Wine For Dummies

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Title Page; Table of Contents; Introduction; About This Book; Foolish Assumptions; Icons Used in This Book; Beyond the Book; Where to Go from Here; Part I: Getting Started with Wine; Chapter 1: Wine 101; How Wine Happens; What Color Is Your Appetite?; Other Ways of Categorizing Wine; Chapter 2: These Taste Buds Are for You; The Special Technique for Tasting Wine; Parlez-Vous Winespeak?; The Quality Issue; Chapter 3: Pinot Envy and Other Secrets about Grape Varieties; The Importance of Grape Varieties; A Primer on White Grape Varieties; A Primer on Red Grape Varieties. Chapter 4: Wine Names and Label LingoThe Wine Name Game; Decoding the Language of the Label; Chapter 5: Behind the Scenes of Winemaking; Vineyard Jargon, Winemaking Talk; The World of Viti-Vini; Even More Winemaking Terms; Part II: Wine and You: Up Close and Personal; Chapter 6: Buying Wine to Drink at Home; Buying Wine Can Give Anyone the Jitters; Wine Retailers, Large and Small; Criteria for Choosing Wine Merchants; Strategies for Wine Shopping; Chapter 7: Buying Wine in Restaurants; By the Glass or Buy the Bottle; Analyzing the Wine List; Managing the Wine Presentation Ritual. Restaurant Wine TipsEnjoying Wine Bars; Chapter 8: Serving Wine; Getting the Cork Out; Does Wine Really Breathe?; Does the Glass Really Matter?; Not Too Warm, Not Too Cold; Entertaining with Wine; Keeping Leftover Wine; Chapter 9: Marrying Wine with Food; With Wine and Food, Rules Do Not Apply; The Dynamics of Food and Wine; Other Ways of Pairing Food and Wine; Classic Pairings of Wine and Food; Part III: The "Old World" of Wine; Chapter 10: Knowing the Wines of France; The French Model; France's Wine Regions; Bordeaux: The Incomparable; Burgundy: The Other Great French Wine. The Hearty Rhônes of the ValleyThe Loire Valley: White Wine Heaven; Alsace: Unique Region, Unique Wines; The South and Southwest; Other French Wine Regions; Chapter 11: Italy, the Land of Great Vino; The Vineyard of Europe; Reds Reign in Piedmont; Tuscany the Beautiful; The Tre Venezie; The Sunny South of Italy; Snapshots from the Rest of Italy; Chapter 12: Spain, Germany, and Other European Hot Spots; Intriguing Wines from Old Spain; Portugal: More Than Just Port; Germany: Europe's Individualist; Austria's Exciting Whites (And Reds); The Glory That Is Greece. Part IV: Discovering the "New World" of WineChapter 13: America, America; The New World of American Wine; California, U.S.A.; Napa Valley: As Tiny As It Is Famous; Down-to-Earth in Sonoma; Gold Country: The Sierra Foothills; San Luis Obispo: Paso Robles to Edna Valley; Santa Barbara, Californian Paradise; Oregon: A Tale of Two Pinots; Washington State Reaches New Heights; The Empire State; Chapter 14: The Southern Hemisphere Arises; Australian Wine Power; The Rise of New Zealand; Chile's Rapid Wine Development; Argentina, a Major League Player; The South African Wine Safari