PRAISE FOR Wine Folly
The best introductory book on wine to come along in years.
The Washington Post
Wine is fun. Its complex, vibrant, and meaningful. It should be part of your life... and so should this book.
Geoff Kruth, Master Sommelier, Guildsomm.com
With clever graphics, Madeline has created a wine navigator that effortlessly guides new wine lovers to a better understanding.
Dr. Andrew Waterhouse, UC Davis
I wish I had had a smart, fast, super-easy-to-understand book like Wine Folly when I was starting out.
Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible
A magically vivid wine guide for our information agecuts through the complexity of wine like a Champagne saber.
Mark Oldman, author of Oldmans Guide to Outsmarting Wine and How to Drink Like a Billionaire
WINE = SCIENCE + ART
an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
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New York, New York 10014
Copyright 2018 Wine Folly, LLC
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Ebook ISBN 9780525538400
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Puckette, Madeline, author
Wine folly: magnum edition / Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack
ISBN 9780525533894 (hardback)
1. Wine and wine making. I. Puckette, Madeline, author. II. Title
p. cm
Cover by Nick Misani
Version_3
Contents
Introduction
What makes wine special? Why is it considered one of the best beverages on the planet?
Why Love Wine?
The obvious reason to be interested in wine is because a small portion of itsay about 1015%is a mind-altering substance called ethanol. Yep, alcohol. However, the mere presence of ethanol (a simple chemical compound) doesnt explain the level of scientific rigor that goes into understanding wine. There is so much to know, including how wine is made and the science behind its tastes and flavors. Not to mention the health benefits, cultural traditions, and how wine fits into our history and evolution. In short, wine is interesting because it is complex.
The more you know, the more you know you dont know.
The topic of wine will go as deep as youre willing to dive. That is why there are hundreds of books on the subject. Some are erudite, some are heavyweight and technical, and some are drunken escapades!
This book is unlike any of the aforementioned styles. Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is the pragmatists tool, designed to guide you on your path into wine, wherever it takes you. It will show you the basics and give you a solid foundation.
Who Made This Book?
This book was created by the co-founders of Wine Folly. Madeline Puckette is a wine sommelier, writer, and visual designer. Justin Hammack is a digital strategist, web developer, and entreprenuer.
Part of the effort in creating this book was verifying accuracy of information. Additional contributions were made by Kanchan Schindlauer, Mark Craig, Hilarie Larson, Vincent Rendoni, Haley Mercedes, and Stephen Reiss. Information sources can be viewed in the back of this book.
About Wine Folly
The first edition of this book, Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine is on the New York Times Bestseller list, is an Amazon Cookbook of 2015, has a 4.8 star rating on Amazon (at the time of this writing), and has been printed in more than 20 languages (even Mongolian!)
Wine Folly is used by wine educators, sommeliers, and restaurant managers around the world to teach people about wine.
winefolly.com is the #1 ranking wine education site in the world. The best part? Its free.
Wine Folly isnt just the thoughts of one individual. The sites knowledge base has contributions from many wine professionals, writers, winemakers, scientists, and doctors.
Magnum Edition
Youll love Wine Folly: Magnum Edition if youve...
Wanted to improve your knowledge of wine, but dont know how to start.
Ever felt overwhelmed by the choices in the wine aisle.
Bought disappointing wines or felt hesitant to try new wines.
Ever felt intimidated by others knowledge of wine.
Ever been uncertain if youre drinking good wine or if its all just marketing.
Wine Folly: Magnum Edition will help you...
Learn how to assess wine quality.
Handle, serve, store, and age wine.
Find new wines that youre likely to enjoy.
Gain professional sommelier-level knowledge of wine.
Avoid buying poor-quality wines, even on a small budget.
Drink wine more responsibly.
Make great food and wine pairings.
Gain confidence with wine
Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is the improved and expanded edition of Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine.
Magnum Edition contains more than two times the content of the first volume, including new chapters, wine maps, infographics, and updated data sources.
Get the Most Out of This Book
Your homework assignment each time you try a new wine:
Practice actively tasting the wine. (see )
Look up the wine or variety in the Grapes & Wines Section of this book. (see )
Learn about the region where the wine is from. (see )
Learn the best foods to pair with the wine. (see )
Gain confidence handling wine. (see )
Rinse and repeat!
Wine Basics
This section explores the fundamental aspects of wine including:
How wine is made
How to taste wine
How to serve wine
How to store wine
What Is Wine?
Wine is an alcoholic beverage made with fermented grapes. Technically, wine can be made with any fruit, but most wine is made with wine grapes.
Wine grapes are different than table grapes. They are smaller, sweeter, contain seeds, and have thicker skins. These traits have proven to be better for making wine.
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