Do you love to drink wine and learn more about wine production, wine regions and how to pair wine with food? The good news is, there is no shortage of inspiring books about wine. But with so many books teaching you about wine language, wine production, wine varietals and wine pairings, inspiring your wanderlust or telling you fascinating stories about the people working in the wine business, where should you start?
If you want to learn more about wine, wine regions and want to be entertained by the world of wine, I highly recommend to put the six fantastic books listed below on your reading list.
The Wine Bible
by Karen MacNeil
This one is all about getting a better understanding of wine. It looks at different wine regions around the globe – with a focus on the historically most important areas but also shedding some light on a number of newer and emerging regions.
The author, Karen MacNeil, is one of the top wine experts and wine educators in the US and has visited every major wine region in the world. So you are in good hands.
Although the book is first and foremost a guide to international wines, it still transmits the author’s passion for wine and if like me you love to travel wine regions, The Wine Bible will serve you as a wonderful starting point to add new destinations to your bucket list. Or to return to some you’ve already visited but you will now likely see through different eyes.
Whether you are a beginner or already have advanced knowledge in wine, in my opinion this book should be part of each wine lovers reading list.
Cork Dork
by Bianca Bosker
Let me tell you, this one is hilarious.
When I started to read it, I could neither stop turning page after page nor stop laughing all the way through.
Written by a professional journalist and amateur drinker, as stated on the book, Cork Dork takes you along a mind boggling journey of the author to become a sommelier in the shortest of times possible.
If you are curious how sommeliers – often feared by guests without a huge wine knowledge when it comes to order wine at a bar or in a restaurant – really tick and how they train to achieve their astounding wine knowledge, this is the one book you need to read.
In her attempt to enter into this strange world of sommeliers, Bianca Bosker in the course of a year and a half has worked as a cellar rat (someone doing fairly basic work in a wine cellar or winery), at a winery in California and has frequented professional tasting groups of sommeliers or those that still train to one day become a sommelier.
What she has seen and done in these 18 months makes for one of the most intriguing stories I’ve ever read – and believe me, you do not need to be a wine enthusiast to be entertained throughout.
perfect pairings
by Evan Goldstein
For most of us, it is a constant struggle: What wine should I pair to a specific food and flavour.
Obviously the more you experiment the better you will get in understanding what works and what not. However, it certainly does not hurt to get some help.
Thankfully, there is no shortage of books providing advice on food and wine pairings. But if you are serious about learning more about matching wine with food, then I can only recommend adding perfect pairings to your reading list.
What makes it extra special in my view is that it was written in tandem by master sommelier Evan Goldstein and his mother-chef Joyce Goldstein, who has created matching recipes for each chapter dealing with different styles of wine.
As such, it is a very hands-on guide for everybody to find their own preference in pairing wine with food.
Wine Trails
by lonely planet
This is a book anyone that loves travelling to wine regions should read.
From Mendoza in Argentina to the major wine growing areas in the US, this fabulous guide highlights 52 of the world’s most interesting wine regions.
What I loved most was that not all of the regions included in the book are mainstream. In fact, you will find itineraries for destinations like Georgia (the country), Greece, Hungary, Slovenia and even Morocco or Lebanon.
In addition, while looking at wine regions Wine Trails is not written for wine buffs. It is in the first place a book for those that love to travel and enjoy drinking local wines.
Discover what to do in each place over a weekend, which wines to try, the best wineries to visit, where to stay, where to eat and what else to do (apart from drinking wine).
Wine & Design
by teNeues
In the past few years, the wine world had not only made headlines about a significant rise in the quality of wines produced all over the world.
The wine world has also opened up to wine tourism and this has simultaneously fuelled an increased focus on design. Around the world, new wineries and tasting rooms were built with the involvement of world-class architects and designers.
These amazing structures are today as much a reason to explore wine regions as are the wines that are made within.
So if you love stunning, funky architecture, innovative design and tasting amazing wines at the place where they are made, Wine & Design published by teNeues will be a source of endless inspiration for your next trip to wine country.
The Wine Kingdom
written in collaboration with the WWF
Sustainability, responsible farming and biodiversity are buzzwords that have entered the wine world over recent years.
You will never see the Cape Winelands in the same way you did before having read The Wine Kingdom. The book will effortlessly transport you into one of the most fascinating regions in the world where you will discover one of the most diverse and rich flora and fauna, including a wide variety of local wildlife.
If you love wine and exploring an amazing and unique landscape, the book is your perfect guide to discover a large number of exiting walking or biking trails to follow. At the same time you will learn a lot about sustainable farming and the wine farms participating in this fantastic initiative.
Are you a wine lover who loves to read about wine and wine regions? What are your favourite wine books?
Carrots and Tigers 