Introduction 1
Book I: Understanding Wine 7
Chapter 1: From Vine to Bottle: The Hows and Wines 9
Chapter 2: Getting Familiar with Wine Tastes and Names 25
Chapter 3: Buying Wine 41
Chapter 4: Getting the Cork Out (And All That Comes After): Serving Wine 57
Chapter 5: For Slurps and Gurgles: Tasting and Describing Wine 73
Chapter 6: Pairing Food and Wine 87
Chapter 7: Ordering Wine When You're Dining Out 93
Chapter 8: The Urge to Own: Collecting Wine 105
Book II: France: A Wine Superstar 119
Chapter 1: French Wine Today 121
Chapter 2: Exploring Bordeaux's Range 137
Chapter 3: Burgundy, Queen of France 163
Chapter 4: Beaujolais, the Fun Red 185
Chapter 5: Robust Rhône Reds and Unique Whites 193
Chapter 6: Champagne: The World's Greatest Sparkling Wine 213
Chapter 7: Other Wine Regions of France 231
Book III: Italy: Small but Mighty 259
Chapter 1: The Big Picture of Italian Wine 261
Chapter 2: Perusing Piedmont's Wines 275
Chapter 3: Finding Sparkling Wines and More in North-Central Italy 303
Chapter 4: Northeastern Italy: Where Whites Rule 317
Chapter 5: Tuscany: Checking Out Chianti and Other Tuscan Reds 341
Chapter 6: Getting Acquainted with Central Italy's Wines 361
Chapter 7: Southern Italy: "The Land of Wine" 379
Chapter 8: Sicily and Sardinia: Focusing on Quality 397
Book IV: California and Elsewhere in North America 411
Chapter 1: Introducing California Wines 413
Chapter 2: California's Major Wine Regions: An Overview 421
Chapter 3: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sparkling Wines 443
Chapter 4: California's Standout Red Wines 461
Chapter 5: Major Wine Regions in the Rest of North America 495
Book V: Australia and New Zealand: Powerhouses of the Southern Hemisphere 507
Chapter 1: Australian and New Zealand Wines: A Success Story 509
Chapter 2: New South Wales: Home to Established Wineries and Upstarts 515
Chapter 3: Taking In the Diverse Range of Wines from Victoria and Tasmania 527
Chapter 4: The Wine Regions of South and South West Australia 549
Chapter 5: New Zealand's Islands and Their Wines 573
Book VI: And More Wine Regions! 585
Chapter 1: Intriguing Wines from Old Spain 587
Chapter 2: Portugal: Port Wine and Beyond 601
Chapter 3: Finding Little-Known Treasures in Greece 611
Chapter 4: A Sampling of Wines from Germany, Austria, and Hungary 615
Chapter 5: From South America to South Africa: Rounding Out the Top Wine Nations 625
Index 635
