The Concise Guide to Wine and Blind Tasting: Volume 1

Winner of a Best in the World Gourmand Award

This title, now in two volumes, and fully updated, is for all those seeking to acquire a deep and systematic appreciation and understanding of wine, whether for exams, work, or pleasure. It outlines a simple yet robust framework for analyzing wine as objectively as possible, and provides all the background knowledge that you need to interpret your findings, covering everything from grape varieties and vineyard management to winemaking techniques and the world's most important wine styles. It seeks throughout to examine in what ways a particular wine is unique and different from other, similar wines. For example, why and in what ways is Pauillac, in Bordeaux, different from Pomerol, also in Bordeaux? Why and in what ways is Mosel Riesling different from Riesling from the Rheingau, or the Nahe, or Alsace, Austria, or Australia? This book is dedicated to all wine lovers, and should prove particularly useful to amateur and competitive blind tasters, students on higher-level wine courses, sommeliers, and anyone else who buys, sells, or recommends wine.

Praise for previous editions

A comprehensive education in wine. —The Times Literary Supplement

A rigorous, highly focused, well-honed bootcamp manual (Bible might be a better word) for the likes of WSET diploma students, MW students, Master Sommelier students, and anyone else who thinks that blind tasting competitions are a riot. —Tamlyn Currin for JancisRobinson.com

A book that will be of benefit to anyone taking a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) course in the coming years. —Paul O'Doherty for JancisRobinson.com

Splendid, concise, up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate. —Clive Coates MW, author of The Wines of Burgundy

Delightful yet sophisticated. —Konstantinos Lazarakis MW, author of The Wines of Greece

About the author

Dr Neel Burton FRSA is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine-lover who lives and teaches in Oxford, England. He is a Fellow of Green-Templeton College in the University of Oxford, and the winner of several book prizes including, the feather in his cap, a Best in the World Gourmand Award. When he is not reading or writing, or imbibing, he enjoys cooking, gardening, learning languages, visiting museums and gardens, and travelling, most of all to sunny wine regions.

Contents, Volume 1

Part I: Foundations and Blind Tasting

1. The philosophy of wine
2. The history of wine
3. Principles of viticulture
4. Principles of winemaking
5. The art and science of blind tasting

Part II: France and Sparkling Wines

6. Alsace
7. Burgundy
8. The Rhône
9. Bordeaux
10. The Loire
11. Other notable French regions and appellations
12. Champagne and sparkling wine