Wines from Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape have made the Rhône Valley world famous. This may be a classic wine region, but as Matt Walls reveals in Wines of the Rhône that doesn't mean it is set in its ways. Change here is not only driven by innovations in winemaking and fashions in wine, it is also an essential response to a rapidly shifting climate, which has seen temperatures rise significantly over the last 40 years and extreme weather events become more commonplace. Walls provides a rounded picture of this large and complex region, which varies greatly along the 200-kilometre stretch of river, from Vienne in the north to Provence in the south. Beginning with a vivid journey through the terrain, he explores one of the region's constants, its varied geology, before moving on to the pressing issue of climate. A short tour through the Rhône's winemaking history, from early Greek settlers to the modern industry, is followed by vignettes of all the AOC-permitted grapes and an explanation of the five levels of the region's appellation system. While the region contains some of the world's most recognizable appellations, there are also many that are less well-known. Walls encourages readers to venture beyond the famous crus, making it easy for those eager to explore by detailing the terroir of every appellation and describing and assessing typical wines. Profiles of 200 key producers complete the picture. Boxes throughout the text provide interesting asides on current issues as well as key appellation facts, while an appendix on ageing wines offers a guide to the last 40 vintages. This comprehensive examination of a renowned region is an ideal introduction for those new to the Rhône, while providing fresh insights for long-time admirers of the wines.

"Thoughtfully conceived and very well written, this is essential somm reading."—The Somm Journal "This is the most important wine book of the year, perhaps in many years."—The Seattle Times "Crisply written, impeccably researched, balanced if fundamentally enthusiastic, scholarly but accessible, and full of unexpected details and characters."—The World of Fine Wine No wine category has seen more dramatic growth in recent years than American Rhône–variety wines. Winemakers are devoting more energy, more acreage, and more bottlings to Rhône varieties than ever before. The flagship Rhône red, Syrah, is routinely touted as one of California’s most promising varieties, capable of tremendous adaptability as a vine, wonderfully variable in style, and highly expressive of place. There has never been a better time for American Rhône wine producers. American Rhône is the untold history of the American Rhône wine movement. The popularity of these wines has been hard fought; this is a story of fringe players, unknown varieties, and longshot efforts finding their way to the mainstream. It’s the story of winemakers gathering sufficient strength in numbers to forge a triumph of the obscure and the brash. But, more than this, it is the story of the maturation of the American palate and a new republic of wine lovers whose restless tastes and curiosity led them to Rhône wines just as those wines were reaching a critical mass in the marketplace. Patrick J. Comiskey’s history of the American Rhône wine movement is both a compelling underdog success story and an essential reference for the wine professional.

Updated and revised, with new producers included for 2020, the Guides to Wines and Top Vineyards are the definitive guides to classic wine-producing regions. This guide discusses the wines of the Northern Rhône, including Cote Rôtie, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St. Joseph, and Cornas.The guide is divided into two parts. The first part of the guide discusses the regions, and explains the character and range of the wines. The second part profiles the producers. There are detailed profiles of the leading producers, showing how each winemaker interprets the local character, and mini-profiles of other important estates. A hundred producers are profiled.Description of each area includes its geography, the grape varieties that are grown, how these relate to the styles of wines that are produced, wines from entry level to icons, currents trends and how styles are evolving. Reference wines are recommended for each region. The guide is illustrated with photographs of each area, topological maps to show the terrain, road maps to identify the locations of estates, and information on recent vintages.Profiles range from producers who may dominate an appellation to small estates that define the cutting edge. The profiles identify the best of tradition and innovation in the region. Each estate profile describes the producer's aims for his wines, and the personality and philosophy behind them. Reference wines are suggested for each producer, together with essential information for planning a visit, including address and map location, phone and email contact details, and whether appointments are needed.This Guide is the indispensable means for understanding the Northern Rhône, tasting its wines, and finding the top producers. It is updated regularly to have the latest information.

This companion to The Chateauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book includes information on more than six hundred red and white wines. The handy fifty-page booklet provides practical information when searching for a specific Chateauneuf wine in a wine store or on the Internet or checking on a wine you already own. It is a unique reference guide containing descriptions of each wine; its blend, upbringing, style, characteristics, price indication, and more. The booklet includes additional information on grape varieties and flavours. In addition to these overviews, the guide is a compact source of information on subjects like winemaking, production, and vintage reviews with reserved space for personal notes.

Are there wines to rival the greatest first-growths of Bordeaux and the grand crus of Burgundy? Robert Parker’s answer is a resounding Yes—they are to be found among the finest wines of the Rhone Valley. With this new edition of Wines of the Rhone Valley, Robert Parker, the world’s most influential wine critic, provides the key to enjoying the winemaking world’s best-kept secret. The area contains the oldest vineyards in France—indeed the heyday of some of the Rhone Valley wines was 2,000 years ago, around the time of the Roman conquest of France. In recent centuries, these wines have been misunderstood and ignored—and consequently undervalued. All of which means that some of the great wines of the world are available for a fraction of the cost of those from better-known regions. Wines of the Rhone Valley is the ultimate resource for every wine lover, highlighting both the greatest wines of the Rhone Valley and the region’s finest wine values. With his trademark thoroughness, Parker has fully revised and expanded this edition to reflect changes in the region, new personalities, and the latest vintages. In this edition, Parker returns to the region closest to his heart, exploring the sun-drenched Rhone Valley in unprecedented candor and detail.

Most rational people don’t pay $40 for $20 items. And yet with wine, it happens all the time. Wine can be an expensive hobby. Founder of the popular site ReverseWineSnob,com, Jon Thorsen is an unapologetic frugal wine consumer. He flips wine snobbery on its head by pushing a $20 or less mantra. Reverse Wine Snob is designed to help wine drinkers stop wasting money and get the most satisfaction out of their drinking dollars. It reveals Thorsen’s Ten Tenets of Reverse Wine Snobbery—ten beliefs that eliminate myths about wine—as well as a unique rating system that includes the cost of the bottle so that there is satisfaction in both taste and price. In Jon’s unique system, the more expensive a wine, the better it must taste. Reverse Wine Snob explains: The number one rule all wine drinkers should follow, no matter what the wine snobs say. How to shop for wine at stores like the nation’s #1 wine retailer Costco and Trader Joe’s. The regions and varieties of wine that give the best value. Why the price of a wine has nothing to do with its taste. Why the distribution system in the US is broken which costs you money and limits your wine choices. Tons of Jon’s very favorite wine picks. Jon dapples in every kind of wine from $10 kitchen sink blends to the $20 “Saturday Night Splurge,” so delicious it’s worth twice the price. Reverse Wine Snob brings plain old common sense to the wine industry and encourages wine lovers to explore the world of inexpensive quality wine. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Good Books and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of cookbooks, including books on juicing, grilling, baking, frying, home brewing and winemaking, slow cookers, and cast iron cooking. We’ve been successful with books on gluten-free cooking, vegetarian and vegan cooking, paleo, raw foods, and more. Our list includes French cooking, Swedish cooking, Austrian and German cooking, Cajun cooking, as well as books on jerky, canning and preserving, peanut butter, meatballs, oil and vinegar, bone broth, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

"A hip, new guide to wine for the new generation of wine drinkers, from the sommelier creators of the award-wining site WineFolly.com"--Provided by publisher.