The wine book to own if you only own one wine book. A GREAT primer for learning about how wine is made and how to enjoy it. It is also a terrific grape varietal reference book and handy introduction to major wine-growing regions around the world. Creative graphics and thoughtful organization make it an ideal first-read for budding wine experts.
Regardless of whether you want to be a wine snob or avoid being a wine snob, this book is a helpful guide for navigating facts and myths relating to wine. The easy-to-read one rule at a time format makes for an easy read over time. Even if you only read one rule a day, your wine IQ will expand quickly.
Not about wine, rather this book features quite a bit of wine and paints a picture of the delights and frustrations of living in bucolic southern France. It was a best seller in the late 1980s/early 1990s and the author, Peter Mayle, went on to write numerous books that built a franchise out of this initial effort. If you like this book you will also probably like its sequel, Toujours Provence and his books featuring the many foods and wines that abound here. Don't overlook his novels, beginning with Hotel Pastis, as well as his serious of mysterious, beginning with The Marseille Caper. For many English speakers, Peter Mayle personifies the south of France in general and the Luberon valley in particular.