The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine
by Benjamin Wallace
from Crown
It was the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold.
In 1985, at a heated auction by Christie’s of London, a 1787 bottle of Château Lafite Bordeaux—one of a cache of bottles unearthed in a bricked-up Paris cellar and supposedly owned by Thomas Jefferson—went for $156,000 to a member of the Forbes family. The discoverer of the bottle was pop-band manager turned wine collector Hardy Rodenstock, who had a knack for finding extremely old and exquisite wines. But rumors about the bottle soon arose. Why wouldn’t Rodenstock reveal the exact location where it had been found? Was it part of a smuggled Nazi hoard? Or did his reticence conceal an even darker secret?
It would take more than two decades for those questions to be answered and involve a gallery of intriguing players—among them Michael Broadbent, the bicycle-riding British auctioneer who speaks of wines as if they are women and staked his reputation on the record-setting sale; Serena Sutcliffe, Broadbent’s elegant archrival, whose palate is covered by a hefty insurance policy; and Bill Koch, the extravagant Florida tycoon bent on exposing the truth about Rodenstock.
Pursuing the story from Monticello to London to Zurich to Munich and beyond, Benjamin Wallace also offers a mesmerizing history of wine, complete with vivid accounts of subterranean European laboratories where old vintages are dated and of Jefferson’s colorful, wine-soaked days in France, where he literally drank up the culture.
Suspenseful, witty, and thrillingly strange, The Billionaire’s Vinegar is the vintage tale of what could be the most elaborate con since the Hitler diaries. It is also the debut of an exceptionally powerful new voice in narrative non-fiction.
Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2009: 32nd Edition (Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book)
by Hugh Johnson
from MITCH
Hugh Johnson and his galaxy of expert contributors have refreshed the text more than ever to ensure that this book remains the definitive annual guide to wine.
Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2008: 31st Edition (Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book)
by Hugh Johnson
from MITCH
Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide
by Paul Gregutt
from University of California Press
During the thirty-five years wine critic and writer Paul Gregutt has lived in the state of Washington, its wine industry has ballooned from a mere half dozen wineries to nearly five hundred. Washington Wines and Wineries offers a comprehensive, critical, and accessible account of the nation's second largest wine-producing region. Gregutt, who has covered Washington wine in books, newspapers, and magazines since the mid-1980s, enthusiastically dispenses information along with his editorial opinion, displaying the depth of his knowledge of the area, the players, the regions, and the wines. He points out the best vineyards, the most accomplished winemakers, the must-have wines, and the newcomers to watch. He rates wineries--not wines--with a unique and detailed 100-point scale, providing an insider's view of the best that Washington state has to offer. As the global wine industry reinvents itself for twenty-first-century palates, Washington is poised to become as important and influential as California on the world stage. Washington Wines and Wineries is the definitive reference book on the subject.
The Best Cellar
by Jeff Smith
from Volt Press
If it happens in a wine cellar, Jeff Smith has done it. As owner-operator of Carte du Vin, the country's leading wine cellar management company, Smith knows his wine. In THE BEST CELLAR, he lays out step-by-step advice on how to buy and sell, how to maintain your collection, and how to prepare a Carte du Vin wine cellar inventory. A must-have book for wine lovers, his adventures in the wine trade make for an insightful and riotously funny read.
Keys to the Cellar: Strategies and Secrets of Wine Collecting
by Peter D. Meltzer
from Wiley
"Peter D. Meltzer, Wine Spectator's auction correspondent for morethan twenty years, is the foremost authority on wine collecting. His book offers expert guidance for beginners and connoisseurs alike."
--Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher, Wine Spectator
"Peter Meltzer is an authoritative journalist, savvy collector,and urbane restaurant and wine list critic; he makes theideal companion and counselor for wine collectors."
--Michael Batterberry, Editor in Chief and Publisher, Food Arts
"Keys to the Cellar is fascinating, informative, and easy to read; with this book, you will truly understand the ins and outsof buying wines for your personal cellar."
