Booknote: The 24-Hour Wine Expert

Jancis Robinson, The 24-Hour Wine Expert. New York: Abrams Image, 2916.  ISBN: 978-1-4197-2266-0. 

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: wine, alcoholic spirits, guides, reference, food and epicurious
Format: small hardcover
Source: Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library

This book is a nice little guide to help readers learn the basics of wine and even a little of wine culture. The author's aim is to make you a self-confident wine expert in 24 hours. I am not so sure about that claim, but I will say if you study the book and try some of the suggestions, you'll learn a few things. The author also suggests right away to just get a few bottles of wine (this seems easy enough), some friends (this may not be so easy), and start practicing.

The book is arranged in small chapters covering a broad range of topics such as:

• Bottles and labels
• Matching wine and food
• Common wine myths
• Types of grapes
• Wine regions

At the end of the book, she also includes a glossary, labeled "wine jargon," and a very small list of resources (i.e. mostly her websites and a couple of books she edited. This is far from diverse, and a bit gauche if you ask me).

The book is fairly easy to read. She explains things clearly, and the chapters are not too long. It is a good, basic book to keep handy when you have questions or need to look something up. It can also serve as a start for readers who want to see out more later. In the end, I really liked it.

4 out of 5 stars. 

* * * * * 

This book qualifies for the following 2017 Reading Challenges: