizziness. Not just because of all the varied grapes it’s made from and places it’s grown, resulting in all those fabulous different flavors. What I like most is the fact that there are wines for every day, wines for smarter occasions, and wines that are designed to celebrate the really special moments in life. I know people who drink nothing but first-growth bordeaux and Grand Cru burgundy, but I’d hate to be one of them; I’d really miss my honest peasant farmer wines.

It’s much cleverer to match the wine to the occasion than to always serve wine as grand as you can afford. For a barbecue, for example, it would be a waste to serve anything too special. A robust spicy red such as a Mendoza Malbec, a southern Rhône, a Spanish Garnacha, or Zinfandel would be just the job. For a simple supper, I’d choose an honest but simple wine – a Beaujolais, Muscadet, or young Chianti perhaps – from an artisanal producer. But if I’m entertaining really serious wine lovers, I make sure that I serve something that will be a real treat for them.

Crowd-pleasers

These are wines that are not extreme in any way, and have shown themselves over time to be capable of pleasing a wide array of palates.

friendly whites

Mâcon Blanc

Pinot Blanc (called Weissburgunder in German)

Chablis

Albariño from northwest Spain (called Alvarinho in northern Portugal)

Alto Adige and Friuli whites

Vermentino

Falanghina from near Naples

Verdicchio from Italy’s Adriatic coast

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay

Riesling from Washington State

friendly pink

Dry Provençal rosé

friendly reds

New Zealand Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir from Australia’s Mornington Peninsula

Côtes du Rhône

California Zinfandel

Oregon Pino...