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Rating: 
Summary: Great Place to Begin
Review: I'm a beginner. When I received "Discovering Wine" by Joanna Simon as a gift, I felt intimidated. Would it be stuffy or over my head?Its strength is in the simple presentation of the facts. The chapters are clearly titled, like "Matching food with wine" and "Ways to store your wine." The writing is clean, though it comes across slightly elitist (ex: choosing 'wend' instead of 'wind,' noting a certain country produces a 'credible' variety of wine). It is balanced by an encyclopedic style, providing insight into the basics of wine appreciation. Many countries are highlighted for their vineyards and wines. Learn which wines are made where, and how the process is distinguished from country to country. The pictures are sharp, beautiful and informative. You'll see terraces of Germany, hills of Tuscany, and the mountains of Peru in sheer splendor and relevance. Especially useful for me was the lexicon of tasting terms, a brief lesson on wine tasting and what to look for, and a discussion (with perfect pictures) on which glasses and decanters to use. The weakest aspect of the book was the chapter on matching food and wine, but the weakness was not in the content, but in the brevity. Ten pages should have been 20. I fully recommend "Discovering Wine" by Joanna Simon as a first book. Anthony Trendl
Rating: 
Summary: Nice beginner book, but some tips outdated
Review: Overall, this was a nice introduction to wine. However, it was obviously written in the early nineties, so the good year/bad year tips on many of the white wines that were not meant to age for ten years are kind of useless today (For some wines, 1987 may have been a good year if you drank it in 1991, but in 2001 it might taste a little closer to vinegar than you prefer.) But if you learn enough to know that the book you are reading is outdated, then you must have learned something. Three stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A user friendly book
Review: This is a really nice book, to get you started in wine appreciation. I also bought a Perfect Sommelier, because I wanted to taste the wine as soon as I bought it, instead of waiting years for it to be cellared. Use Google to search for it. The book really helped in locating some of the many varieties of wine that are available today. I love the 'Dummy' book too!
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