Oct 09 2008
Books on Wine
This is the 13th installment find the 1st one here
Barnes & Nobel and Borders book stores have become my destination of choice for books to learn more about buying, tasting and producing good wine. I want to know everything I can about wine. I have immersed myself in studying and taking notes on wine facts and characteristics. I did not study this diligently in college! My wife thought at first that I was “cracking up”! I loved it and still do. What an amazing science, that of producing great wine!
After reading the first book or two, I yearned for more varied and concentrated information to broaden my knowledge and curiosity about wine. Knowing that I had become such a “nut bag” about studying wine, my wife showed me an article that she had read had read in our college alumni news about a wine course that they were offering (back in the Midwest). The text they were using, according to the article was a book by Kevin Zraly, “Windows on the World – A Complete Wine Course”. I didn’t need any more of an excuse to trek off to the book store to find it!
I spotted it quite easily in the racks of “wine buff” books, purchased it and headed home for some hopefully good and informative reading. Wow! What a book! This is what I had been looking for! I’d hit the jackpot! I read, highlighted and read some more. It is a fascinating book written in very plain laymen terms and is devoted to the total education of anyone who enjoys learning about and trying new wines. I’ve read the book twice (which I had never done to a book in my life) and have re-read the highlights again and again.
I could now read the label of a German Riesling and know when and where it was grown and how it was made and probably tasted. I could now see a wine from Italy on the shelf at the wine store and know which region of the country it was from. I now know that the “tastes” I was experiencing were all able to be categorized and mentally listed and also written down to aid in buying wine the next time that I knew I really liked. I also found that I certainly needed to expand my knowledge and tastes of all types of wine – not just cabinet and merlot. It is a “must read” for anyone wanting to learn more about wine. The author is realistic about personal taste vs. price. I have learned one very important thing from this book! That is; try a lot of different wines and then buy and drink the ones you like, not the ones others tell you you’ll like. I do just that and am having a ball!
Jim Albinger (Andrew’s dad) grew up in smalltown northwest Iowa in the 1950’s. He has been writing down his experiences looking back at all that has shaped his current wine tasting hobby. Expect to see more of Jim’s writings here at offthecork.com.
