At some point, everyone is a beginner. For those starting to appreciate wine, Wine Made Easy, edited by Susy Atkins, is a great start. Like one of those iconic yellow books for 'not so smart people', this book covers basic topics from the common types of grapes, popular wine regions, the different types of wine, and how to pair wine with meals. Each of the sections of the book cover important topics relevant to wines with no expectation of previous knowledge, making this a good starting point in learning more about wine.
Many of the popular grape varieties are listed and briefly described somewhere in this book. However, all of the grapes in the book are one of the old varieties of Vitis vinifera and do not include any New World grapes or hybrids between New and Old World varieties. Now whether the selection of grapes in the book is based solely on popularity or due to the old prejudices against New World grapes, its hard to miss that a great many grape varieties are not included the Delaware, the Niagara, Chambourcin, and Traminette.
Buying, storing, opening, and tasting wine are all important parts of the experience, and this book delivers a good overview of each of these steps. No book though, can teach you the full gambit of taste wine. A brief look at the Wikipedia entry of Wine tasting descriptors reveals just how complicated a wine can taste. Chemistry supports this view, as chemists have identified over 250 different chemical compounds in wine.
The unique part of this book is the chapter which covers how to read wine labels from the most popular wine making regions of France, Europe, and the New World. This chapter presents an interesting comparison between the various laws and practices of labels throughout the world. For our purposes here though, only the rules of the United States matter, which is covered briefly on one page.
Most wine is consumed not by itself, but with food as an appetizer, a dessert, or with a meal. That is why the topic of pairing wine is so common. This book covers far beyond the normal guidance of drinking red wines with red meat and white wines with white meat by breaking down which types of white wines go with which Pork with Cream and Mushrooms (a lightly oaked Chardonnay). If you serve wine for guests often at dinner parties, the tables in this section may be helpful, but with Google a click away and with many of the suggestions region specific, I'll stick to my method: choosing the wine I want to taste at the given moment.
The final section of the book covers the hazards and benefits to drinking wine. While there is around 10% of alcohol in a glass of wine (give or take a few percentage depending on the style of wine), most people can handle a glass of wine a day, though the World Health Organization recommends at least 2 alcohol free days a week. But, as research has shown through the 'J-shaped' curve, consuming a glass of wine a day can have many health benefits, including reducing risk for heart disease and by the antioxidants in red wine, can inhibit the growth of certain cancers. My personal viewpoint is that of the ancient Greeks and Romans: Ne quid nimis. Nothing in excess, or all things in moderation. An occasional glass, or the regular glass of wine is fine and can be healthy, but excessive drinking is harmful.
Overall, this book provides a great introduction of the world of wine. But, it is only that, an introduction. There are a great many other places where grapes and wine are grown and made, a great many other varieties of grapes and wine, and a great many other possible food pairings.
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