1000bestwine_fullcover 9/5/06 3:11 PM Page 1 1000 THE ESSENTIAL 1000 GUIDE FOR WINE LOVERS 10001000 Are you unsure about the appropriate way to taste wine at a restaurant? Or confused about which wine to order with best catfish? 1000 Best Wine Secrets contains all the information novice and experienced wine drinkers need to feel at home best in any restaurant, home or vineyard. wine An essential addition to any wine lover’s shelf! wine SECRETS INCLUDE: * Buying the perfect bottle of wine * Serving wine like a pro secrets * Wine tips from around the globe Become a Wine Connoisseur * Choosing the right bottle of wine for any occasion * Secrets to buying great wine secrets * Detecting faulty wine and sending it back * Insider secrets about * Understanding wine labels wines from around the world If you are tired of not know- * Serve and taste wine is a wine writer Carolyn Hammond ing the proper wine etiquette, like a pro and founder of the Wine Tribune. 1000 Best Wine Secrets is the She holds a diploma in Wine and * Pairing food and wine Spirits from the internationally rec- only book you will need to ognized Wine and Spirit Education become a wine connoisseur. Trust. As well as her expertise as a wine professional, Ms. Hammond is a seasoned journalist who has written for a number of major daily Cookbooks/ newspapers. She has contributed Bartending $12.95 U.S. UPC to Decanter, Decanter.com and $16.95 CAN Wine & Spirit International. hammond ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-0808-9 ISBN-10: 1-4022-0808-1 Carolyn EAN www.sourcebooks.com Hammond 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page i 1000 Best Wine Secrets 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page ii 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page iii 1000 Best Wine Secrets CAROLYN HAMMOND 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page iv Copyright © 2006 by Carolyn Hammond Cover and internal design © 2006 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Cover photo © Photodisc Internal photo © PhotoAlto Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Source- books, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including informa- tion storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quo- tations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent pro- fessional person should be sought.—From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations All brand names and product names used in this book are trade- marks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book. The Author and Sourcebooks, Inc. shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, dam- age, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information in this book. Published by Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410 (630) 961-3900 FAX: (630) 961-2168 www.sourcebooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hammond, Carolyn. 1000 best wine secrets / Carolyn Hammond. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-2054-8 978-1-4022-0808-9 ISBN-10: 1-4022-2187-8 1-4022-0808-1 1. Wine and wine making. I. Title. II. Title: One thousand best wine secrets. TP548.H228 2006 641.2’2—dc22 2006020836 Printed and bound in the United States of America. WC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page v For Geoffrey. 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page vi 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page vii Contents Acknowledgments .................................................xi Introduction..........................................................xiii Part One: Selecting That Perfect Bottle ................1 Chapter One: Buying Great Wine..........................3 Chapter Two: Ordering Wine in a Restaurant ...19 Chapter Three: Pairing Food and Wine ..............23 Chapter Four: Knowing When to Drink It..........29 Chapter Five: Reading the Label..........................35 Part Two: Tasting and Serving Wine ...................37 Chapter Six: Tasting Wine Like a Pro..................39 Chapter Seven: Serving Wine Like a Pro............47 Chapter Eight: Detecting Faulty Wine and Sending It Back ...............................................51 Part Three: Revealing the Flavors of the World ....................................................55 Chapter Nine: French Wine .................................59 Wines of Bordeaux ...................................................59 Wines of Burgundy...................................................75 Wines of Champagne ...............................................90 Wines of Alsace......................................................100 Wines of the Loire ..................................................106 Wines of the Rhône ................................................111 Wines of Provence and Corsica ..............................120 Wines of Southwest France....................................122 Wines of Languedoc and Roussillon.......................124 Vin de Pays.............................................................126 Wines of the Rest of France....................................127 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page viii Chapter Ten: Italian Wine ..................................129 Wines of Northwest Italy.......................................129 Wines of Northeast Italy........................................134 Wines of Tuscany ...................................................139 Wines of the Rest of Central Italy ..........................145 Wines of Southern Italy and the Islands ...............147 Chapter Eleven: Spanish Wine ..........................151 Wines of Rioja ........................................................151 Wines of Ribera del Duero......................................155 Wines of Northeast Spain ......................................156 Wines of Northwest Spain .....................................158 Wines of Central and Southern Spain....................160 Sherry.....................................................................161 Chapter Twelve: Portuguese Wine.....................167 Wines of Portugal...................................................167 Port ........................................................................170 Madeira ..................................................................174 Chapter Thirteen: German Wine.......................177 Chapter Fourteen: Austrian Wine .....................183 Chapter Fifteen: Swiss Wine..............................187 Chapter Sixteen: Central and Eastern European Wine ........................................................................189 Chapter Seventeen: Mediterranean Wine........193 Chapter Eighteen: American Wine ...................197 Wines of California ................................................197 Wines of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho .............208 Wines of New York State .......................................214 Wines of the Rest of the United States ..................215 Chapter Nineteen: Canadian Wine...................217 Chapter Twenty: Chilean Wine..........................225 Chapter Twenty-One: Argentinean Wine.........231 Chapter Twenty-Two: Australian Wine.............235 Chapter Twenty-Three: New Zealand Wine ....243 Chapter Twenty-Four: South African Wine......247 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page ix Chapter Twenty-Five: Wine from the Rest of the World ..................................................253 Part Four: Trade Secrets......................................255 Chapter Twenty-Six: Wine Myths .....................257 Chapter Twenty-Seven: Storing Wine...............263 Chapter Twenty-Eight: Giving the Gift of Wine ........................................................................267 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Learning More about Wine ....................................................271 Chapter Thirty: Talking the Talk—Wine Terminology ......................................................277 Appendix A: 50 Best Wines under $20 .............283 Appendix B: Resources .......................................295 Index .....................................................................305 About the Author ................................................385 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page x 1000WineFINAL_INT 8/24/06 2:21 PM Page xi Acknowledgments This book is not an island. It was inspired by many others, most importantly the grape growers and winemakers who toil daily for the sheer love of producing pleasure in a glass—Philippe and Marcel Guigal, Charles Back, Marcelo Papa Cortesi, Alvaro Palacios, Clotilde Davenne, Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, Nicholas Joly, Toby Barlow, John Hancock, and thousands more whose talents I’ve tasted. Let me thank those who spend their days com- municating the stories of the grapes, land, and people behind the wines and arranging tastings— Brigitte Batonnet, Hal Bibby, Jo Burzynska, David Churchill, Natasha Claxton, Michael Cox, John Derrick, Alison Dillon, Michael Donohue, Isidoro Fernandez-Valmayor, Jane Holland, Gladys Hori- uchi, Sue Glasgow, Rob Green, Bill Gunn