It used to be the easiest way in the wine world to get a laugh – start extolling the virtues of English wine. Oh, how they would chortle! And they had a point. Until the 1990s hardly any English wine was more than a curiosity to be drunk if you had no other choice. The old-fashioned view of English wine is that of a cottage industry made up of amateurs struggling with the mud and the drizzle. The modern view is of a country amazingly blessed with vast tracts of soil suitable for viticulture, much of it almost indistinguishable from the chalky slopes of Champagne and Chablis, and of a country taking full advantage of the vagaries of climate change to ripen Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to levels perfect for sparkling wine, and increasingly excellent still wines. And it wouldn’t be far off the mark to say that England is now the newest of the New World, New Wave wine countries. The 1990s brought several pioneering sparkling wine producers to the fore – led by Nyetimber and Breaky Bottom and suddenly England has found its wine vocation. Oz has long been a champion of English wines and this book helps you find the best wines, from fizz, whites, some impressive reds and even dessert and orange wines. One of the great pleasures of wine is to drink it where it is grown and made. Both wine handbook and armchair companion, English Wine is an essential book for all lovers of wine. The opportunity to meet growers, winemakers and winery owners is what draws people to visit wineries and ‘have an experience in the vineyard’. The book is split into sections: Exciting Times – How it used to be; The Nyetimber effect; Climate: is it almost perfect now?; Location is key; Planting like made; A question of style: sparkling or still; and Grape varieties: a race to the top. British Bubbles – What is needed to make good fizz; Champagne, the original fizz; Bubbles and how they’re created. A Tour Of the Regions – covers personal experiences and reflections from Oz's many years of visiting talented and passionate producers up and down the country. From Yorkshire to the far west of Cornwall and across to Wales, a small but dynamic part of the UK's wine movement, Oz recommends wines he has enjoyed and found interesting and encourages you to try for yourself.

This pocket-sized monograph covers key aspects of English wine – from the history to modern developments via climate change, geology, grape varieties, viticulture, winemaking, recent vintages – while the core of the book profiles the country's leading producers. Wine tourism has its own section ('There's never been a better time to visit English wine country,' declare the authors), as does a listing of key overseas distributors to reflect the growing importance of exports. A map of the main wine regions, designed by Dr Alistair Nesbitt of Climate Wine Consulting, sits at the heart of the publication.

"A hip, new guide to wine for the new generation of wine drinkers, from the sommelier creators of the award-wining site WineFolly.com"--Provided by publisher.

This is a fun but respectful (and very comprehensive) guide to everything you ever wanted to know about wine from the creator and host of the popular podcast Wine for Normal People, described by Imbibe magazine as "a wine podcast for the people." More than 60,000 listeners tune in every month to learn a not-snobby wine vocabulary, how and where to buy wine, how to read a wine label, how to smell, swirl, and taste wine, and so much more! Rich with charts, maps, and lists—and the author's deep knowledge and unpretentious delivery—this vividly illustrated, down-to-earth handbook is a must-have resource for millennials starting to buy, boomers who suddenly have the time and money to hone their appreciation, and anyone seeking a relatable introduction to the world of wine.

JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER The expanded wine guide from the creators of Wine Folly, packed with new information for devotees and newbies alike. Wine Folly became a sensation for its inventive, easy-to-digest approach to learning about wine. Now in a new, expanded hardcover edition, Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is the perfect guide for anyone looking to take his or her wine knowledge to the next level. Wine Folly: Magnum Edition includes: More than 100 grapes and wines color-coded by style so you can easily find new wines you'll love; A wine region explorer with detailed maps of the top wine regions, as well as up-and-coming areas such as Greece and Hungary; Wine labeling and classification 101 for wine countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Austria; An expanded food and wine pairing section; A primer on acidity and tannin--so you can taste wine like a pro; more essential tips to help you cut through the complexity of the wine world and become an expert. Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is the must-have book for the millions of fans of Wine Folly and for any budding oenophile who wants to boost his or her wine knowledge in a practical and fun way. It's the ultimate gift for any wine lover.

English wine has greatly changed in recent years. Royalty and heads of government drink it and pour it for foreign dignitaries, and it is sold to some thirty wine-drinking nations and even beats champagne in blind tasting challenges. Its main grape varieties are major international names and its makers are skilled professionals. From a largely amateur-instigated cottage industry it has become an increasingly serious, quality-led commercial proposition - one that regularly makes news at home and abroad. This book explains why and how that has come about, telling the story of winemaking in England from the Romans to the present era. Most of all, it celebrates the wine itself and the people who make it. Its pages take readers on a virtual tour of many of the UK's most significant vineyards, long established or comparatively new, in the southern heartland of vine growing, on the western and northern fringes or at points in between. The reader will meet men and women whose expertise, character and belief have created wines of which all Britons can be truly proud. Foreword by Oz Clarke. Superbly illustrated with colour photographs throughout.

"The book introduces the final achievements accumulated in the study of the origins and development of viticulture and winemaking in Armenia, with the intention to ensure improved knowledge and increased awareness among the readers. It will be interesting for all readers who realize that wine is not just a drink, which is industrially made independently of its ties to the land, the history, the traditions, the social context ; it is for those who understand that wine cannot be viewed independently of the grape varieties, history and traditions and culture of places where amazing diversity of native grapes give birth to unique wines "--

Winemaking as a form of food preseIVation is as old as civilization. Wine has been an integral component of people's daily diet since its discovery and has also played an important role in the development of society, reli gion, and culture. We are currently drinking the best wines ever produced. We are able to do this because of our increased understanding of grape growing, biochemistry and microbiology of fermentation, our use of ad vanced technology in production, and our ability to measure the various major and minor components that comprise this fascinating beverage. Historically, winemakers succeeded with slow but gradual improvements brought about by combinations of folklore, obseIVation, and luck. How ever, they also had monumental failures resulting in the necessity to dis pose of wine or convert it into distilled spirits or vinegar. It was assumed that even the most marginally drinkable wines could be marketed. This is not the case for modem producers. The costs of grapes, the technology used in production, oak barrels, corks, bottling equipment, etc. , have in creased dramatically and continue to rise. Consumers are now accustomed to supplies of inexpensive and high-quality varietals and blends; they con tinue to demand better. Modem winemakers now rely on basic science and xvi Preface xvii the systematic application of their art to produce products pleasing to the increasingly knowledgeable consumer base that enjoys wine as part of its civilized society.

Wine into Words, 2nd edition, contains nearly 8000 entries, thousands of annotations covering everything wine has touched: art, literature, music, history, food, winemaking, grape growing, poetry, politics, religion, and war, and hundreds of biographical sketches of the men and women who pioneered wine's development and recorded its history.--Amazon.com.

Introduction -- Writing about wine -- Why Britain? -- Dutch courage : the first wine at the Cape -- First fleet, first flight : creating Australian vineyards -- Astonished by the fruit : New Zealand's first grapes -- Cheap and wholesome : Cape producers and British tariffs -- Echunga hock : colonial wines of the nineteenth century -- Have you any colonial wine? Australian producers and British tariffs -- Planting and pruning : working the colonial vineyard -- Sulphur! phylloxera and other pests -- Served chilled : British consumers in the Victorian era -- From Melbourne to Madras : Wine in India, Cyprus, Malta, and Canada -- Plonk! colonial wine and the First World War -- Fortification : the dominions and the interwar period -- Crude potions : the British market for empire wines -- Doodle bugs destroyed our cellar: wine in the Second World War -- And a glass of wine: colonial wines in the postwar society -- Good fighting wine : colonial wines battle back -- All bar one : the new world conquers the British market -- Conclusions.