Winner Best in the World Gourmand Award

Drink better, for less

This title, now in two volumes, and fully updated, is for all those seeking to acquire a deep and systematic appreciation and understanding of wine, whether for exams, work, or pleasure. It outlines a simple yet robust framework for analyzing wine as objectively as possible, and provides all the background knowledge that you need to interpret your findings, covering everything from grape varieties and vineyard management to winemaking techniques and the world’s most important wine styles. It seeks throughout to examine in what ways a particular wine is unique and different from other, similar wines. For example, why and in what ways is Pauillac, in Bordeaux, different from Pomerol, also in Bordeaux? Why and in what ways is Mosel Riesling different from Riesling from the Rheingau, or the Nahe, or Alsace, Austria, or Australia? This book is dedicated to all wine lovers, and should prove particularly useful to amateur and competitive blind tasters, students on higher-level wine courses, sommeliers, and anyone else who buys, sells, or recommends wine.

Includes recommended producers and vintages for every major wine region.

Praise for previous editions

A comprehensive education in wine. —The Times Literary Supplement

A rigorous, highly focused, well-honed bootcamp manual (Bible might be a better word) for the likes of WSET diploma students, MW students, Master Sommelier students, and anyone else who thinks that blind tasting competitions are a riot. —Tamlyn Currin for JancisRobinson.com

While Burton suggests that readers should develop their own tasting markers, this book is a great jumping-off point for wine professionals or eager hobbyists as they develop their personal tasting grids. —Alissa Bica for Wine & Spirits Magazine

A book that will be of benefit to anyone taking a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) course in the coming years. —Paul O’Doherty for JancisRobinson.com

Splendid, concise, up-to-date, comprehensive and accurate. —Clive Coates MW, author of The Wines of Burgundy

Delightful yet sophisticated. —Konstantinos Lazarakis MW, author of The Wines of Greece

Contents, Combined Edition

Part I: Foundations and Blind Tasting

1. The philosophy of wine
2. The history of wine
3. Principles of viticulture
4. Principles of winemaking
5. The art and science of blind tasting

Part II: France and Sparkling Wines

6. Alsace
7. Burgundy
8. The Rhône
9. Bordeaux
10. The Loire
11. Other notable French regions and appellations
12. Champagne and sparkling wine

Part III: Europe and Fortified Wines

13. Germany
14. Austria, Switzerland
15. Hungary
16. Greece
17. Georgia, Lebanon
18. Italy: North-East
19. Italy: North-West
20. Italy: Central
21. Italy: South, Sicily, Sardinia
22. Spain, Tenerife
23. Portugal
24. Port, Madeira, Vin Doux Naturels
25. Sherry, Montilla-Moriles

Part IV: Wines of the World

26. New Zealand
27. Australia
28. South Africa
29. Chile
30. Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil
31. USA, Canada
32. China, Japan

A textbook of wine 

Who knows more loves more, and loving more tastes/enjoys more. —Saint Catherine of Siena 

James Flewellen and I wrote the first edition of this book for varsity blind tasting, to pass down the theory of blind tasting to successive generations of students—rather than having to repeat it orally every October. In the event, the book found a much broader audience, and has even made it into Chinese.

Aside from numerous amendments, revisions, and elaborations, this fourth edition contains new sections on Crete, Lebanon, Sardinia, Tenerife, Sétubal (Portugal), China, and Japan. Despite the concision of the writing (the title is not a misnomer), the book is now over 500 pages long, so that I felt it best to divide it into two volumes. This division makes the book more convenient for wine students: easier to read and annotate, more portable, and more economical for those who wish only for a particular section. It also makes it much more manageable on an e-reader. 

Happy tasting, and may this book assist you on this very worthwhile journey.

If you’re a WSET student, sommelier or MW student preparing for exams, you’d be foolish not to have this book open next to you through every study session and every tasting. —Tamlyn Currin for JancisRobinson.com

Contents and formats

Available in two volumes (~250 pages per volume) or as a combined edition (V1 + V2).

Tasting sheets, crib sheets, etc. can be downloaded from the blind wine tasting resources page.