Product Description

The bestselling guide that demystifies wine-now revised and updated

Winner of the George Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year

"Smart and totally readable." -Newsday

"Crammed with useful, accurate information." -Wine Enthusiast

"Complete...and agreeably relaxed." -New York Times

The nation's most popular wine primer is now even better. Wine experts Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy have revised this friendly, unintimidating guide to cover all the latest developments in the wine world: which wine regions are now hot (and which are not), information on new rules for shipping wine and the new vogue for screw-caps, and, of course, updates on vintages, producers, and wine resources on the Web.

As always, the authors deliver just what ordinary mortals need to navigate the wine list at a restaurant or the wine aisle at a store, select a great bottle, and truly enjoy it. They provide an easy-to-understand overview of wine grapes and wine production, a detailed survey of wine regions and producers around the world, tips on tasting wine and pairing wine with food, pointers on wine storage units, and unbeatable guidance on how to choose a decent bottle at an affordable price.

Ed McCarthy (New York, NY) writes for the Wine Enthusiast. His wife, Mary Ewing-Mulligan (New York, NY), one of only fourteen certified Masters of Wine in America, is a wine columnist for the New York Daily News. Both also teach classes at New York's International Wine Center, where Mary is a co-owner and director. They are also the authors of For Dummies guides to red wine, white wine, champagne, French wine, and Italian wine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146502 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-22
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Amazon.com
In Wine for Dummies, Mary Ewing-Mulligan teams up with hubby and fellow wine educator Ed McCarthy to guide us on an exhaustive, entertaining trip around the enological--that's right, enological--world. Though clearly experts themselves (Ewing-Mulligan is one of a handful of Americans holding the rare title Master of Wine), the authors assure us that even the most basic knowledge will undermine the very notion of wine pretension. It's as simple as this: "This wine is named for a grape variety. This wine is named for a geographical region. When they make this kind of wine, it goes into this kind of bottle." And so on.

By providing the context in which to begin exploring wine, Wine for Dummies can easily become the send-off for a lifelong education. McCarthy and Mulligan deflate many of the wine snob's attitudes; they assure us that most wine sold today is "good wine," and that any further distinctions made about wine are ultimately subjective. The practical, jovial mentoring the authors provide encourages readers to chart their own course toward drinking great wine (although the authors naturally recommend dozens of their own favorites along the way). In later chapters, McCarthy and Mulligan delve into more serious topics such as investing in and cellaring wine. Even these discussions seem appropriate, given that you'll probably find the allure of wine growing as its mystery subsides to the force of this superb introductory text. --Todd Gehman

Review
“…friendly un-intimidating guide to all there is to know about wine…” (Irish News, 14th August 2004)

“…the no-nonsense guide to buying, storing serving and talking about wine…” (Choice Magazine, May 2004)

From the Publisher
This edition has been completely revised and updated based on responses from among the first edition's hundreds of thousands of readers. Features wine reviews of the latest vintages and new coverage on pairing food with the right wine.

Customer Reviews

Simple and exhaustive
This book is perfect for anybody who (like me before) does not know anything, or not that much about wine.

From the wine making to the etiquette, and going through the particular wine (champagne, sherry, port...), all the subjects to understand the basics are discussed.

I think the way the information is organized is also very well thought to teach about wine to ... well ..dummies! It is very easy to read and well explained.
After having browsed this book, you will be able to understand much better about wine, and even to talk about it.

I was a little surprised not to find any topic about history, role in society etc... this book is just an introduction and just gives you the tool to enjoy a bottle of wine. Do not expect to be an expert about wine regarding economy or history.

My only criticism would be the way French, Italian and Spanish wine have been quickly treated. For instance, I would have liked to have a few names of good producers from Alsace... but instead I was advised to buy the French Wine for Dummies!!!

In a nutshell : a good buy and I will keep this book on my shelf to refresh my memory once in a while.

Great book for beginners!
This book is really helping me learn the basics of wine. It helps you know what to look for in a good wine, and to help direct you to wines you may like. I am really enjoying it!

Just What the Doctor Ordered
You will actually learn a lot from this entry in the "...for Dummies" series. It lacks the rigor and scholarship of most of the "...for Dummies" books, but you'll know more when you finish it than you did before you started. You'll learn that most wine flavors are actually aromas, you'll learn about tannins, what is in balance in a "balanced" wine, what oak barrels do, and even what malolactic fermentation is (it's what makes Chardonnay "buttery.") You'll definitely learn what grapes are used to make our familiar wines, and you'll learn technical terms, like "extract," and "foxy." You'll learn the difference between "fermented" in oak, versus "aged" in oak. And you'll learn all about corkscrews. Unfortunately, the authors' efforts to lighten the subject with humor completely fails; it seems slapstick after the interesting material they cover. One of the authors' primary messages is that wine is a matter of taste, and we should all have the confidence to make up our own minds. They help us with the vocabulary we'll need to communicate our conclusions to others, and they convey their affection for their specialty. You may roll your eyeballs when they gush over France and French wines, but we actually do owe the French our gratitude for its contribution to viniculture. Read "Wine for Dummies" to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, and skip the jokes.