Introducing Wine (Websters)

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Oz Clarke

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Pages: 144 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 0316854506

Pub: Little, Brown

Pub date: 2000-09-14

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 142957

Editorial Review:

You've seen him doing it on telly, all that swirling and sniffing and slurping and spitting, you've flicked through a few of his books, but you really aren't that interested in wine. The idea doesn't do much for you. But Oz Clarke won't give up. He still has designs on you and your palate. The latest manoeuvre in his campaign to educate the world's taste-buds is Oz Clarke's Introducing Wine, an ungainly title for an elegant little book. Subtitled "A Complete Guide for the Modern Drinker", it offers a simple, but not simplistic, entry into the pleasures of wine. Oz Clarke takes something of a Year Zero approach to wine: forget the mystique, the reputations, the inflated prices, the snobbery--all that matters is the quality. Consequently he approaches all wines in the same spirit, asking the same questions in a kind of catechism. Part I covers briefly but incisively the major grape varieties, an essential starting point in this wine world view, grouping them in flavour categories such as Spicy, Warm-hearted Reds or Green, Tangy Whites. Amusingly, and effectively, the special flavours of each class are illustrated rather than described at length, the Green, Tangy Whites being accompanied by a skewer of gooseberry, apple, mint, lime, asparagus and green pepper. Part II deals effectively with the practicalities of enjoying wine--opening the bottle, serving wine etc. Part III is the meat of the book, dealing with the major wine-producing countries, divided into regions as appropriate. For each, he provides a Quick Guide, describing location, principal grape varieties, top vintages and label recommendations; then asks his standard set of questions: Do regions matter? Do vintages matter? When do I drink them? and Can I afford them? As ever with Oz Clarke, the answers are honest, reliable, utterly without prejudice and invigoratingly written. --Robin Davidson

Reader Reviews:

A pleasure to read and learn (1/1 people found this helpful)

I decided that it was time I learned a little more about wine and this was the book that I chose. Oz Clarke has a friendly, approachable style and his enthusiasm for his subject bursts from every page. I like the arrangement of the book: a guide to the most common grape varieties, what tastes to expect, then a guided tour of the world's best wine regions. And the illustrations are great. It makes you feel as if you've been there (or want to rush off and buy a plane ticket). Learning made a pleasure.

Brilliant little book (1/1 people found this helpful)

This brilliant book nearly dug me out of a deep hole. A guy I fancied invited me to a wine tasting after I told him "I knew about wine", when I knew zip. Then I found out he was a buff. Always a crammer, I raced to the bookstore and bought Oz Clarkes book because it looked very approachable it was. Thank my lucky stars! Clarke spells it out in an easy, wity, sexy style, and, like your best friend, he tells you straight. What wine is, where it comes from, whats the different between the whites, the reds, and what makes each wine unique; how to approach and open a bottle, what the label means, how the wine should look, smell, and taste. He shows you how to stand when mulling it over, swirle it around your mouth, even to spit it out without messing that skirt! With maps he describes the world's wine regions, banishes the jargon, and list tempting selections. Clark's enthusiasm so swept me along that I was determined to start a cellar of my own. I went to the tasting armed with my knowledge I knew how to "talk the talk". The first wine the fella gace me was great, a Condrieu made with Viogner grapes. He waited for my opinion It never came Oz hadn't told me how to pronounce either.

Start enjoying yourself! (13/13 people found this helpful)

I enjoy wine but I know so little about it. My wife gave me this book for my birthday partly because she loved the pictures as she was looking through it in the shop. And they are very evocative. But what I wanted to say was this book has opened up a whole new world to me. There are simple, short, memorable facts that have helped me to understand what wine I like - and what I don't. There are sections that show types of wines and their differences or similarities so if I like a wine I can be fairly certain of some others I will also enjoy. I particularly like the boxes of instant recall for grape flavours, the quick guides to regions and the simple question and answer format that tells you what matters and what doesn't in any wine region. Now when I look at a bottle whether in a restaurant or in the off licence, I am more aware if I have had something similar and what it might taste like. I am learning which regions produce wines I like and the vintages that are best for each one. But best of all, I know what is NOT important to worry about and that means I have lost my inhibitions about ordering or buying wine. In a short time, I have learned more than I ever dreamed and have enhanced my drinking pleasure at the same time. In his own words: 'start enjoying yourself!'

A beautifully designed book that is a real pleasure to read. (4/5 people found this helpful)

I like the way that the author places wines into clearly identifiable styles and then gives you lots of siggestions to try. I've found the tasting advice really useful too. I've only got one complaint - why couldn't Oz Clarke have written an introductory book years ago?