I’ve gone on record a number of times, expressing my disgust with Bordeaux. Not so much the wines, because they’re great but with the reverence, the prices and all the silliness that goes with the whole en primeur campaign.

However, the place is just too important to poo-poo outright, so I’ve started to re-read Oz Clarke’s Bordeaux, The Wines, the Vineyards, the Winemakers. A kind of reflection that I don’t often do.

If you’ve seen Oz and James’s Big Wine Adventure on BBC, then you’ll have got a glimpse of Oz’s knowledge, passion, enthusiasm and sense of humour and that’s the first thing that comes out of the book. It’s clear Bordeaux is the Belle Dame Sans Merci that has Oz in thrall. It’s a force running through his veins.

So, as I read through the wine styles (from classic to “garage”), the history (most of the hallowed turf was once a swamp and drained by the canny Dutch) and the people, I’m falling in love again, though I never wanted to.

Oz Clarke’s Bordeaux, The Wines, the Vineyards, the Winemakers on Amazon from £15

In many ways, Bordeaux can be a very intimidating place. There are so many wines, they’re all in French and you have to spend a small fortune to get a “good one”. And that’s just for starters.

Oz Clarke does extremely well and breaks down all these barriers (well, apart from the price of the wines) with his recent book on Bordeaux. He’s clearly enchanted by the mystique of Bordeaux and the enthusiasm we’ve seen in his BBC series with James May clearly comes through in the book.

As the title suggests, he covers everything (and more) you’ll ever need to know about Bordeaux from the land and the people who work it through to how this results in majestic wines.

A great read and a great reference – the “go-to” book for Bordeaux

Check out Oz Clarke’s Bordeaux on Amazon.

The background

To gain the recognition and high scores from one of the world’s most influential wine writers, Robert Parker, winemakers will adopt certain winemaking techniques.

The result? High scores, increased demand on one side with the homogenisation of wines and inflated prices across a whole region on the other.

The alternative? Honestly made rustic artisan wines which taste like what they oughta.

Whether you agree or not, this book is still worth buying and a real thought-provoking read.

Read reviews or buy on Amazon.

Sure, you could book yourself on a wine course.

However, if:

• the price is a little steep
• there isn’t a wine course near you or
• you can’t commit to the schedule

then why not try the following as an alternative?

1. Buy this book
2. Get together regularly with with a group of friends
3. Each bring a different bottle according to the “course” chapter.

Jancis Robinson is probably the top wine writer in the world. While being a wine expert, she can still bring it back to basics with a clarity and wit that is all too often missing from the established wine writers who take the whole wine thing very seriously.

The aim of this book is to get you up to scratch on wine appreciation, how to taste, what to look for and how to tell your Chardonnay from your Riesling.

Get How to taste on Amazon.

The Wines of Burgundy

by Clive Coates

• Don’t know your Givry from your Gevry?
• Is Cotes-de-Nuits north or south of Cote de Beaune and where the hell is Cote d’Or?

This is a bit of a wine-boffin’s book but you’re passionate about Burgundy, then this book is for you. 

Highly recommended.

See it on Amazon.

The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson is running its 6th edition now. It’s written by the world’s most authoritative wine duo and if you only ever buy one wine book, then this probably should be it.

Rather than read it cover-to-cover it’s more of a reference that I dip in and out of for no more than a few minutes at a time, particularly when drinking a new and unfamiliar wine.

The downside is that it can get out of date pretty quickly and won’t often reflect the wines we see on shelves, so consider complimenting it with an annual pocket guide (get as local as possible).

Buy The World Atlas of Wine on Amazon

In 1976, an unknown bunch of upstarts from California brought their wine to Paris for a blind tasting event against some of the top French wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy. And they won. They beat the French. Sacre bleu!

People behind the wines

On one hand this is an excellent account of the human history of wine in California, the context and the lead up to this tasting event, and what transpired subsequently.

The impact of the Paris tasting

On the other hand, it charts the impact this event had on the world of wine – how it inspired a new generation of winemakers from around the world to produce world-beating wines. Definitely not just for winebuffs. 

