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Professional wine consultant Richard Vine offers an in-depth look into wines, wine making, wine varieties, wine appreciation, and wines throughout the world.
The very first winemaster may have been a cave man who discovered the magic of fermentation by tasting the result of some crushed grapes having been left inadvertently for a few days. Wine will, literally, make itself. In simplest terms, yeast cells will collect on the outside of grape skins in the form of bloom and, when exposed to the natural sweetness inside the fruit, fermentation of the sugar into carbon dioxide gas and ethyl alcohol will commence. During the millenia that have transpired since the cave man, the state of the art has evolved into five generally accepted categories of classification. Table wines are usually dry (made with no appreciable amount of fer mentable sugar remaining) or nearly so, and contain less than 14% alcohol by volume. They can be white, pink or red and are the result of uncompli cated processes of fermentation, clarification, stabilization, aging and bot tling. The term table wine suggests the use for which these wines are intended-at the table with food. The overwhelming majority of the wine produced in the world is in this category. Table wines range from the obscure and ordinary to the most expensive classics known to man.
The Curious World of Wine is a fascinating miscellany about the colorful characters, celebrated places, and quirky events surrounding wine-making. Recounting wine tales that are by turns amusing, surprising, and occasionally a bit naughty, wine expert Richard Vine reveals little-known facts such as: • The oldest vineyard still producing grapes is thought to be in Maribor, Slovenia, where vines up to four hundred years old remain fruitful. • “Plonk,” a term used to insult any modestly priced wine, got its name from the French words for white wine—vin blanc, pronounced “vawn blawnk,” which was corrupted to “plawnk” or “plonk.” • Thomas Jefferson was so eager to plant native French vines at his Monticello mansion that he nearly went bankrupt fruitlessly hiring experts to defeat a condition that caused European vines to mysteriously die in North American soil. • Touching wineglasses as a toast was originally a deft move to exchange a splash of wine into each other’s cup to ensure that neither party was being poisoned. The Curious World of Wine will keep any wine fan entertained and enlightened—from the most erudite connoisseur to Two Buck Chuck devotees.
During the past several decades considerable interest has developed in the United States for the wines that are produced in small wineries across our nation. This in terest continues to intensify, especially for the truly good wines that are reason ably priced. Consumers are unforgiving. Second-class wines will not be accept able just because a vintner may be newly established. The functions that must take place in the small estate-type wine cellar and the controls that can be realistically exercised by winemasters are essential in the creation of superior products. Although wine can be a comparatively simple food to produce, it is a very vast topic. Perhaps much the same as with other art f...
The definition of 'heavy metal' is often a contentious issue and in this lively and accessible text Andrew Cope presents a refreshing re-evaluation of the rules that define heavy metal as a musical genre. Cope begins with an interrogation of why, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Birmingham provided the ideal location for the evolution and early development of heavy metal and hard rock. The author considers how the influence of the London and Liverpool music scenes merged with the unique cultural climate, industry and often desolated sites of post-war Birmingham to contribute significantly to the development of two unique forms of music: heavy metal and hard rock. The author explores th...
Also known as "The Natural Remedy Bible," The Herb Book provides a comprehensive resource for building a livelier, healthier, happier life. More than 2,000 listings offer remedies for ragged nerves, nightmares, and coughing fits as well as suggestions for adding spice to recipes, coloring fabrics, freshening breath, and a host of other benefits. Complete and concise descriptions of herbs, illustrated by more than 275 line drawings, offer the most comprehensive catalog of "miracle plants" ever published. Written by an expert and pioneer in the field, this easy-to-use reference features three parts. The first presents introductory historical information and background for using the rest of the...
A connoisseur's compendium of a great American's passion for fine wine
Provides an introduction to the historical geography of viticulture and the wine trade from prehistory to the present, considering wine as a symbol, rich in meaning and a commercial product of great economic importance to specific regions.
In 1975 there were 125 wineries in eastern North America. By 2013 there were more than 2,400. How and why the eastern United States and Canada became a major wine region of the world is the subject of this history. Unlike winemakers in California with its Mediterranean climate, the pioneers who founded the industry after Prohibition—1933 in the United States and 1927 in Ontario—had to overcome natural obstacles such as subzero cold in winter and high humidity in the summer that favored diseases devastating to grapevines. Enologists and viticulturists at Eastern research stations began to find grapevine varieties that could survive in the East and make world-class wines. These pioneers we...
Back in the day, many reporters and columnists kept a folder or big envelope in a desk drawer. Whenever he or she wrote something that might impress a future prospective employer, it was clipped and saved in this folder or envelope. This was known as a string book. The phrase was borrowed from the common term for free-lance writers, who were paid by the column inch of published material. They were known as stringers, from the old practice of pasting together their published stories in sort of a string, which could then be measured and submitted for payment, monthly or otherwise. Staffers, on the other hand, were paid by the week, or for part-timers, by the hour. In the fall of 1959, an Engli...