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Copyright © 2009 by Quirk Productions, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2009922638
ISBN: 978-1-59474-261-3
Printed in China
Typeset in ITC Century
Designed by Bryn Ashburn and Jenny Kraemer
Illustrations by Jesse Ewing
Edited by Sarah O’Brien
Production management by Melissa Jacobson
Distributed in North America by Chronicle Books
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San Francisco, CA 94107
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Quirk Books
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ADVICE FROM WINEMAKERS,
SOMMELIERS, AND CONNOISSEURS
BY MARNIE OLD
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CHAPTER 1: WINE BASICS
10
Winemaking: How Sweet Grape Juice Becomes Dry Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Ed Sbragia, Winemaker
White vs. Red Wine: Differences Run More Than Skin Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Gina Gallo, Winemaker
Grape Varieties: One Grape Species, Many Varietals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Michael Mondavi, Vintner
Sunshine and Wine Style: How Climate Affects Body and Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Laura Maniec, Master Sommelier
Terroir, or the “Taste of the Place”: Why Region Matters in Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Jean-Luc Le Dû, Sommelier and Wine Retailer
Understanding Oak: The Role of Barrels in Winemaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Tom Stevenson, Wine Author
Old World/New World: Differences in Philosophy and Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Randall Grahm, Winemaker
C H A P T E R 2 : W I N E TA S T I N G
42
How to Taste Wine Like a Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Richard Betts, Master Sommelier and Winemaker
How to Find Words for Wine’s Elusive Aromas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Ann Noble, Wine Educator
How to Determine Whether a Wine Is Dry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Jean Trimbach, Vintner
How to Detect and Make Sense of Acidity in Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Michael Weiss, Wine Educator
How to Assess Body in Wine (and Why It Matters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
David Ramey, Winemaker
How to Get a Grip on Tannin in Red Wines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Zelma Long, Winemaker
How to Judge Whether a Wine Is “Good” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Traci Dutton, Sommelier and Wine Educator
CHAPTER 3: WINE SHOPPING
72
How to Get Started in Wine Stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Madeline Triffon, Master Sommelier
How to Relate to Your Wine Retailer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Robert Kacher, Wine Importer
How to Guesstimate Wine Style from Packaging Clues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Olivia Boru, Sommelier
How to Decide Which Wines Are Ready to Drink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine and Wine Author
How to Compare Corks and Screw Caps, Bottles and Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Melissa Monosoff, Sommelier
How to Find Values by Stepping Off the Beaten Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Ron Edwards, Master Sommelier
How to Find the Best Wines by Sticking to the Classics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Kevin Zraly, Wine Educator and Author
C H A P T E R 4 : W I N E A N D F O O D PA I R I N G
102
How to Get Started Pairing Wine and Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier
How to Pair More Gracefully by Choosing Light-Bodied Wines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Terry Theise, Wine Importer
How to Find Delicious Combinations by “Matching” Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Fred Dexheimer, Master Sommelier
How to Understand Umami—The Famous “Fifth Taste” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Doug Frost, Master of Wine and Master Sommelier
How to Pair Wine with Challenging Vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Natalie MacLean, Wine Author
How to Choose Wines for Foods with a Spicy Kick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Guy Stout, Master Sommelier
How to Pair with Sweet Dessert Wines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Donald Ziraldo, Vintner and Wine Author
C H A P T E R 5 : W I N E I N R E S TA U R A N T S
132
How to Gauge a Restaurant’s Wine Savvy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Mark Oldman, Wine Author
How to Act Like You Know What You’re Doing When Ordering Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Fred Dame, Master Sommelier
How to Get the Best Wine Advice in Restaurants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Larry Stone, Master Sommelier
How to Pick Wines for Multicourse Meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Randy Caparoso, Sommelier
How to Choose Wines for a Large Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Christie Dufault, Sommelier
How, When, and Why to Send Back a Bottle of Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Piero Selvaggio, Restaurateur
C H A P T E R 6 : W I N E AT H O M E
160
How to Preserve Open Wine (Yes, You Can Freeze It) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Ronn Wiegand, Master of Wine and Master Sommelier
How to Serve and Store Wine at the Right Temperature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Mark Squires, Wine Writer
How to Choose an All-Purpose Wineglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Tara Q. Thomas, Wine Author
How to Use Leftover Wine in the Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Jacques Pépin, Chef
How to Safely Open a Bottle of Champagne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Charles Curtis, Master of Wine
How to Get a Handle on Mature Wines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Michael Martini, Winemaker
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191