The Flavor Bible
by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

Kindle Edition
Hard Cover

Great cooking goes beyond following a recipe -- it's knowing how to season ingredients to coax the greatest possible flavor from them. Thousands of ingredient entries, organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, provide a treasure trove of spectacular flavor combinations. Readers will learn to work more intuitively and effectively with ingredients; experiment with temperature and texture; excite the nose and palate with herbs, spices, and other seasonings; and balance the sensual, emotional, and spiritual elements of an extraordinary meal.

Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide
by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack

Kindle Edition
Hard Cover

Wine Folly became a sensation for its inventive, easy-to-digest approach to learning about wine. Now in a new, expanded hardcover edition, Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is the perfect guide for anyone looking to take his or her wine knowledge to the next level.

The One Minute Wine Master
by Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan

Hard Cover

All it takes is a minute to master wine! In this fun yet sophisticated guide, world wine authority Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan shows you how simple it can be to figure out which wines will please your palate. Just take the quick and easy flavor test, and Simonetti will lead you through the thicket of choices and point you to the ones you'll like best. No fuss, no memorization, and no fancy language required!

Christie's World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine
by Tom Stevenson & Essi Avallan MW

Hard Cover

The classic, award-winning book on Champagne and sparkling wine is now fully revised, updated, and expanded! Created for Christie's, the world's largest wine auctioneer, this edition features all-new photography, nearly 175 additional pages—including expanded sections on up-and-coming sparkling wine territories and Champagne itself—and freshened-up tasting notes. Throughout, Tom and Essi have fascinating and illuminating exchanges about their personal preferences and opinions. With wine auctions at an all-time high, this definitive guide is a must-have for anyone in the market to buy a fine bottle of Champagne.

Wine Simple: A Totally Approachable Guide from a World-Class Sommelier
by Aldo Sohm

Kindle Edition
Hard Cover

Aldo Sohm is one of the most respected and widely lauded sommeliers in the world. He's worked with celebrated chef Eric Ripert as wine director of three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin for over a decade, yet his philosophy and approach to wine is much more casual. Aldo's debut book, Wine Simple, is full of confidence-building infographics and illustrations, an unbeatable depth of knowledge, effusive encouragement, and, most important, strong opinions on wine so you can learn to form your own. Imbued with Aldo's insatiable passion and eagerness to teach others, Wine Simple is accessible, deeply educational, and lively and fun, both in voice and visuals.

The 24-Hour Wine Expert
by Jancis Robinson

Kindle Edition
Hard Cover

Many wine drinkers wish they knew more without having to understand every nuance or go to expensive wine tastings. In her new book, Jancis Robinson, the leading international authority on wine, grants the wishes of would-be wine experts the world over. With The 24-Hour Wine Expert, anyone can learn all that is really important about wine in a single day. In her pithy, approachable, comprehensive guide, Robinson shares her expertise with authority, wit, and approachability, tackling questions such as how to select the right bottle at retail, what wine labels signify, how to understand the properties of color and aroma, and how to match food and wine. Robinson’s proposition is irresistible: In just 24 hours, anyone can become a wine expert. So pour a glass and get reading!

THE GRAPES AND WINES OF ITALY: The definitive compendium region by region
by Ian D'Agata and Michele Longo

Paperback

This guide is an up to date, scientifically researched but very user-friendly guide to Italy's grapes, wines and most important terroirs. Easy to read yet highly informative, this book is ideal for wine lovers, wine professionals and wine students preparing for exams both at the entry and advanced/Master level.

Salient features include:

  • A simple introduction to Italy's 20 regions

  • More than 300 synoptic tables

  • More than 100 maps

  • 195 grapes sistematic description: with the latest information on Italy's native, traditional and international grape varieties presented in easy to access individual file format

  • Key information and breakdown of Italy's most important wine terroirs

  • Lists of the denominations and wines

  • Easy to consult tables and graphs

  • The best wine producers region by region.

SUGGESTIONS?

Although there are affiliate links on this page, I assure you, the small commission I receive if you purchase is not my motivation. If I got something game-changing out of the book, it will wind up on this list. Enjoy!

I'd love to hear about your life-changing reads. Drop me a note carole@grandcrugourmet.com