The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass

This essential and groundbreaking reference gives a comprehensive overview of one of the most fascinating, important, and controversial trends in the world of wine: the scientific and technological innovations that are now influencing how grapes are grown and how wine is made. Jamie Goode, a widely respected authority on wine science, details the key scientific developments relating to viticulture and enology, explains the practical application of science to techniques that are used around the world, and explores how these issues are affecting the quality, flavor, and perception of wine. The only complete resource available on the subject, The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass engagingly discusses a wide range of topics including terroir, biodynamics, the production of "natural" or manipulation-free wines, the potential effect of climate change on grape growing, the health benefits of wine, and much more.

• Covers some of the most hotly debated issues including genetically modified grape vines, sulphur dioxide, the future of cork, and wine flavor chemistry
• More than 100 illustrations and photographs make even the most complex topics clear, straightforward, and easy to understand
• Engagingly written for a wide audience of students, winemakers, wine professionals, and general readers interested in the science of wine

"If you drink wine, but feel uncomfortable using words like phylloxera, brettanomyces or anthocyanins in daily conversation, then this book is a godsend. Light on pages but not for lightweights, Goode combines hard science with a casual conversational style, and though whole paragraphs might discuss specific technical issues, Goode returns to layman language, asking a few simple questions if the discussion becomes complex. 'Why then is oak so good for barrel construction?' he asks after a paragraph about oak genus nomenclature. 'At what level does TCA the chemical causing cork taint become a problem?' he asks after a detailed description of chromatography-mass spectrometry. Illustrations could be better integrated with the text, and many of the distant views of vineyards are decorative rather than illustrative, but most of Goode's charts and insets help make the science digestible. Both the chemical composition of wine and the physiological effects of drinking wine, including a fascinating discussion of what actually happens in the brain as seen through MRI scans, are discussed in detail. The wide array of topics and Goode's reader-friendly tone make this a book that'll appeal to science students as much as wine aficionados and professionals." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"The Science of Wine does an outstanding job of integrating 'hard' science about wine with the emotional aspects that make wine appealing."--Patrick J. Mahaney, former senior Vice President for wine quality at Robert Mondavi Winery

"Jamie Goode is a rarity in the wine world: a trained scientist who can explain complicated subjects without dumbing them down or coming over like a pointy head. It also helps that he's a terrific writer with a real passion for his subject."--Tim Atkin MW, The Observer

Why Wine Science

Section One In the Vineyard

1 The biology of the grape vine

2 Terroir: how do soils and climate shape wine?

3 Precision viticulture

4 Global warming: its implications for viticulture

5 GM vines

6 Phylloxera

7 Lutte raisonée and IPM

8 Biodynamics

9 PRD and regulated deficit irrigation

10 Pruning, trellising systems, and canopy management

Section Two In the Winery

11 Naturalness in wines: how much manipulation is acceptable?

12 Micro-oxygenation

13 Barrels and the impact of oak on wine

14 Reverse osmosis, spinning cones and evaporators: alcohol reduction and must concentration

15 Sulphur dioxide

16 Reduction: volatile sulphur compounds

17 Microbes and wine: yeasts and lactic-acid bacteria

18 Brettanomyces

19 Corks, screwcaps, and alternative closures

Section Three Our Interaction with Wine

20 Flavour and its perceptions: taste and smell in wine tasting

21 Wine and the brain: making sense of flavour

22 Wine-flavour chemistry

23 Wine and health

24 Wine allergies

25 Extending lifespan by drinking wine

Concluding Remarks

Glossary

Bibliography

Index and Acknowledgements