This book is amazing with pictures and different features of wines and sauces
340132
I collect a lot of Greek cook books as a hobby. I was going to buy this book after Christmas for myself, and ordered one as a Christmas gift for someone else. As it came in the mail, I eventually decided to browse thru it and decided to keep it for myself. This book is amazing with pictures and different features of wines and sauces. I tried three recipes and so far all three were delicious! This is probably the top book of my 52 book collection. Great job on cooking with our Greek Heritage. I recommend this book to Greeks and people who want to be Greek! lol
13591
The book is outstanding.  It opens your eyes to a world behind wine and design.  Using our senses is not something we have to limit to taste, smell and sight of the wine.  The bottle, the label and the story behind the winemaking process can be just as interesting.  After reading Mr. Marsano's review you are under the impression Icon lacks depth and a true reason for its existence.  However, he forgot this is a coffee table book and therefore it is aimed to be fun, require short attention span, entertain, decorate and certainly not demand from you a critic eye to spot the fault on terms like "banner".  Icon certainly accomplishes its mission.  It is full of interesting details, beautiful photographs, facts and stories completing the magical experience of wine.  Sorry Mr. Marsano, your criticism migh be professional, your eyes failed to spot the real meaning of this book.
I am almost certain this is the kind of book that should be kept as an icon(again) of our times.  The name is perfect.  The book has been carefully crafted, holding a luxury quality that certainly will keep it alive throughout time. The mythological nature of wine and its distinctive power to create a magical environment when we open a bottle is honored through the pages of this book.  Buy it now.  It might get more expensive in the future.
3439370
Tony's book about discovering, learning, and enjoying Italian wines is terrific. I've been drinking wine for over 30 years and the Hidden Gems of Italy is a treasure trove of information. If you are planning a trip to Italy and will be tasting the wine or going on a wine tour, this book is an invaluable resource. I'd highly recommend it!
4610504
Zraly's book illustrates the world of wine with lavish visual appeal.  In real life there's no substitute for tasting a wide variety of wines.  But if you don't have years to build up your own tastes, advice from experts helps a lot.  This volume may not suit those who want the Advanced Graduate Course in the World's Price-No-Object Wines.  Wines here are common enough so you can expect to find them on a wine list.  So most readers will find tasty ideas worth remembering from the Windows on the World Complete Wine Course.

There's a lot of detail and wine industry lore in Zraly's book in addition to his lists of widely available wines.  If you study carefully, you can become a knowledgeable consumer of wine, and with luck inspire interesting remarks from the sommelier.  Scattered through the book you'll find references to more focused volumes "for further reading."  Yes, it takes a lot more than reading one book to make a valued sommelier.

I'm a very visual learner, so the maps of the world's wine regions helped me understand much better the differences in flavors.  Thirty years ago, I tasted many Bordeaux wines and developed my own list of favorites in St-Estephe and St-Julien.  (Your tastes will differ, and that's the point of doing a lot of tasting.)

In the mean time, American vintners have developed remarkable wine making skill.  I've come to appreciate some remarkably complex Napa Valley Cabernets with an independent flavor worth sipping with clean bread.  And I've enjoyed some delightfully fruity Willamette Pinot Noirs that go especially well with raspberries and kisses.

This book helped me update my knowledge of wines, which I haven't purchased since the last time I ate at Windows on the World.  So there was a lot to absorb and the book did a fine job of helping me to learn the general field quickly.  In the next lessons, I have to think carefully about the flavors of the wines I encounter, and remember them well.  The systematic organization of this book can help a reader put the wines  in context and compare the flavors more easily.  So beyond merely recommending vintages, I have to score this book high for helping the reader learn to compare wines and make a decent guess about wines he or she has not tasted yet.
590481
This is a great book packed with information about all things wine.  It has the history of wine and even goes into details about where grapes are grown.  It tells about the different types of wine and how to get the most enjoyment out of it.  Also, included is an illustration showing different types of wine glasses.  Prior to reading the book I had no idea that there were certain glasses for certain types of wine.  I feel like this book has taught me a lot of interesting facts that will be very useful.  I received this product free in exchange for my honest review.
4376676
I made a dinner for my family, and I didn't know which one I should choose. So I was looking for a book in which I can find which wine I will serve. Then I found this book, which is great. In this book is shown which wine you should serve in different occasions. I'm really fascinated with the book, and I recommend to all of you who want to learn about wines. Read it and find out more.
34696
This book is amazing.  Not only are there many delicious recipes in this book, but the pictures are beautiful.  There are many insights into regional customs in Spain.  It points out the difference between authentic Spanish tradition versus tourist's interpretation.
2241009
This is a really fun book!  It provides more indepth information than the usual guide book.  Not only tells you about the local food and wine selection, but also information about the local crafts, events, and  specialty items.  Recommends local stores for cookware, best markets, linen  & houseware shops.  Provides Menu specialty selections for each  province, tells hours/days of operation for local markets.  Provides words  and phrases to use when ordering in markets and restaurants.  Gives some  hotel information and realistic cost ratings on restaurants, cafes,  trattorias, etc.  Excellent book!
3631318
If you have a wine connoisseur in your group of family or friends, this would make an excellent gift. Especially if they love to travel. This a big, book is chock full of places to go for a great wine tasting experience. When I say this is a big book, I mean it is a book. As in, it is a hardbound book full of information and colorful photos. What it isn't is a travel guide. I'm pretty sure no one is going to want to lug around this big heavy hardbound book on their next vacation. So I don't think it should be considered a travel guide. However, it is a great book for information, and armed with that information, you can map out your itinerary of your next vacation so that you don't miss a thing. Print out your itinerary onto a couple of lightweight printer papers and you're good to go.

