Product Description

Internationally acclaimed wine expert, Jens Priewe has written the book for the contemporary wine consumer who drinks what he or she likes. Priewe explains why some wines cost hundreds of dollars while others cost only ten. He provides a key to the complex language of wine and illuminates the science of wine making while honoring the art that creates great wines. About half of the book is devoted to the wine-making process itself, including everything from why wine grows best in poor soil to why a wine matures faster in a small barrel than in a large one. The other half examines the best wines of the world, country by country, and guides the reader to an understanding of the intricacies of wine tasting and appreciation. Illustrated with more than 1,000 colour images, including computer graphics that explain the invisible processes of wine making; satellite maps and aerial photos of the world's most important wine regions; and photographs of individual vineyards by the world's best wine photographers, "Wine" will quench the thirst for knowledge that true wine lovers feel rising within them whenever they uncork a bottle of fine wine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #186799 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

A Wine Authority and Stunning Images
I manage an online multimedia class on Wine Appreciation and this book is the benchmark. Comprehensive simplicity is achieved throughout, and the images are the best of any wine book on the market. For each region, there are ariel photos, where each winery site is identified for famous areas like Berdeuox, Napa, the Piedmont, etc. This is a perfect book for anyone who loves wine, regarless of prior knowledge.

Great content, beautiful photographs
What first stuck me about this book is its visual beauty. Every single page has illustrations, maps, or stunning photographs which cover every imaginable step in the wine-making process. This book manages to give a wide overview of the considerations that go into making a wine, from "grape to glass", but also provides a fascinating level of detail. This book would be perfect for a wine lover who wants to know more, or even as a reference book for a library.

An outstanding primer on grape growing and wine making
Attention holiday shoppers: This beautiful coffee table book from Abbeville Press would make an excellent gift to any wine lover. The ample photographs throughout are breathtaking. It will definitely inspire you to open a bottle of fine wine. It might even move you to make travel reservations to any one of the wine regions covered in the book.

Unlike many coffee table books, this one is chock-full of substantive information. There are separate and informative chapters on the wines of a host of countries -- France, Spain, the U.S., Australia, Argentina, and many others. The information is well organized and would easily serve as an excellent reference source for each. "Wine: From Grape to Glass" meets the challenge that so many other wine books fail: not too general, not too detailed. For each wine region, there is a history of the wine making in that region, along with enough information about each type of wine from the region to give the reader a firm handle on the wines without bombarding the reader with a list of specific labels and vintages.

Without question, though, the absolute best thing about this book is the extensive coverage of winegrowing, grape varieties, and the craft of winemaking. To his great credit, author Jens Priewe seamlessly integrates some pretty complicated information without cutting corners. Everything about the grape-to-wine process is here: choosing, planting, tending, harvesting, fermenting, and aging.

If you have ever taken "the tour" at any winery and have found yourself wishing you could hear more about the winemaking process - this is the book for you. Priewe includes so much excellent information, that you could probably buy your own vine and make your own wine using this book as your only reference. It's that good.