Wine All-in-One For Dummies

Introduction 1

Book I: Understanding Wine 7

Chapter 1: From Vine to Bottle: The Hows and Wines 9

Chapter 2: Getting Familiar with Wine Tastes and Names 25

Chapter 3: Buying Wine 41

Chapter 4: Getting the Cork Out (And All That Comes After): Serving Wine 57

Chapter 5: For Slurps and Gurgles: Tasting and Describing Wine 73

Chapter 6: Pairing Food and Wine 87

Chapter 7: Ordering Wine When You’re Dining Out 93

Chapter 8: The Urge to Own: Collecting Wine 105

Book II: France: A Wine Superstar 119

Chapter 1: French Wine Today 121

Chapter 2: Exploring Bordeaux’s Range 137

Chapter 3: Burgundy, Queen of France 163

Chapter 4: Beaujolais, the Fun Red 185

Chapter 5: Robust Rhône Reds and Unique Whites 193

Chapter 6: Champagne: The World’s Greatest Sparkling Wine 213

Chapter 7: Other Wine Regions of France 231

Book III: Italy: Small but Mighty 259

Chapter 1: The Big Picture of Italian Wine 261

Chapter 2: Perusing Piedmont’s Wines 275

Chapter 3: Finding Sparkling Wines and More in North-Central Italy 303

Chapter 4: Northeastern Italy: Where Whites Rule 317

Chapter 5: Tuscany: Checking Out Chianti and Other Tuscan Reds 341

Chapter 6: Getting Acquainted with Central Italy’s Wines 361

Chapter 7: Southern Italy: “The Land of Wine” 379

Chapter 8: Sicily and Sardinia: Focusing on Quality 397

Book IV: California and Elsewhere in North America 411

Chapter 1: Introducing California Wines 413

Chapter 2: California’s Major Wine Regions: An Overview 421

Chapter 3: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sparkling Wines 443

Chapter 4: California’s Standout Red Wines 461

Chapter 5: Major Wine Regions in the Rest of North America 495

Book V: Australia and New Zealand: Powerhouses of the Southern Hemisphere 507

Chapter 1: Australian and New Zealand Wines: A Success Story 509

Chapter 2: New South Wales: Home to Established Wineries and Upstarts 515

Chapter 3: Taking In the Diverse Range of Wines from Victoria and Tasmania 527

Chapter 4: The Wine Regions of South and South West Australia 549

Chapter 5: New Zealand’s Islands and Their Wines 573

Book VI: And More Wine Regions! 585

Chapter 1: Intriguing Wines from Old Spain 587

Chapter 2: Portugal: Port Wine and Beyond 601

Chapter 3: Finding Little-Known Treasures in Greece 611

Chapter 4: A Sampling of Wines from Germany, Austria, and Hungary 615

Chapter 5: From South America to South Africa: Rounding Out the Top Wine Nations 625

Index 635