Though I wouldn't consider this a travel guide in the true sense, it will definitely help you plan your next vacation. It is a beautifully made hardcover book, though.
84500
This is a fabulous book with accessible recipes and good explanations of each of the odd bits and how to prepare them for cooking.  Plus it makes an interesting coffee table book for worrying dinner guests.  I've made several recipes from this book already and everyone of them has been awesome.  The tamarind glazed ribs (not that odd) are amazing and excess glaze keeps well in the fridge for smearing on chops or whatever.  We also loved the moroccan braised heart - I used lamb hearts for a milder flavor.  I highly recommend both this book and 'Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient'.
2255873
1. If you're looking for a good tour guide on your way to Tuscany or if you just want to know more about it, then you found the perfect book! I absolutely recommend this to those travel and leisure people who loves to discover new things and taste them at the same time. The author has made a great job in giving detailed guidance of what Italian dishes and wines are all about and how you can appreciate them. Anyone would surely enjoy this book because you are also going through different cities and getting to know different dishes too!
3634233
Diane McMartins book is hilarious, quirky, and most of all useful. She covers the basics about wine-tasting, making something that is often daunting and overwhelming into something accessible and approachable. Her recommendations are sensible for just about any occasion, and she provides a fair amount of detail about types of grapes and wines for those interested in delving deeper into certain topics. This book is great both for yourself as well as a gift for your friend or family member who loves to partake in wine and/or beer.
1691381
I love to cook and enjoy wine with my meals. This book not only taught me how to prepare and cook some great meals, but explained which wines to pair with the meals. I have been cooking a long time but found several tricks and ideas that made my meals not only taste great but looked great also. When it comes to wines, I have always wanted to learn more about pairing wines and what to look for when tasting them. This book has made me so much more knowledgeable when it comes to wine and how to master some culinary techniques when preparing food. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to be a better cook while learning to pair wines that will take the joy of dining to a new level.
1830762
I picked this book up by chance in a Calistoga bookstore. After reading  the book "napa" I've become very interested in the behind the  scenes goings on in the wine industry. I found Purdue's book informative  and enlightening. OK maybe I'd rather not know some of the stuff but I had  already had my "shock" by reading Napa. I still love a weekend in  wine country and the beauty and sereness of the place. Visiting the  wineries and talking with the people will always be a fun thing to do. My  enthusiasm for it has not dwindled, I am simply a more informed "wine  enthusiast" and will never be a "wine snob". Reading this  book has made me so much more comfortable with choosing the wines I like  for according to what tastes good to me and not because of price or  reviews.
1407442
I bought this as a gift for my father and boy has it paid off.  We have family dinners every week and lately we've been treated to some really tasty dishes from this wonderful book.  The pictures are beautiful, the content is great, but the food is just SO good.  If you are a foodie and/or love to cook creatively, if you love Italy, if you like to experiment--buy this book.
3118200
I picked up this book because of the title. It sounded like it might be helpful with my own changing taste and evolution with wine. It did and it's a terrific book.

As a native Californian, when I started drinking wine in the late 60s it was California Cabs and I loved them. However, over time I eventually grew tired of buttery chards, and jammy reds. When I started to explore French and Italian wines it was confusing and a disappointment at first. But then the subtlety finally got to me and they began tasting elegant and unique. It wasn't long until the overly fruity and oaky wines were hard to drink. Furthermore, I slowly began to realize that the 1-100 point scale for wine that I once used religiously became an almost inverse guide--- if Parker or Wine Spectator, or Wine Advocate gave something a 90 plus rating, I would worry that it was way too fruity.

Kermit Lynch's terrific book--Adventures on the Wine Route, really opened my eyes--or taste buds--and helped in a historical context to more understand what fine, soulful wine is all about.

Alice Feiring's book takes it a step further and nails it for the wine world of today! This is a wonderful, funny, and insightful work. Her many different points of contact in the wine world reveal just how the current disincentive for authentic wine has occurred--everywhere in the world. Her personal references humanize the story making it more fun to read than the typical wine book. Within the fascinating stories, are remarkable, if not startling specifics of what to avoid and what to seek out in trying to find the unique, quality wines that are honest expressions of the area and not artificially doped-up and homogenized to a single commercial taste. All this is extremely important to anyone who really wants to improve their understanding and find truly good wine--old or new world. Fortunately, they do exist in both and his books points you in the right direction.

But perhaps most importantly, Feiring is a competent and courageous voice helping to get the world of wine back on track.

Bravo and carry on!
3180506
I was first introduced to Mark Oldman when he visited Gary Vaynerchuk's Wine Library TV and presented his previous book Oldman's Brave New World of Wine. I thought he was extremely funny so I bought that book he was promoting and loved it, despite the fact that he did not include Santorini's Assyrtiko as one of the white grapes to track down.

This book is also highly recommended. Very funny and insightful and it includes plenty of good tips for budding wine aficionados. Personally, my favorite sections were the lists of recommended wines, plus his suggestions for new and interesting grapes.

This book, I believe, is best suited for people with intermediate knowledge of wine and definitely not purists as Mark's ideas on what's proper and not might actually bother a wine snob or someone who's very strict about "proper" wine etiquette. Hence, a great book for wine fans who want to keep it real, laugh and think outside the box.