Writing with wit and verve, Mike Veseth (a.k.a. the Wine Economist) tells the compelling story of the war between the market trends that are redrawing the world wine map and the terroirists who resist them. Wine and the wine business are at a critical crossroad today, transformed by three powerful forces. Veseth begins with the first force, globalization, which is shifting the center of the wine world as global wine markets provide enthusiasts with a rich but overwhelming array of choices. Two Buck Chuck, the second force, symbolizes the rise of branded products like the famous Charles Shaw wines sold in Trader Joe's stores. Branded corporate wines simplify the worldwide wine market and give buyers the confidence they need to make choices, but they also threaten to dumb down wine, sacrificing terroir to achieve marketable McWine reliability. Will globalization and Two Buck Chuck destroy the essence of wine? Perhaps, but not without a fight, Veseth argues. He counts on "the revenge of the terroirists" to save wine's soul. But it won't be easy as wine expands to exotic new markets such as China and the very idea of terroir is attacked by both critics and global climate change. Veseth has "grape expectations" that globalization, Two Buck Chuck, and the revenge of the terroirists will uncork a favorable future for wine in an engaging tour-de-force that will appeal to all lovers of wine, whether it be boxed, bagged, or bottled.

INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards -- 2014 GOLD Winner for Cooking 100 wines paired with more than 100 dishes, from two of the most respected experts in the business. Pairing wine and food can bring out the best qualities in each. But how do you hit upon the right combination? And is there just one? Do you fall back on the old rules or decide by cuisine or season? The choices can be perplexing, and fashions are constantly changing. Eric Asimov and Florence Fabricant have spent much of their careers enjoying this most delicious dilemma and now give readers the tools they need to play the game of wine and food to their own tastes. In this book, they sum up some of their most useful findings. Instead of a rigid system, Wine with Food offers guiding information to instill confidence so you can make your own choices. The goal is to break the mold of traditional pairing models and open up new possibilities. Asimov focuses on wines of distinction and highlights certain producers to look for. Fabricant offers dishes covering every course and drawing from diverse global influences-Clams with Chorizo, Autumn Panzanella, Duck Fried Rice, Coq au Vin Blanc, Short Ribs with Squash and Shiitakes. Sidebars explore issues related to the entire experience at the table-such as combining sweet with savory, the right kind of glass, and decanting. Wine with Food is both an inspiring collection of recipes and a concise guide to wine.

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.

Do you enjoy fine wine? Can you name the different varieties of grape and the wines that are made from them? Are you an expert on all aspects of the wine making process? If so, find out how much you really know about wine with the 500 testing questions in this new quiz book. What grape produces wine that sometimes has the aroma of diesel or petrol? From which wine region in France does Sancerre come? In making Sherry, what is the system of topping up casks with older sherry called? The answers to these questions and more can all be found in The Wine Quiz Book. With sections on different wines from countries around the world, wine growing and making, anagrams of well-known wines, grape varieties, as well as general questions about the entire wine making process, you are certain to learn something new. This is a must-have book for anyone with an interest in the wine industry from the most discerning connoisseur to the enthusiastic amateur. If you like wine, you won't want to be without this book.

The best on wine from the New York Times! The newspaper of record has always showcased the writing of some of the worlds most respected wine experts, and these 125 articles from its archives feature such esteemed names as Eric Asimov, Frank Prial, Florence Fabricant, and R. W. Apple Jr. They cover everything from corkscrews and winespeak to pairing wine with food, wines from the Continent and South of the Border, and restaurant experiences. This is the ideal gift book for wine lovers.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' PICK “Thrilling . . . [told] with gonzo élan . . . When the sommelier and blogger Madeline Puckette writes that this book is the Kitchen Confidential of the wine world, she’s not wrong, though Bill Buford’s Heat is probably a shade closer.” —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times Professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker didn’t know much about wine—until she discovered an alternate universe where taste reigns supreme, a world of elite sommeliers who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of flavor. Astounded by their fervor and seemingly superhuman sensory powers, she set out to uncover what drove their obsession, and whether she, too, could become a “cork dork.” With boundless curiosity, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism, Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, California mass-market wine factories, and even a neuroscientist’s fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what’s the big deal about wine? What she learns will change the way you drink wine—and, perhaps, the way you live—forever. “Think: Eat, Pray, Love meets Somm.” —theSkimm “As informative as it is, well, intoxicating.” —Fortune

No one can describe a wine like Karen MacNeil. Comprehensive, entertaining, authoritative, and endlessly interesting, The Wine Bible is a lively course from an expert teacher, grounding the reader deeply in the fundamentals—vine-yards and varietals, climate and terroir, the nine attributes of a wine’s greatness—while layering on tips, informative asides, anecdotes, definitions, photographs, maps, labels, and recommended bottles. Discover how to taste with focus and build a wine-tasting memory. The reason behind Champagne’s bubbles. Italy, the place the ancient Greeks called the land of wine. An oak barrel’s effect on flavor. Sherry, the world’s most misunderstood and underappreciated wine. How to match wine with food—and mood. Plus everything else you need to know to buy, store, serve, and enjoy the world’s most captivating beverage.

The summer of '28 was a vintage season for a growing boy. A summer of green apple trees, mowed lawns, and new sneakers. Of half-burnt firecrackers, of gathering dandelions, of Grandma's belly-busting dinner. It was a summer of sorrows and marvels and gold-fuzzed bees. A magical, timeless summer in the life of a twelve-year-old boy named Douglas Spaulding—remembered forever by the incomparable Ray Bradbury. The only god living in Green Town, Illinois, that Douglas Spaulding knew of. The facts about John Huff, aged twelve, are simple and soon stated. • He could pathfind more trails than any Choctaw or Cherokee since time began. • Could leap from the sky like a chimpanzee from a vine. • Could live underwater two minutes and slide fifty yards downstream. • Could hit baseballs into apple trees, knocking down harvests. • Could jump six-foot orchard walls. • Ran laughing. • Sat easy. • Was not a bully. • Was kind. • Knew the words to all the cowboy songs and would teach you if you asked. • Knew the names of all the wild flowers and when the moon would rise or set and when the tides came in or out. He was, in fact, the only god living in the whole of Green Town, Illinois, during the twentieth century that Douglas Spaulding knew of. “[Ray] Bradbury is an authentic original.”—Time