If you’re just getting into wine, where do you start? Perhaps you’d like to find new types of wine to try, or better yet, you’re shooting for a career in the drinks business. Either way, reading wine books will inspire you and help wrap your brain around the immense world of wine. Discover the best wine books recommended by pros who’ve read them all. For this article we spoke with some of the most well-read wine geeks in the world and asked them what books to read. There are few things greater than curling up with a glass of wine and relaxing with a great book! This book is a great start to understanding the basics to the world of wine. When you read this book you will explore the world of wine through a regional perspective with highlights on important areas and wines. A new release that covers the world’s wine regions as well as answers some fundamental wine newbie questions such as “How do I buy –and drink– a red Bordeaux?” There is a lot of current data and newly important wine regions.

“The best book I’ve read (and the most useful) is the World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and others. It is useful on so many levels, really gives you a whole other visual learning component that you just can’t beat.” A novel about one of the largest scams the wine world has ever seen. The story gets interesting when an American billionaire drops over $100,000 on a single bottle supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson. A treasure hunt for the 13 lost bottles of a deceased world-renowned wine critic. The story follows the critic’s son, Shizuku Kanzaki, who is desperately trying to find the bottles before his competitor does. Kermit Lynch, one of the premier importers of French wine to the US, writes about his adventures trying to understand the nuances of French wine and people. The Nazi occupation of France was a flurry of destruction. Wine is the jewel of France and the Nazis had a lust for finery. During the 1940’s, French winemakers came together to resist and protect their fragile world.

The Paris Tasting of 1976 was recently put to film in the movie “Bottle Shock.” This is the book that tells the story of the first time the world realized that wine can be great –even from places-other-than-France. Over the years, Jancis Robinson has released several pocket guides on wine varieties. This book feels like the culmination of all of these works and details over 1300 different varieties. Wine Grapes is a serious reference book for a die-hard wine fanatic. After reading this book, you will wonder why you haven’t booked a trip to Sicily yet. Travel and wine writer Robert V. Camuto manages to extract the details that we care about with wine –the people and culture of a magnificent place. Palmento is inspiring as well as educational. Would you like to know, in exacting detail, the soil types, slope and nitty gritty details of the most exalted domaines of Burgundy? Homage to writer Remington Norman, an expert in the minutia that defines a great wine.

Perhaps you’re a dry red wine drinker and Madeira doesn’t register on your radar. best wine and pizzaHowever, once you learn how this tiny Portuguese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic has affected Western civilization for the last 500 years, you’ll be riveted with curiousity.wine and food solutions When you get into wine you realize it’s a survey of the world and its people. top 3 wine production in the worldWine helps connect cultural history with the earth…and you can actually enjoy the fruits of your understanding!best wine to give as a gift 2015TipsHire a car or have a designated driver. best red wine with ham

Even if you're careful, you'll probably drink more wine than you expect, and most of us aren't used to sipping throughout the day anyway.how much is a glass of wine costDon't do too much. Even if you have planned carefully, it's very difficult to really enjoy more than five wineries a day.You might think you'll remember the name of that Chardonnay you loved in the morning, but by the afternoon you probably won't.Related How-Tos15 Steps to a Successful Winery Visit Send Feedback on this How-To Guide » Here is a mixed case of tips to help you plan a visit to California’s Wine Country. Most are just as relevant if you are visiting wineries in Virginia, Indiana or any other state. 1. Hire a car or have a designated driver. Even if you’re careful, you’ll probably drink more wine than you expect, and most of us aren’t used to sipping throughout the day anyway. (But see the caveat below, No. 11.)

This is very important. If you want to visit several wineries in a single day, it’s best to find a critical mass of wineries that are open to the public on the day you are visiting and organize your tour. Many maps are available online, and there are free tourist guides at restaurants and hotels all over Wine Country. 3. Don’t do too much. Even if you have planned carefully, it’s very difficult to really enjoy more than five wineries a day. We’d strongly suggest you plan to visit fewer than that. You want to have time to wander, to talk to people in tasting rooms and to have a nice lunch (ideally, a picnic at one of the wineries, many of which offer tables). In any event, when you’re tasting wine, it’s important to eat heartily and to drink plenty of water. 4. If you are going to Napa, avoid weekends if possible because roads and wineries are packed. In Sonoma, many wineries — especially the smaller, more charming ones — are open only on weekends, or Friday through Sunday.

Either way, go to wineries early. Many open at 10 a.m., and that’s when you should start tasting, since wineries get more and more crowded as the day goes on, and the personal attention you’ll get from the people behind the counter goes down as the number of people in tasting rooms goes up. 5. If you are there with someone with whom you are close, share a single tasting. This keeps the cost down in tasting rooms where there is a charge. Plus, it keeps waste down in any event. Many visitors do this, so don’t be shy about it. 6. Try the odd stuff. Most wineries offer tastes of small-production wines that never leave the tasting room. Forget the Chardonnay and try the Malbec or the Charbono. This is your chance to try something new, with minimal risk. Ask if there is something that’s only sold at the winery.You might think you’ll remember the name of that Chardonnay you loved in the morning, but by the afternoon you probably won’t. 8. Pour out what you don’t drink.

Don’t feel that you need to drink everything in the glass (even if two of you are sharing a glass). If you are going to enjoy the many wines you might sample during the day, this is important. There are spit buckets on the counter for just this purpose, and no one will be offended if you pour out. 9. Be careful how much you buy. Many people are so taken with their tasting-room experience that they buy too much and can’t figure out how to get it home. Lots of wineries now will ship wine to you in many states, so you can order online when you get home. 10. If you do overbuy and need to get wine home, there is a whole industry in Wine Country devoted to figuring out how to ship wine to you. If the first place you call says it won’t ship wine to your state, call another. If possible, use express delivery so the wine you chose so lovingly doesn’t get harmed by weather. If all else fails, packaging stores all over Wine Country sell packing boxes for wine. We sometimes buy the case size, seal up the box and check it onto the plane.

Obviously, there are some risks here and we’re not making any promises, but we can tell you that we have done this for 30 years without a mishap. 11. Don’t get drunk, whether you are driving or not. People who work in tasting rooms have told us that people who arrive in limousines are often the worst offenders because they figure they can overindulge, since they’re not driving. You’ll enjoy the tasting rooms at the end of the day more if you’re still fresh and haven’t overindulged. In any event, drunkenness in a tasting room is awfully rude. 12. When you get home, drink up! Every year, we hear from scores of people who finally opened a bottle of wine from a winery visit they made many years earlier — far too long ago for the wine. We understand, because we’ve held onto those wines too long ourselves. As soon as you get those pictures printed or the first time you invite people over to hear about your vacation, open those bottles. The winemakers want you to enjoy the wine, not just the label.