Jancis Robinson's Concise Wine Companion

Book excerpt: Enjoyment of wine is not just a matter of knowing what you like; it is always enhanced by knowledge of what you are drinking. Here in a handy affordable format, Jancis Robinson presents a distillation of all the essential information for wine-lovers and would-be wine-lovers, drawn from herinternationally renowned and respected Oxford Companion to Wine. This is not a buyers' guide- of which there are many - but an absorbing and easy-to-use source of reliable information on all aspects of wine, including bubbly, to accompany you on your exploration of wine-drinking pleasure. Written by over 70 of the world's best wine experts, headed by the 'queen of wine' Jancis Robinson Over 2350 unstuffy and fully cross-referenced entries on all aspects from wines and wine regions to tasting terms, labelling, wine and health, grape varieties, wine faults, and a host of other issues With vintage guidance and a complete list of controlled appellations and their permitted grape varieties Supplemented by a statistical overview of wine production and consumption And featuring a new listing of Jancis Robinson's personal selection of up-and-coming wine regions and producers