Jancis Robinson's Wine Course

Jancis Robinson can make anyone an expert, or at least an informed buyer, in short order. In this comprehensive guide to the wine producing countries of the world, she captures the flavor of each region's wines and gives her personal recommendations for the best names to look for. She also describes the distinctive characteristics of a broad range of grape varieties and looks at both the traditional and innovative methods used in winemaking. An up-to-date vintage guide makes selection even easier.

Designed to ensure that you get the most out of every glass, the Wine Course explains how to taste and store wine, suggests what to serve at home, and reveals how to order the best-value bottles in a restaurant. Full of infectious enthusiasm and lost of personal tips, this book will soon have you reaching for the corkscrew.

Other Details: 170 full-color illustrations.

Another note- she makes her disgust of Spanish wines known in the opening paragraph on page 222 when she says "If it (Spain) had Germany's love of efficiency, or France's respect for bureaucracy, Spain might be sending us oceans of judiciously priced wine made expressly for the international market. But Spain is an anarchic jumble of districts and regions...and heartbreakingly awful human constructions, and has to be treated as such by the wine enthusiast."
I found those comments to be misleading, as Spain to me is a model exporter of high quality wines. Just about any Rioja or Tempranillo wine imported and that goes for less than $...is of fine quality. That is my opinion of course. Another semi-complaint is that there was not enough material on Argentina (only 6 paragraphs) which I found to be a shame, since Argentina has very unique and delicious wines.

Overall this is good, as I said earlier, for those who already have a basic knowledge.


An Esoteric Ramble through the World of Wine   December 5, 2001
 19 out of 20 found this review helpful

There are many types of wine books on the market today. Some are the Dummy and KISS type - with little graphics and simple statements to start you from your first baby steps. Other are rich tomes with a wealth of information, like the Oxford Companion to Wine, which Jancis edits. These have just about every term and region you could hope to learn about.

This companion to Jancis' TV series is neither of the above, and it is much more. It is Jancis speaking to you, from her richly educated base of knowledge, to help you learn what makes wine so interesting. Think of Jancis as your incredibly experienced aunt, who has just come back from some exotic trip. She and you have sat down in the living room by a fire, are sipping some wine, and she is preparing to regale you with stories, and tidbits, and insights, and fascinating worlds you didn't even imagine.

That's what the book is like.

It starts with the basics - how to taste, how to serve, how to decant, wine and food. Even in these areas you get the sense that Jancis is chatting with you about something she loves. She admits to decanting full whites not because they need it, but because she loves the glowing color.

She goes into the gritty details of how wines are made, what a free-run-wine is, how sparkling and sweet wines are created. And then, she begins in on the regional reviews.

France, of course, is first. It always seems to come first. Beautiful pictures of the Chateau Latour tower and Loire valley gables. You move on through Italy, Spain, and yes, the US and Australia get a mention in here too. The reviews are all written from her heart - you see clearly what she likes and doesn't like, and you learn why.

A great way to learn more about wine - especially if you're also able to watch the TV Series!


Good overview, but some bad advice   September 4, 2001
 8 out of 30 found this review helpful

This is a very solid wine overview. However, some of the advice is bad. For example, early on the author states that wine purchasers shouldn't worry too much about a wine's vintage or geography. Actually, these two factors are extremely important and crucial to the appreciation of fine wines. Simply stated, Bordeaux wines and Tuscan wines are considerably better in certain. Geography (or terroir) is one of the reasons I will not buy a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, but I will buy a Barolo or Barbaresco.


Read this book if you want to know more about wine!   December 17, 1997
 25 out of 27 found this review helpful

In what is truly one of the most informative and informal books on wine, Jancis Robinson, the only journalist ever to be given the title Master of Wine, takes you on a journey through this magnificent drink.

As one who truly knows her craft, Jancis shows the reader everything needed to be able to make good decisions about wine. From a discussion about different wine glasses to the different regions where wine is made to the different grape varietals, Jancis lets it all hang out.

Don't get me wrong, though. While Jancis is very informal in her discussion, she is decidedly British, so the text reads as if it were spoken with an accent. Some of the terms are British as well, so a little knowledge of the British way of speaking helps. For example, what Americans (and the French) call a Bordeaux, the English call a Claret. These little things might trip a true wine novice, but I'm certain that anyone who enjoys wine and wants to find out more will keep this book in the bookshelf (when not reading it) for a very long time.