Buy it on Amazon.

In the 1860′s, vines in the south of France started to wither and die

The cause? A small aphid (an insect that feeds by sucking the sap from plants).

Labelled Phylloxera, the aphids made their way to the south of France on the roots of native American vines and decimated the wine industry of France and much of Europe over the next 30 years.

The battle was fought on many fronts, from “chemical warfare”, flooding and the ultimate weapon – American vine rootstock.

The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine was Saved for the World by Christy Campbell, is a great book on the history, science and cultural impact of Phylloxera from initial invasion (and a cameo appearance in Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow) to the salvation and recovery of the French wine industry on the roots of American vines

Praised as a “An intoxicating read” by the UK Times and originally published in 2005, it’s still available on Amazon in hardback and paperback and if you’ve space on your bookshelves (beside your wine rack), then it’s worth a read, even beyond the wine lover or the botanist.

Buy now from Amazon

Here’s the bumpf…

Due to popular demand we are delighted to offer another opportunity to taste many of the best and most famous wines in the world. All wines will be presented by Nigel Donnan, who has been lecturing for the Wine Board for over ten years. These tastings will be held in the Wine Board, 14 Whitefriars, Peter’s Row, Aungier Street, Dublin 2 on Friday evenings commencing at 7.00 pm and will last approximately 2 hours. Each tasting will cost €65 per person.

Details are as follows:

1. Spain—Friday 18th April 2008

We will be examining the two worlds of Spanish wine, namely those wines from the traditional world and those from its modern world. Present will be some of the best from the following regions Rioja, Priorato, Toro and Ribera del Duero.

2. Pinot Noir—Friday 25th April 2008

This will be an opportunity to examine and compare some of the best red wines of Burgundy along with some of the finest that The New World has to offer. At the tasting will be a selection of village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines from Burgundy as well as offerings from Australia, New Zealand and California.

3. Northern Rhone—Friday 2nd May 2008

The northern part of the Rhone Valley produces only 5% of the region’s wine production but nonetheless most of the best wines are given birth on the steep slopes here. We shall be looking at some of these including wines from Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Cornas.

4. Bordeaux—Pauillac—Friday 9th May 2008

An examination of the wines of Bordeaux’s most famous commune, Pauillac. At the tasting will be a selection of the top wines from here including, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lynch Bages and Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste.

5. White Burgundy—Friday 16th May 2008

To taste the great wines of Burgundy is to gain an understanding of it that is not possible otherwise. We will be looking at the various white wine expressions of this great region though wines from some of its most famous villages, premier cru and grand cru vineyards.

6. Tuscany—23rd May 2008

We will be looking at many of Tuscany’s best wines including Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico Riserva and well as some of the great supertuscan wines, culminating in the most famous of them all, the legendary Sassicaia.

7. Champagne—30th May 2008

This is an opportunity to compare some of the most famous names in Champagne along with some of the best small growers. Wines to be tasted will include Bollinger, Jalmart, Andre Jacquart, Henri Goutorbe, Pol Roger and culminating with the most famous champagne of all, Dom Perignon.

Jamie Goode, wine writer for a number of publications, who blogs over at wineanorak.com, has crafted an excellent book on, as the title suggests, the science of wine.

From the vineyard, where grapes are grown, through the winery where they are fermented and aged all the way to the glass, Jamie delivers the science behind why wine tastes the way it does.

What really appeals to me in this book is an objective look at wine, away from the mystique and magic of “wine, the brand”. Every step of they way we see how the process of wine production results in how it tastes.

One highlight for me was in dealing with “terroir“, a term that every wine maker, wine writer and perhaps wine blogger tries to explain and put their own slant on. In scientific terms, the concept of terroir is pretty much laid out and put to rest.

This is a “science book” like Bill Bryson’s “Short History of Nearly Everything” is a science book, with scientific concepts explained simply and, at times, in a lighthearted and entertaining way.

If you’re mildly curious about wine and how it’s made and why it tastes the way it does, then this book is defintely for you.

Buy it from Amazon…

The Science of Wine: From Vine to Glass is available on amazon.co.uk