Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia: Fourth Edition, Revised

Arranged geographically, with nearly 100 maps, profiles on top producers, and valuable Author's Choice charts for each region, the Wine Encyclopedia covers the wines of Europe (from Great Britain and Switzerland to Southeast Europe, Greece, and the Levant), as well as wines from North and South Africa, North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. In addition, there's a guide to wine and food (pairing fois gras with a Champagne or Sauterne, for example, and claret or Cabernet Sauvignon with beef), a guide to wine flavors (making sense of descriptors such as fig, gooseberry, violet, and hay), a list of good vintages, and a glossary of tasting and technical terms, distinguishing "cheesy" and "chewy" from "creamy" and "corked." Enhanced by beautiful pictures of vineyards, wine labels, and Stevenson himself demonstrating the art of wine tasting, from examining and nosing the wine to spitting it out, this a visually beautiful as well as an informative volume. As sumptuous as an elegant Tuscan Barolo, as rewarding as a Sarget de Gruaud-Larose from Bordeaux, as pleasing as a Ferreira port, the Sotheby Wine Encyclopedia is a remarkable tome of oenological erudition. --Stephanie Gold

Product Description
The essential insider's guide to every major wine-growing region in the world, this book offers dozens of helpful Top 10 lists covering a broad range of topics, including Best-Value Producers, Greatest-Quality Wines, and Most Exciting or Unusual Finds. The book is a must for every wine serious enthusiast who wants to keep up with the constantly changing and ever-expanding world of wine. AUTHOR BIO: Tom Stevenson has been writing about wine for nearly thirty years and is the author of more than 20 books. He's been nominated Wine Writer of the Year on three occasions and received the coveted Wine Literary Award, America's lifetime achievement award for wine writing.

Fortunately in the US, relying on such writers is not (yet) compulsory.
It is possible to get books by English-language writers of very high
caliber and experience, who mostly are in other countries (such as
Clive Coates, Serena Sutcliffe, Remington Norman, and Michael
Broadbent). Stevenson comes from this tradition, and although his
book is not as specialized as those of the other authors I've just
named, it is compensatingly broad. There is a desperate need for
accessible one-volume introductory wine books. Blake Ozias's "All
About Wine" served this need in the US, 25 or 35 years ago, but it
is badly out of date (not to mention out of print); it was a thin book
you could absorb in a few evenings. Stevenson's is different, it is
a genuine encyclopedia, combining succinct overviews of all kinds
of wine-making regions (including Texas and Mexico) with further
depth on producers and labels in the larger regions. The compact
snapshot on Beaujolais, for example, is superb, first laying out the
history and styles, then illustrating many producers that you will in
fact encounter in the shops. It distinguishes the deep, complex
wines that the region can make from the bubble-gum style that has
become more common recently. More generally, if you found a
random bottle of wine that you were interested in, there is a decent
chance you could look it up in Stevenson and learn much more.

This is the best single-volume general wine reference I'm currently
aware of. I have recommended it to several people who wanted to
learn more about wine and all of them have been very satisfied.


The best balanced 'serious' book on wine available today.   December 6, 1998
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Tom Stevenson has nearly achieved a miracle with this comprehensive book on the 'World of Wine'. While giving information on every wine producing area (few writers do this), he has achieved a level of readability that will delight beginners as well as the knowledgeable. What is pleasing is that Stevenson takes his audience seriously, as well as the efforts of the wine growers. It is marvellous to see him list good growers in out of the way areas that are not the 'names' on most winewriters' lists (eg Fritz Becker Erben, Juffer Sonnenhur - and great wines at low prices they can be). He is also ready to tilt at the pomposity of institutions and regulations in an amusing style. For me the best wine book, along with Remington Norman's "Rhone Renaissance", of the last 5 years and like that book a joy to read. If there is a criticism it is that he couldn't have been allowed to give us more information. For example while he is amazingly helpful on Cru Bourgeois of the Medoc, there are few notes on the individual growers of say Tuscany,California or the Rhone. But as I said this is a book that has attempted a great deal and achieved 95% of that objective, and thus truly deserves the title of Encyclopedia.


Great Reference and a Must Have for Wine Professionals   November 24, 2007
Christopher Barrett (Portland, Oregon)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

What can I say about the latest edition except bigger and better. I love the breakdown of the appellations such as the difficult French and Italian AOCs and DOCs (and DOCGs). The layout is more accessible than the Oxford though lacks the breadth and depth of the latter text. Being in the wine business for many years I must recommend this as one of the cornerstones of any wine library and the 3rd book to buy for your wine knowledge after the Oxford Companion to Wine (1st) and the World Atlas of Wine (2nd)


The ultimate tutorial and reference for novices & experts   December 8, 1997
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Sotheby's encyclopedia includes detailed maps, photos, diagrams, wine labels, ratings, and just about anything anyone would want to know about wine in a very user-friendly format. Absolutely the best wine book available.


great for the serious wine student   March 19, 2008
Alison M. Christ
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Great for studying for Sommelier exam and also great for wine buyers to learn about vineyards...and much more.