The Oxford Companion to Wine

Julia Harding Mw, Jancis Robinson Obe Mw, Tara Q. Thomas

Book cover for The Oxford Companion to Wine
Book cover for The Oxford Companion to Wine

The Oxford Companion to Wine

The Oxford Companion to Wine

Julia Harding Mw, Jancis Robinson Obe Mw, Tara Q. Thomas

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Description

Everything you could possibly want to know about wine, in one fully up-to-date A-Z volume!

The Oxford Companion to Wine is a uniquely comprehensive and in-depth A-Z reference book on every aspect of wine: more than 4,000 entries covering topics from history through geography, geology, soil science, viticulture, winemaking, packaging, academia, technology, and regulations to people and places, tasting, writing, and the language of wine. The system of cross-references takes the reader from one entry to another, showing how all these topics are interconnected in the fascinating story of wine in its most traditional and modern forms.

This new fifth edition, which benefits from the knowledge and experience of over one hundred new contributors, all experts in their field or geographical region, is expanded by 272 new entries, and every existing entry has been reviewed, updated, and polished. The text is more international than ever, written for wine lovers of every persuasion, including those who love wine but want to know more in order to increase their enjoyment of this endlessly fascinating liquid, and those who are intent on studying wine, professionally or privately. This is a huge treasure trove of knowledge, for the first time breaking the barrier of one million words, but the alphabetical format and the links between the entries make it easily navigable, and the language, while not shying away from complex science, is intended to open the door to every curious reader looking for answers on every question they have ever wanted to ask about wine.

About the Author

Julia Harding MW, Editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, Jancis Robinson OBE MW, Founding editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, Tara Q. Thomas, Assistant editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine

Julia Harding MW, editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, studied modern languages at Cambridge before becoming a freelance book editor. She qualified as a Master of Wine in 2004, winning the Robert Mondavi award for best theory papers and the Tim Derouet Memorial Prize for excellence in all parts of the exam and dissertation. She is Senior Editor at JancisRobinson.com, where she has been a member of the team since 2005. She is cartographic editor of The World Atlas of Wine (8th edn, 2019) and co-author of Wine Grapes (2012). She was awarded Wines of Portugal Personality of the Year in Europe (2023).

Jancis Robinson OBE MW, founding editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, is one of the world's leading authorities on wine. The first person outside the wine trade to have passed the notoriously tough Master of Wine exams, she now writes weekly for the Financial Times and even more frequently for JancisRobinson.com, which has members all over the world. Voted the first-ever International Wine Communicator of the Year in 1996, she has won multiple awards and written many books. Most recently she wrote The 24-Hour Wine Expert (2017), co-wrote The World Atlas of Wine (8th edn, 2019), Wine Grapes (2012), and hosted the BBC Maestro online wine course An Understanding of Wine.

Tara Q. Thomas, assistant editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, is the managing editor of JancisRobinson.com. Based in New York, she has worked in the wine industry for 25 years, most significantly as executive editor of Wine & Spirits Magazine but also as a freelance writer, editor, wine judge, and wine educator. She has also contributed to two Oxford Companions: Spirits & Cocktails and Cheese.

Critical Reviews

"This encyclopaedic book is remarkably up-to-date." -- Max Allen, Holiday Gift Guide 2023, Australian Finacial Review

"An indispensable resource for both the novice wine enthusiast and the seasoned sommelier...what sets the Companion apart from other wine guides is its commitment to accuracy and depth...more than just a book, it's an odyssey into the captivating world of wine." -- Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate

"An indispensable asset for anyone with an interest in wine. Whether you're a seasoned oenophile or a casual enthusiast, this book promises to be a valuable addition to your collection." -- Wine Drinker

"Anyone seriously interested in wine needs to get a copy of the latest 5th edition...Every page is densely packed with information, there isn't a single wasted word. And it's no wonder, given it is edited by two of wine's powerhouses, Julia Harding MW and Jancis Robinson OBE MW...With Tara Q. Thomas as assistant editor the fifth edition, The Oxford Companion to Wine has an impressive all female trio at the helm." -- Sommerlier Edit

"This meticulously detailed dictionary--encyclopedia hybrid will answer any question readers have about wine and probably any oenology question from anyone on Earth, or beyond, now and forever." -- Booklist

"A vital book to have in every wine lover's house...a distillation of the work of global authorities on viniculture, winemaking and wine...this new edition will be used endlessly." -- Yorkshire Post

"Simply put, there is no other wine reference such as this... you should definitely pick up a copy, or if you know anyone who does, it will make an incredibly nice Christmas gift!" -- Miquel Hudin, Hudin

"The best wine books for the gift-giving season: if one wine book is all you can accommodate, this is it. You won't be disappointed. It's my number one go-to reference book." -- Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion

"[T]he essential book for serious wine students." -- Eric Asimov, The New York Times

"A major revision cements the Companion's status as the work of wine reference." -- Anthony Rose, The World of Fine Wine

"Included in the Luxx's "Luxury gifts for wine lovers" "painstakingly updated... but the effort is invisible thanks to the quality of the writing." -- Nina Kaplan, Holiday Gift Guide 2023, The Times

"The best wine books for Christmas: "a work of peerless scholarship, indispensable for wine professionals and wine lovers alike." -- Nina Kaplan, Holiday Gift Guide 2023, Club Oenologie

Publishing Information

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Pub date: 2023-09-14
Length: 944 pages

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