Six books about wine that will capture the imagination in 2022
This year, a few wine books have reached the top of the best published in 2022. Here are a few to enjoy.
If you’re an Italian oenophile, pick it up Chianti Classico, The Complete Atlas of UGA GrapesAlessandro Masnaghetti and Paolo De Cristofaro (Translated by Burton Anderson). This is a particularly useful book for students of Italian wine, thanks to its new unit Geographical Agents (UGA), the first of its kind in the region after the sub-zone classification. Published by Enogea, an imprint of the author, and containing 500 pages and around 180 maps, it is expected to be available in the US in early 2023, but it will be worth the wait for these maps (or if You can find through other means), detailed descriptions and “sensory intimacy.”
Drinking with the ValkyriesAndrew Jefford. Also from the Académie du Wine Library imprint and also written by a British wine writer, this volume is a collection of Jefford’s columns, many of which appeared in Decanter magazine, his longtime publishing house. An advocate for wine enthusiasts in the truest sense, he asks readers and drinkers to ask a range of wine-related questions, from tastes and perspectives to market value and personal value.
To fall in love, drink it Alice Fearing The cover, a riff on Alice in Wonderland, is a delightful lead in memoirs by the famous champion of natural wine. Fearing first appeared in her 2008 book Fight for Wine and Love: Or How I Saved the World from Parkerization, a work that first marked her refusal to go with the crowd, or at least crowd-pleasing criticism and her brand. point to Individualsim and passion is a central theme of natural wine in her other books. Rather than taking up a long archive, this memoir is organized as a collection of essays—reminiscences and inspirations of people and places.
Life and Wine of Hugh JohnsonHugh Johnson (Perhaps one of the most famous wine writers of the old guard, Johnson wrote many classics, including garden books for which he may be less well known. His Pocket Guide is considered a best-selling collection, and he co-authored Author of The World Atlas of Wines, this volume is an update of his 2005 memoir Alcohol, an idle life, with Johnson as the narrator and a kind of tour guide as he takes readers down memory lane, which for him takes place in one of the world’s greatest vineyards. Suggested by Eric Asimov, published by the Académie du Vin Library, Steven Spierer’s icon was resurrected before his death.
Vino: The Essential Guide to Authentic Italian WineJoe Campanale with Joshua David Stein. It’s a beautiful book for the coffee table, to hold and read, starting with Florentine marble finish papers and tucked into a quality matte paper stock with stunning imagery. The book is organized by 20 chapters dedicated to each of Italy’s wine regions, with producer recommendations in each; Explanatory material on the wine classification system and a section on emerging styles, which will forever be a season in Italy with 400+ grape varieties. Campanile is well known in the New York City restaurant scene as a purveyor and owner/operator of Italian-focused restaurants.
The Wine BibleKaren MacNeil. First published in 2001, the venerable primer to this third edition has new, color photos and expanded text that includes important topics such as climate change and renewed interest in the origins and history of wine. McNeil is a passionate and passionate speaker, teacher and it shows in her knowledgeable, inclusive and democratic approach to world wine. The easy to follow modular layout will appeal to people learning about wine.
