At this legendary contest -- a blind tasting -- a panel of top French wine experts shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France's best. George M. Taber, the only reporter present, recounts this seminal contest and its far-reaching effects, focusing on three gifted unknowns behind the winning wines: a college lecturer, a real estate lawyer, and a Yugoslavian immigrant. With unique access to the main players and a contagious passion for his subject, Taber renders this historic event and its tremendous aftershocks -- repositioning the industry and sparking a golden age for viticulture across the globe. With an eclectic cast of characters and magnificent settings, Judgment of Paris is an illuminating tale and a story of the entrepreneurial spirit of the new world conquering the old.

    Yet this region – which historians say has suffered more battles and wars than any other place on earth – is also the birthplace of one thing the entire world equates with good times, friendship and celebration: champagne.Champagne is the story of the world's favourite wine. It tells how a sparkling beverage that became the toast of society during the Belle Epoque emerged after World War I as a global icon of fine taste and good living. The book celebrates the gutsy, larger–than–life characters whose proud determination nurtured and preserved the land and its grapes throughout centuries of conflict.

    She certainly doesn't expect to meet Joshua Knight--an arrogant, infuriating, and absolutely gorgeous American. During sun-drenched tours of French vineyards and intimate wine tastings, Erica learns that the tall, sexy, and ambitious expatriate dreams of owning a vineyard someday...and that their mutual attraction is electric. But just when they realize their relationship is no passing fling, Erica's father falls ill, and she must abruptly leave France to take over the winery. Will she lose her newfound happiness because of family obligations? Or will fate find a way to bring the distant lovers together?

    This sassy handbook teaches you and your girlfriends the art of selecting, sampling, and sipping the fruit of the vine (while you indulge in the latest gossip, of course).A foolproof month-by-month plan by sommelier, Maureen Petrosky, highlights all the pesky details, so you and your girlfriends can sit back and sip. From still to sparkling and delicate whites to rich reds, each month's chapter singles out a grape for study and enjoyment-school was never like this! This course with class includes easy-does-it entertaining tips, taste-testing know-how, and tantalizing wine facts.Expert recommendations for brilliant wines at killer prices! What woman doesn't love a bargain? Wine-laden tidbits such as how to collect bottles for a personal wine stash.Outrageously scrumptious recipes that teach you simply to pair wine and food-it's a no-brainer.The latest on the snazziest wine gizmos and gadgets. Shoppers, start your engines.Demystified terminology: a short course in awine speaka makes any wine novice comfortable when shopping for and serving wine.

    Out of print for several years, this newly revised and expanded edition now features descriptions of some 1,800 apple varieties that either originated in the South or were widely grown there before 1928.Author Lee Calhoun is one of the foremost figures in apple conservation in America. This masterwork reflects his knowledge and personal experience over more than thirty years, as he sought out and grew hundreds of classic apples, including both legendary varieties (like Nickajack and Magnum Bonum) and little-known ones (like Buff and Cullasaga). Representing our common orchard heritage, many of these apples are today at risk of disappearing from our national table.Illustrated with more than 170 color images of classic apples from the National Agricultural Library's collection of watercolor paintings, "Old Southern Apples" is a fascinating and beautiful reference and gift book. In addition to A-to-Z descriptions of apple varieties, both extant and extinct, Calhoun provides a brief history of apple culture in the South, and includes practical information on growing apples and on their traditional uses.

    On a search for the unique and original, he meets Aurelio Montes, the Chilean winemaker who planted syrah vines on a rocky, south-facing hill in order to "steal the wild complexity of the mountain's soul." In Spain, he learns of the white chalky soil called albariza that produces the sherry of the Jerez region. In California, the author describes crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, driving up into Marin County, and meeting enthusiastic winemakers whose vineyards sit precariously on the San Andreas fault. As the journey continues on through Burgundy, Champagne, and Sicily, Steadman brings the landscape and its people to life with pictures and prose.

    Home to the spicy Syrah, or Shiraz, and the floral Viognier grapes, the northern Rhône Valley is one of France's oldest wine-growing regions; its appellations include Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Crozes-Hermitage, St-Joseph, and Château-Grillet. With evocative descriptions and marvelous insights, this accessible, elegant book, the culmination of more than thirty years following the Rhône, is a comprehensive and authoritative survey of the various estates, winemakers, and their wines. Taking a deeper look at the northern Rhône than Livingstone-Learmonth's highly regarded previous volumes on the Rhône Valley, this revised and up-to-date edition covers more producers and includes more in-depth information on the various terroirs, the histories of the wines, and the methods for making the wines. Livingstone-Learmonth concentrates on letting the producers explain their outlook and methods and includes much local color. The Wines of the Northern Rhône includes * Assessments of thousands of wines, with guide dates onwhen to drink and how long to age them * Winemakers' views on what foods best accompany their wines * New vineyard maps for each appellation * Detailed descriptions by growers discussing the effect of different soils on their wines * Precise information on how each domaine makes its wines* New research on the historical links between Hermitage and Bordeaux

    What makes one wine better than another?' and other fundamental questions, whether human or cultural, technical or historical, addressed in a wide-ranging and autobiographical book based on the author's enormous experience of the pleasures of wine. Tasting, keeping, savouring, cellaring, choosing, understanding, comparing, buying - the world of wine filtered through the vast knowledge of one of the greatest writers and practitioners, renowned throughout the world.

