Book Report: November 2011 Edition

WINES FOR EVERYDAY

1,000 Great Everyday Wines, ($25, DK Publishing) is a compilation of over 1,000 suggestions for great everyday drinking wines—value wines that aim to please every level of wine drinker. Compiled by a group of wine writers from around the world, the book showcases value wines that have regional character. Covering reds, whites, sparkling wines, dessert wines, rosés and fortified wines.

dk.com

ON SUSTAINABLE WINEMAKING

Wine writer Jamie Goode has collaborated with Master of Wine Sam Harrop on Authentic Wine: Toward Natural and Sustainable Winemaking ($29.95, University of California Press) to tackle the question, “What exactly is a natural wine?” Concerned that wine diversity is being threatened by commercial homogenization, the authors utilize global anecdotes and examples to help discuss concepts like terroir, Biodynamics, sustainability and “natural” as marketing concept in terms the average reader can understand.

ucpress.edu

A TOAST TO GIN

Author Michael Turback has previously examined drink subjects from hot chocolate to wines of the Finger Lakes region of New York. In his latest book, All The Gin Joints: New Spins on Gin From America’s Best Bars ($15, Createspace), Turback captures the versatility of gin with over 100 recipes developed by some of America’s most progressive bartenders. All The Gin Joints offers history, practical techniques and easy-to-follow formulas for both amateurs and experienced mixologists.

alltheginjoints.com

A CULT CLASSIC FINALLY AVAILABLE STATESIDE

The Drops of God ($14.95, Random House) is a graphic novel sensation that has already driven up sales and consumption in Asia and Europe. Finally available in English, this is the story of two brothers in competition for their father’s legacy: in order to inherit his priceless wine collection, the brothers are in a race to find and describe 12 legendary wines. The book packs action and a dose of wine education.

randomhouse.com

ENCYCLOPEDIC WINE KNOWLEDGE

Updated this fall, the expanded, fifth edition of Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia ($50, DK Publishing) is a comprehensive wine reference reflecting recent changes in the world of wine—with special sections devoted to countries in southeast Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, as well as Old and New World star regions. Award-winning wine writer Tom Stevenson also incorporates regional maps, a wine and food pairing guide and a glossary.

dk.com