Published in 1994 to worldwide acclaim, the first edition of Jancis
Robinson's seminal volume immediately attained legendary status, winning
every major wine book award including the Glenfiddich and Julia Child/IACP
awards, as well as writer and woman of the year accolades for its
editor on both sides of the Atlantic. Combining meticulously-researched
fact with refreshing opinion and wit, The Oxford Companion to Wine
presents almost 4,000 entries on every wine-related topic imaginable,
from regions and grape varieties to the owners, connoisseurs, growers,
and tasters in wine through the ages; from viticulture and oenology to
the history of wine, from its
origins to the present day. The 187 esteemed contributors (including
over 50 new to this edition) range from internationally renowned
academics to some of the most famous wine writers and wine specialists
in the world. Now exhaustively updated, this fourth edition
incorporates the very latest international research to present over 350
new entries on topics ranging from additives and wine apps to WSET and Zelen.
Over 60 per cent of all entries have been revised; and useful lists and
statistics are appended, including a unique list of the world's
controlled appellations and their permitted grape varieties, as well as
vineyard area, wine production and consumption by
country. Illustrated with almost 30 updated maps of every
important wine region in the world, many useful charts and diagrams, and
16 stunning colour photographs, this Companion is unlike any
other wine book, offering an understanding of wine in all of its wider
contextsâ"notably historical, cultural, and scientificâ"and serving as a
truly companionable point of reference into which any wine-lover can dip
and browse. New to this editionComprehensively revised and updated throughout
Over 350 brand-new entries
Significant new updates on hundreds of topics such as China, screwcaps, and the origins of viniculture
Impressive global coverage of wine regions, including new entries on Alaska, Lesotho, Norway, and Tahiti
Includes brand-new colour photographs and black and white line drawings
Maps of wine regions have been updated
Industry Reviews
Review(s) from previous edition"a required reference for anyone who is serious about wine - The New York Times
"The greatest wine book ever published" - The Washington Post
"Jancis Robinson's brilliant and exhaustive tome on everything you ever wanted to know about the universe of wine" - from Sideways, the novel on which the award-winning screenplay was based
"It is hard to believe that Jancis Robinson could improve upon a work
whose first edition was so universally lauded, but indeed she has ...
The new edition is a huge compendium that covers practically everything
you'd ever want to know about viticulture and winemaking ... The Oxford Companion to Wine is still the preeminent basic resource for wine lovers." - Wine Enthusiast Magazine
"This A-Z guide covers all aspects of wine, from vine density to bottling ... Robert Parker, publisher of The Wine Advocate, calls this "the most encylopedic" book available." - Brill's Content
"I can think of few better companions on a hazy Christmas afternoon" - Giles Kime, Sunday Telegraph
"I would like to be given Jancis Robinson's Oxford Companion to Wine ... it's one of those books you can keep going back to" - Sunday Express Magazine
"The wine world's most scholarly A to Z" - The Sunday Times, Joanna Simon
"the most impressive wine book ever published ... all wine enthusiasts would love to have a copy." - The Sunday Tribune (Dublin)
"a rich, enthusiastic celebration ... of the ancient people-centred arts of viticulture." - Valentine Cunningham, The Observer
"Most ambitious, most respected writing project ever ... this is a
massive overhaul. There are about 500 new entries, while more than half
of the previous 3000 have been rewritten to varying degrees by Robinson
and her team of contributors ... with the same diligent approach she
adopted to the first edition, she either wrote or oversaw every word." -
Mary Dowey, The Irish Times (Dublin)
"Always authoritative, she has revised about half of the 5000 entries to keep pace with the rapidly evolving wine world." - Diana Gregory, The Independent
"The words "magisterial", "magnificent", and "indispensable", used more
than once in a lifetime, begin to lose their potency, but both books
deserve all these epithets and more." - The Guardian, (The other book was The Oxford Companion to Food)
"Deliciously definitive" - The Scotsman
"My advice is to buy the second edition ... a brilliant book ... by one of the great wine writers of our time" - The Observer
"an exhaustive and richly informed reference" - Newsday
"The Oxford Companion to Wine, edited by Jancis Robinson, is not
just an extraordinarily well informed compendium of oenological data, it
is a status symbol among wine 'cognoscenti', one of a handful of "must
have" books for those who take their interest in wine that step further
... an oracular source 'par excellence' ... Information is presented in a
typically academic, yet still warm and 'human' style." - Harold Heckle, The Tablet
"Beautifully illustrated, with alphabetical contributions from over 80
worldwide experts, here is everything you ever wanted to know about the
subject, and more." - Christie Hickman. Midweek.
"Edited by a lively and distinguished wine writer, this is a welcome addition to the Oxford Companion series." - Good Book Guide
"far and away the best book on drink published last year." - Times
"... the most useful book on wine ever written; it is also one of the most enjoyable." - Kathleen Burk, The Week
"Those readers interested enough in the subject to buy the first edition
are pretty much compelled to buy all subsequent ones, for the knowledge
encompassed in them changes not only rapidly, but also radically." - Paul Levy, Times Literary Supplement
"No wine-lover's bookshelves should be without" - Jonathan Ray, Daily Telegraph
"The essential reference book" - David Baker, Financial Times
"Wine anoraks will want Jancis Robinson's revised, encyclopaedic The Oxford Companion to Wine." - The Times
"Impressive Scholarship" - The Times
"Essential reference guide" - Daily Express