The Oxford Companion to Wine [Hardcover]

Wine head girl Jancis Robinson publishes a new edition of her acclaimed Oxford Companion to Wine, coming as close as anybody is likely to in achieving the unachievable goal of a detailed, comprehensive, single-volume work of reference covering the whole world of wines. Just how daunting the task of keeping up with the now practically supersonic pace of development in many areas of the wine industry must be is indicated by the need, only five years after the first edition, to issue another with updated versions of about half the 3,000 entries. It is an awesome achievement. Wine is now a modern, global industry: Jancis Robinson and her team of contributors require--and deliver--expertise in a really astonishing range of disciplines.

Practically every field of human knowledge seems to have something to contribute. From geology and soil chemistry, through forestry and the nature of the different woods used for barrels and the harvesting of cork bark, to the cultivation of the vine, its training and pruning, and the techniques of fermentation; the list extends even into areas of cutting-edge science such as DNA fingerprinting (which finally in 1997 unravelled the mystery of the parentage of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape--no, wild horses wouldn't drag it from me, you'll have to buy the book). This is not to mention the thorough coverage of wine regions and grape varieties, the role of wine through history and its presence in art, the glossary entries. One could go on and on. This is a stupendous feat of organisation. More than that, it is throughout well written and lively, and in possession of a healthy quantity of attitude. --Robin Davidson

"This is an invaluable resource for serious wine drinkers who never quench their thirst for learning about varietals, appellations, wine history, and vineyards."--Business Week
"The greatest wine book ever published.... A worthy purchase even for those who already own its predecessor."--Michael Franz, The Washington Post
"An encyclopedic reference.... If it's not here, it has nothing to do with wine."--Wine and Spirits
"A wine lover's best friend."--La Cucina Italiana
"The preeminent basic resource for wine lovers.... It is hard to believe that editor Jancis Robinson could improve upon a work whose first edition was so universally lauded, but indeed she has."--Wine Enthusiast
Reviews of the first edition:
"A required reference for anyone who is serious about wine."--Frank J. Prial, The New York Times
"Jancis Robinson has become the Julia Child of wine."--Newsday
"One of the definitive reference books on the subject."--Anthony Dias Blue
"Easily the most c

Wine anoraks will want Jancis Robinson's revised, encyclopaedic
The Oxford Companion to Wine. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Impressive Scholarship
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

'The essential reference book' --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

'no wine-lover's bookshelves should be without' --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

"no wine-lover's bookshelves should be without" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

"the essential reference book" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

"Wine anoraks will want Jancis Robinson's revised, encyclopaedic The Oxford Companion to Wine." --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

"Impressive Scholarship" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

"essential reference guide" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Hailed by Frank J. Prial in The New York Times as "a required reference for anyone who is serious about wine," and by Anthony Dias Blue as "one of the definitive reference books on the subject," The Oxford Companion to Wine won every major wine book award, including the Julia Child and the James Beard awards. Now, Jancis Robinson has completely revised this masterpiece, adding over 500 new entries and thoroughly updating most of the rest.
Lavishly illustrated, with over 200 black and white pictures, 31 full color plates, and 31 maps of every wine region in the world, the Companion is the only wine volume to combine science, history, geography, wine varieties, social and cultural information, and much more. Ranging from Abruzzi and armagnac to Zimbabwe and Zinfandel, from Dionysian revels in ancient Greece to today's leading wine research centers, its 3,400 alphabetically arranged entries explore all aspects of wine, including the latest advances in viticulture and enology. There are in-depth discussions of the climates and grape varieties of great wine regions of the world, and numerous biographies ranging from Dom Perignon to Robert Parker. The book discusses vintner's terms, business and legal aspects, and related topics such as distilled and fortified wines. All technical terms are fully explained, and the hundreds of useful drawings and photographs illustrate key processes. New features include a complete guide to geographical names, a vintage chart, an overview of recent wine prices and investment, and a navigation chart to the Companion.
The ultimate reference on wine and wine-making, The Oxford Companion to Wine is the perfect volume to enhance a lifetime's enjoyment of this intoxicating topic.

Jancis Robinson is a wine writer and broadcaster with an international reputation.