The World's Greatest Wine Estates

September 19, 2005
Famed wine critic Parker can make (or break) a winery with his strong, personal opinions. In the introduction to this imposing reference, he justifies his beliefs with a detailed definition of what makes a wine estate great. Parker's opinionated dissertation, both educational and meaningful even to the wine novice, outlines his method for deciding which vineyards and wineries to include here, plus an analysis of how the world of wine has changed in the past 25 years and a tribute to the skill and hard work of the producers. Though Parker has made room for some wines from Australia and the U.S., France dominates the book. The work is divided alphabetically by country (Argentina, Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, U.S.), with each section beginning with an overview and history of wine making in the area, followed by directory-like details and profiles of selected producers, and commentary on specific vintages, including Parker's trademark point system. In appendixes, Parker includes a glossary of "winespeak" and recommends prospects for the future. With 175 lush photographs, historical and visitor information, and maps and images of wine labels, this work belongs on any oenophile's coffee table.

December 1, 2005
America's most powerful wine critic presents his comprehensive assessment of what he deems the world's most important wineries. For each of these he offers a directory, a short history, a description of its vineyards, volume of output, and a list of great vintages. He then exhaustively details the finest of the wineries' vintages, rating them on his well-known 100-point scale and predicting the years when each of these will achieve its peak quaffability. The bulk of the text focuses on the great French wineries of Bordeaux and Burgundy, with good coverage of Rhone Valley wines as well. Germany, Italy, and California comprise most of the rest of the book's scope, but Argentina, Australia, Austria, Portugal, and Spain attain some recognition. For the serious wine drinker, Parker's minute analyses of each wine are thoughtful and as grounded in the objective as any matter of aesthetic taste can ever be. This is a valuable and necessary resource for any wine collector or collection of wine books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)