--Kevin Zraly, educator and author of Windows on the World Complete Wine Course
A true wine-lover who knows the value of a well-aged bottle, Peter Meltzer both celebrates and demystifies wine collecting in Keys to the Cellar. His appreciation of fine wine flavors every page as he gives you a practical approach to building a collection that fits your preferences, your lifestyle, and your budget. You'll find information on:
* Buying and selling wine at auction, including valuable insider tips
* Bidding at online wine auctions
* Using the Web to calculate a wine's true value or locate a hard-to-find bottle
* Making the best use of fine wine merchants
* Storing and enjoying your wine--both every day and over the long term
As a bonus, this guide includes a user-friendly Wine Spectator auction index, an invaluable tool for researching the "going rate" for more than 500 top auctioned wines. Whether you are just getting started or want to enhance your collection, this is a book you'll savor again and again--like your favorite fine wines.
Clueless About Wine: The Best-Selling Guide to the Basics
by Richard Kitowski
from Firefly Books
A comprehensive guide to understanding, choosing and enjoying wine.
This handy reference is packed with practical, up-to-date and easy-to-follow information that will turn even the most clueless consumer into a confident wine enthusiast. The book explains how and where wine is made, what it should taste like, and how to tell the difference between a great but modestly priced wine and an expensive but disappointing one.
Illustrations, sidebars, maps, lists and "did you knows" make Clueless About Wine a pleasure to read. There's also a handy WineSpeak glossary and numerous quick-glance charts on pairings.
Here is a sampling of what the book covers:
- The most basic questions about wine
- The winemaking process
- The characteristics of various wine types and regions
- How to read labels
- Opening and decanting a bottle, and which glass to use
- Storing wine and buying for special occasions.
Of value for those with some wine knowledge as well as for neophytes, Clueless About Wine simplifies the mystique of confusing technology and shows how easy and enjoyable it is to choose and enjoy wine with confidence.
The Heartbreak Grape, Revised and Updated: A Journey in Search of the Perfect Pinot Noir
by Marq de Villiers
from McArthur & Company Publishing, Ltd.
DeVilliers' quest for the 'heartbreak grape' begins with one sip of the superlative Calera Jensen '87. Behind the scenes of one of the world's most fascinating and romantic industries, the author celebrates the tenacity and invention of individuals who devote their lives to the magnificent obesession of wine-making in this completely revised and updated edition.
Michael Broadbent's Vintage Wine
by Michael Broadbent
from Harcourt
Hired by Christie's in 1966 to revive their wine auctions, Broadbent threw himself into his work, searching out great collections of the world's finest wine--and keeping meticulous tasting notes. Here are evocations of Chateau d'Yquem from 1784--one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites--and hundreds of vintages and thousands of wines right up to the present.
Years of "cellars visited and pillaged, involving the checking and packing of dust- and grime-laden bottles in distinctly dank and chilly conditions," jet-set auctions around the world, legendary tastings and society events, have all helped to create an unrivalled store of vinous anecdotes as well as an unsurpassed wine-tasting history.
EXCERPT
From a tasting of 1784 Chateau Yquem:
"The most renowned vintage of the late 18th century and well-documented thanks mainly to the original copies of the letters and orders of Thomas Jefferson. . . . Jefferson did not trust wine merchants and insisted on bottling at the chateau. . . . The wine has a warm mahogany-amber colour with a pronounced yellow-green rim. Initially, the nose, unsurprisingly, was creakingly old but after fifteen minutes settled down to reveal a remarkably rich, tangy, honeyed scent."
Jancis Robinson's Wine Course: A Guide to the World of Wine
by Jancis Robinson
from Abbeville Press
In this completely updated and expanded edition of her international bestseller, Jancis Robinson, one of the world's most respected wine authorities, offers an engaging introduction to the enjoyment of wine.
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