| The
Bluffer's Guide to Wine |
| By
Harry Eyres |
| |
| Extracts
from the book | |
| |
| Variety |
| There
are more than 4,000 named varieties of the domesticated vine. Don't panic. It
would be a bold person who claimed to be able to distinguish more than 30 by taste,
and for practical purposes you will be able to get by with less than a dozen. |
| |
| Nose |
| When
talking about smell, do not use the word 'smell'. Choose instead from 'nose' (which
with wine does not have unpleasant associations), 'aroma', or 'bouquet', if you're
feeling flowery. If the wine doesn't smell of anything, try 'Rather dumb on the
nose, don't you find?' or 'Still very closed-up.' |
| |
| Breathe |
| Simply
removing the cork to allow a wine to breathe is useless because the surface area
exposed to the air is so small. The only way to let it breathe properly is to
pour some into a glass when you open the bottle. This not only increases the breathing
area but enables you to justify sneaking a glass ahead of the game. |
| |
| Taste |
| To
say that a wine is fruity is to suggest that it has gone through all the processes
which have transformed it from uninteresting grapes into a miraculous drink, for
nothing. 'Fruity' should be the bluffer's last resort. 'Grapey' is a somewhat
different matter, because only wines made from certain kinds of grape, especially
Muscat, actually taste, or should taste of grapes. |
| |
| Reviews |
|
| |
| The
Bluffer's Guide to Wine by Harry Eyres is written, like all the best Bluffer's
Guides, by an expert. Some of the statements are extremely provocative, but almost
all of them are true. Clever, iconoclastic and very funny. In fact, the perfect
antidote for cork dorks. |
| The
Observer |
| |
| [Books
no con-man should be without... The whole point, of course, is bluffing.] Why
spend years mastering your chosen subject when you can get all the jargon you
need to sound impressive in half an hour. |
|
Evening Express Aberdeen |
| |
| Aimed
at helping you look more informed than a typical informed wine connoisseur. I
found this book to be very heavy on details, but interesting nonetheless. A short
review of most wine and grape types as well as growing areas, this book is interesting
and best suited for those who want to look impressive in front of their friends. |
| A
reader from Gaithersburg, USA |
| |
| Table
of Contents | |
| |
|
The Basics
What is Wine?
Essential Equipment
Cellar and Storage
Serving Temperature
History Tasting
and Drinking
Talking about Wine
Describing Wine
Great Vintages
of the Past Buying
Wine
Understanding the Label
Grape Varieties Wine
Around the World
The Cult of the Winemaker
France
Germany
Italy
Spain and Portugal
Austria
Eastern Europe
California
Australia
New Zealand
South America
South Africa Wining
and Dining
Wine and Food
Waiter, This Wine is Corked
Sherry
Port
Madeira
Brandy Glossary
|
| |
Fortune
Telling