    Here, Master of Wine Konstantinos Lazarakis argues that to dismiss Greek wine in this way today is to miss out on an array of varied and vibrant wines – even retsina, in the hands of boutique producers, has become a drink worthy of a second chance.From the foothills of Mount Olympus to the plain of Thessaly in Central Greece and scattered across the vast number of islands, each of Greece’s vineyards has its own challenges, history and varieties. Yet terroir, in Greece, goes far beyond soil-types and weather conditions – it emanates from the culture of the country and the spirit of a people whose ancestors even had a god for wine.The wines of Greece begins with a summary of Greece’s wine history, geography and grape varieties. The many responses of vine growers and winemakers to the land have created a host of different wines – sweet wines from Samos, the famed Malvasia from the Peloponnese and new, surprising wines from oenological innovators throughout the country. It is to the work of these winemakers that the bulk of the book is dedicated; Lazarakis has tirelessly explored Greece’s 700 wineries and here focuses on some of the most inventive producers and interesting wines available.Greek wine is on the brink of a new era; anybody curious to rediscover a lost gem of winemaking will have their enthusiasm charged by this lovingly written book.

    Screw caps, liquor laws, glassware, sommeliers, spitting and, yes, alcohol are covered along with grapes, countries and appellations. Connoisseurs, neophytes and beer-swillers alike will find themselves laughing, pondering and armed with everything they need to impress friends, terrify enemies and stop wine snobs in their tracks.

    Brook, whose books have received such prestigious awards as the Prix du Champagne Lanson, Glenfiddich, and Veuve Clicquot prizes, provides insider information about how the great Médoc, Graves, and other world-famous Bordeaux wines are produced, from the red Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignons to the sweet Sauterne whites. Detailed maps and quality photos cover the most famous châteaux and communes, as well as smaller specialists and newcomers worth watching. Special treat: simple definitions of the complex appellations and the laws that control them.

    The Backyard Vintner is a handy guide to at-home wine making that teaches readers the tips and tricks of the trade. It is perfect for those who want to bring the feeling of wine country right into their own backyard. The Backyard Vintner teaches readers how to start and maintain a vineyard, providing vital information on topics such as planting, trellising, and proper pruning techniques for grapes; which grape varieties will grow best in every climate or region; and the wines that can be made from each variety. Basic recipes for wines, and advice on topics such as bottling, storing, and serving wines, are also provided.

    Despite Ottoman domination, regional turmoil, civil conflict and religious intolerance, Lebanon has consistently produced world-class wines.Michael Karam and Norbert Schiller take us on a journey from the Bekaa Valley to the little vineyards of Mount Lebanon. We meet the people who epitomise a proud tradition that began with Bronze Age man and culminates in the world’s finest wine lists. At once a wine guide and cultural history, this extensively illustrated book is a valuable reference for wine buffs, travellers and casual readers alike. It is a long-overdue tribute to one of the world’s oldest winemaking regions.Michael Karam is Lebanon’s leading wine writer. Born in London in 1965, he was raised and educated in England. He moved to Lebanon in 1992 where, after a brief career in teaching, he entered into journalism, becoming features editor and then a business reporter for the Beirut Daily Star. Dividing his time between business journalism and wine writing, he is a contributor to both the award-winning Wine Report and Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Wine Companion. He is the author of Life’s Like That: Your Guide to the Lebanese, a light-hearted look at his fellow countrymen. He lives with his wife and two children in Beirut.Norbert Schiller is a Californian who in 1979 made his way to Egypt via Greece, where he worked as a shepherd. He has been one of the most prolific Middle East news photographers of the last 25 years. As well as working for Associated Press and Agence France Presse, his work has featured regularly in The New York Times and Der Spiegel. His books include Spectacular Egypt and Be Thou There: The Holy Family's Journey in Egypt. Norbert Schiller currently lives with his wife and two children in Beirut.

    This luxurious volume delves into the history as well as the reputation of this world-class Domaine. The book includes text by Gert Crum, breathtaking photos by Jan Bartelsman and unique tasting notes from Allan Meadows, a famous American wine expert and publisher of the wine magazineBurhound.