For an insight into the life of working in the New York wine scene, settle in to Bianca Bosker’s Cork Dork. A ‘high-octane account of her year in the New York wine scene’, Bosker was previously an editor at Huffington Post before pursuing a career in wine. As a New York Times bestseller, it’s got a broad appeal, for both the beginner and the seasoned oenophile.
Oz Clarke’s Red and White marks a slight departure from his previous books. Not just a technical reference book, it’s part autobiographical, including Clarke’s first venture into the world of wine, but also includes plenty of serious wine content. It’s ‘full of joie de vivre, wit, opinion and anecdotes,’ and it’s laugh-out-loud funny at times, said the Decanter review.
As any regular readers of her Decanter column will know, Jane Anson has incredible knowledge and access to Bordeaux. Her highly anticipated Inside Bordeaux will profile 600 châteaux across the region in exceptional detail. If you’re missing the buzz of Bordeaux en primeur this year, this might help see you through – but you’ll have to wait a little longer for its official release.
Available April 2020
The eighth edition of the World Atlas of Wine was released at the end of 2019, and is an essential item on the book shelf of any self-proclaimed wine lover. Written by Jancis Robinson MW and Hugh Johnson, this is the longest edition yet, with 230 maps, 22 of which are new – showing how much the wine world is evolving.
Best known for creating Paddington Bear, Michael Bond also wrote a series of novels for adults, around a character called Monsieur Pamplemousse – a Michelin inspector who also solved crime, with his canine sidekick ‘Pommes Frites’.
A series of culinary adventures are set in France, continually referencing fine wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône and more… Read a taster of the books here.
Buy Waterstones UK / Amazon US
Jane Anson shared some of her favourite novels that manage to effortlessly weave wine into the main story. My Italian Bulldozer is a romantic novel set in Tuscany, about a food writer who is travelling to get over a breakup.
See Jane Anson’s other wine novel suggestions here.
Online publication Wine Folly made a name for itself with its easy to understand graphics that help you get to grips with learning about wine. This book, which offers a visual guide to wine, was published in 2016 and covers major grapes and regions, as well as food pairing, glassware and methods of production. It may be particularly useful for anyone using this time to revise for future WSET exams.
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