Synopses & Reviews
Have you ever felt uneasy or overwhelmed when buying or ordering wine? Do you long for a different, more personal way to choose and drink wine? If the answer to either question is "yes," then this is the book for you. It will help you discover wines you like and make informed choices by introducing you to wine styles.
With an unpretentious approach that's as inviting as a glass of a favorite wine, respected wine experts Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy identify twelve distinct wine styles, or taste categories, including four for red wine and four for white wine. The style "Soft, Fruity Reds," for example, encompasses many U.S. Merlots, most Beaujolais, many Burgundies and other Pinot Noirs, several Southern Italian reds, and similar wines. The guide details the taste profile that characterizes each stylewhether a wine:
- Is light or full bodied
- Has a soft or firm texture (mouth feel)
- Has a low or high flavor intensity
You'll also find the wine regions and grape varieties that commonly fall into each style to help you narrow down your choices, as well as detailed lists featuring wines you might want to try. When you discover a wine you genuinely enjoy for a particular occasion or with certain foods, you'll want to explore other wines of that style. Best of all, you will feel free to experiment and ask specific questions of waiters, sommeliers, and wine shop experts to find the wines that you like.
Complete with suggestions for pairing wine with food and two wine wheel illustrations for easy visual reference, this practical, personal guide will help you learn how to taste and appreciate wine and make up your own mindcomfortably and confidently.
Synopsis
From the bestselling authors of Wine For Dummies, a different way to choose and enjoy wine
Because the choices in a wine store or on a wine list can seem limitless or intimidating, wine drinkers often stick with what they know, such as Merlot, or go with the choice made by a wine critic or a waiter. This appealingly straightforward and unintimidating guide will help wine drinkers discover what they like and make informed choices. The authors identify 12 wine styles, or taste categories, including four for red wine and four for white wine. For each style, the authors detail how it tastes, where it comes from, grape varieties that are common for the style, and a few recommended wines. The style "Soft, Fruity Red Wines," for instance, includes U.S. Merlots, Beaujolais, Burgundies and other Pinot Noirs, and southern Italian reds, among other wines. Complete with tips on pairing wine with food and a pull-out wine wheel to help readers remember the styles, this is the refreshingly different book wine drinkers have been waiting for.
Mary Ewing-Mulligan, Master of Wine, and Ed McCarthy, Certified Wine Instructor (New York, NY), are among the best-known, most widely respected wine experts in the United States. They have appeared frequently in the media, including on television's Food Network and CNNfn, and have written seven wine books in the For Dummies series.
Synopsis
Which Wine Style Matches Your Taste?
Who knows more about great wine than you? No onewhen it comes to what wines will actually be "great" to your taste. Wine labels and recommendations can help you make choices, but ultimately you are the best judge of the right wines for you.
Wine Style classifies and describes wines by different tastes, or stylesincluding four for red wines and four for whitesto make it easier for you to identify wines you like. You don't have to memorize the details of wine regions and grape varieties or master wine vocabulary to select a good bottle of winethough if you want to delve that deeply, this book is a great starting place. Wine Style inspires and empowers you to explore wine with an adventurous spirit and to discover wines that you enjoy. Cheers!
"Not only do we get the usual erudition and insight on the glory and beauty of wine from Mary and Ed, but in this inspired volume we get profound expertise in everyday terms. Drinking and learning about wine is stimulating and fun. Reading Wine Style is more than mouth-watering; it gets all the senses excited."
Charlie Trotter
"Finally, a (soon-to-be) grape-stained guide that speaks to wine lovers in their native tongue: Taste! In penning Wine Style, Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy have crafted a book for everyone and anyonewho ever felt frustrated connecting their palate preferences to a pleasing bottle of vino."
Joshua Wesson, Co-founder/Chairman of Best Cellars
About the Author
MARY EWING-MULLIGAN, Master of Wine, and ED McCARTHY are among the best-known, most widely respected wine experts in the United States. They are coauthors of the bestselling Wine For Dummies and six other wine books, and each is a wine columnist and frequent contributor to magazines, radio, and television. Mary, the first female Master of Wine in the U.S., is president of International Wine Center, a New York City school that trains hundreds of wine professionals and wine lovers each year. Ed is generally considered the leading U.S. expert on Champagne.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
What Is Wine Style—and Why Does It Matter?
Categorizing wines by taste, and where quality enters the picture.
Tasting Wine for Quality and Style.
What constitutes a wine’s taste and its quality.
Getting Down to the Styles.
Twelve wine styles––four for white wine, four for red, two for rose´, and two for sparkling wine––plus two overarching stylistic influences.
Fresh, Unoaked White Wines.
Light, crisp, refreshing whites with fairly subdued aromas and flavors, such as Muscadets, inexpensive white Bordeaux wines, Pinot Grigios, and various other European whites.
Earthy Whites.
Unoaked or gently oaked wines with broad, earthy flavors, such as Rhône whites, Mâcons, Vouvrays, and similar wines.
Aromatic Whites.
Flavorful, unoaked whites from aromatic grapes, such as Rieslings, Grüner Veltliners, Gewürztraminers, Viogniers, Albariños, some Pinot Gris wines, some Sauvignon Blancs.
Rich, Oaky Whites.
Full-bodied, flavorful whites with oaky character, such as most New World Chardonnays, oaked Sauvignon Blancs, elite white Bordeaux wines, and other wines.
Mild-mannered Reds.
Easy-drinking, subtle reds, such as inexpensive red Bordeaux wines, traditional Rioja wines, Northeastern Italian Merlots and Cabernets, simple Chiantis, and similar wines.
Soft and Fruity Reds.
Uncomplicated, youthful reds, such as most Beaujolais wines, many Southern Rhône wines, some Southern Italian reds, some Pinot Noirs from the New World, some U.S. Merlots, and inexpensive American and Australian reds.
Fresh, Spicy Reds.
Savory, firm reds with lots of personality, such as Dolcettos, Barberas, some Zinfandels, cru Beaujolais wines, Argentine Malbecs, Chilean Carmenères, and other wines
Powerful Reds.
Full-bodied, intense red wines, such as elite California Cabernets and Merlots, elite red Bordeaux wines, Barolos, Brunello di Montalcinos, most Northern Rhône reds, and similar wines
Rosé Wines in Two Styles.
Blush wines such as those from Zinfandel, Merlot, or Grenache grapes in California and dry rosés such as those from Tempranillo in Rioja, Spain, and blends from Provence.
Sparkling Wines in Two Styles.
Fruity bubbly wines such as Prosecco, and serious, complex sparklers such as Champagne.
Glossary.
Index.