Recommended Reading for A Good Wine Education

I've been asked by a few readers to follow up on my series on wines by sharing some book ideas for those readers who want to continue their learning on the subject.

Of course, the best way to learn about wines, in my opinion at least, is to drink more wine. But once in a while reading can be good for you too.

With that in mind, here are five titles that you can consider buying to help accelerate your wine education. As always with books mentioned in this blog, I include links to Amazon. If you follow one of those links and buy a book or other item, I will receive a small affiliate fee. There is no incremental cost to you as the buyer. Think of it as a tip jar where you can give your support to Casual Kitchen!

And readers, if there are any particularly useful titles that you think I should add to this list, please suggest them in the comments section below.
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The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher
My favorite wine columnists collaborate on their own guide to wines. This book is down-to-earth, unpretentious and fun--just like the authors themselves.

Wine For Dummies
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine Basics
I tend to avoid "dummies" guides, but these two books are actually extremely well-regarded. Either could be great starting points for you--you'll get a solid foundation of wine basics for less than the cost of a decent bottle of wine. That alone might be enough to satisfy your interest, but if you want to go further, I'd then suggest taking a look at a more serious tome like the Bespaloff guides below.

Alexis Bespaloff's New Signet Book of Wine
I got myself a copy of this book way back in college--our school offered a well-known course on wines. This book is dense, but encyclopedic and extremely informative. Can be bought cheaply in paperback.

Alexis Bespaloff's Guide To Inexpensive Wines
Since most CK readers will likely be as casual towards their wines as they are towards their food, let's not give short shrift to wines on the lower end of the price spectrum!

Related Posts:
The Favorite Cookbooks of My Favorite Bloggers
What I'm Reading
How to Enjoy Wine On A Budget
How to Start a Casual and Inexpensive Wine Tasting Club

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4 comments:

NĂºria said...

Hola Dan! Thanks for commenting in my blog :D. I'm glad I met yours too!!!
I'm not an expert in wines but have tried some great ones already. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

A nice roundup of beginner's wine books -- thanks for the list. I'd have to agree with you on Wine for Dummies -- generally the dummy books are to be avoided, but this one nicely breaks down the very basics of a highly complicated subject.

Vaishali said...

I love my wine but I'm no expert, so thanks for sharing these titles.

Daniel said...

Nuria, I'm a big fan of your blog, thanks for stopping by!

Becky, happy to help, thanks for your comment!

Hi Vaishali, I'm no expert on wine either but I know I like to drink it. Often. :)

Thanks everyone for reading!

DK