Money, Taste, and Wine

September 28, 2015
There's nothing complicated about wine guru Veseth's overly simplistic and dull book. His goal is to counter the idea that higher-priced wine is of better quality and flavor. He offers advice about finding the wine that tastes best to you at the right price, while at the same time offering instruction in the many facets of the wine industry and its hidden secrets. After setting up the "trilemma"âhis word for this less than complicated issueâof money, taste, and wine, Veseth makes a suggestion that anyone who buys wine or beer or whiskey already practices: to know one's own tastes, which will make it easier to select a satisfactory wine in a given price range. Veseth does helpfully sort out the varieties of wines and their packaging, debunking the myth that boxed wines are inherently less worth drinking than more expensively priced bottled wines. But the simplicity of the lesson undermines the need for a guide such as this.

August 1, 2015
The more it costs, the better the wine. That is the most common mistake made by wine buyers, according to Veseth, author of Wine Wars (2011) and blogger for Wine Economist. Veseth brings his love of wine and knowledge of economics to bear in this thoroughly enjoyable examination of how to satisfy the wine palate and the wallet. Perceptions of wine come from context and expectation, such as the occasion and the location. Palates are confused by labels, fancy wine-tasting venues, even placement on the store shelf. Veseth details the economics of winemaking as well as the psychology behind the wine market from the perspectives of the winemakers, the wine consumers, and investors and the connection between perceptions of quality and price. Drawing cultural references from movies and books, he debunks wine snobbery and offers advice on choosing based on personal tastes and finding treasures in wine stores, supermarkets, and big-box retailers. This is a humorous, engaging, and commonsense look at the tricky triangulation between money, taste, and wine.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)