The World Atlas of Wine, 6th Edition

A very approachable book, far better than most 'resource books' I have come across.I have completed Level One through the International Sommelier Guild, and this is a wonderful bridge into Level Two.Rather than an overwhelming dump of information - like the Oxford Companion can sometimes be - this book takes a much more readable approach. I am literally reading this book cover to cover with much enjoyment.However, do not get the wrong idea. This book does cram a huge amount of information between its covers. The maps, as many other reviews vouch, are really excellent.This will take the beginner deep into wine right from the get-go, or for the more intermediate, function as a refresher in the first pages and then plunge deep into the required geography and terroir.

I don't know. I'm kinda on the fence with this one. On one hand I found a lot of the information fascinating, but on the other I was like 'whoa, this is too much information'. Not to mention you will need a serious book shelf if you add this one to it. This is a real book, like you see in real libraries. But it covers everything from the first known incident of wine to the future of wine around the world. One interesting chapter had a whole section, including photographs on cork. From how it's harvested to how we now have synthetic versions. Really cool book if you are into knowing a lot of things. I love to read so for me, I found this book hard to put down. I skipped getting deep in a lot of the regional stuff since my tastes are primarily not as formal as some but I still glazed over a lot of it.It doesn't help that I have no formal background in wine either. I like what I like and have been known to have opposing tastes to many experts. Maybe it's because I am frugal (ok, plain ol' cheap) when it comes to wine. I just don't believe you have to spend more than fifteen bucks to find a bottle of something you like. I'm not saying you shouldn't experience those types of wines, and if you can afford to drink them, then by all means enjoy yourself. I would be lying if I said I haven't. But I also like variety, and trying new things.So why should you buy this book? I really think this book would suit anyone with the desire to learn more about wine and have an excellent source of information about wine to whip out instead of your laptop. Especially if you wanted to know the names of the people that live in a particular town in a certain region where that bottle of red came from that you saw on the shelf at your local merchants shop. I mean this book is that deep (well, maybe not the names of the people living there but certainly the town name, and everything else you want to know about the winery or the grapes they grow there, or around there).I recommend this book because it taught me something, well, more than just something, it taught me a lot of things I didn't know. And I'm still using it to learn about something I enjoy. And I believe that any book that can teach or entertain is worth having. So yea, I guess I just came off the fence, and on the side of this book, simply because it has done what it was written to do, teach and entertain me about wine.Rob

I do not find useful as much as the Oxford Companion of Wine! Its a good readig but no more than that!

Any wine lover will appreciate this book whatever your level of knowledge. Very logically put together, great content and visually attractive. I have owned this book for a year now and it has been regularly used.If you are looking for something specific such as the history of wine, wine making or detailed information on grapes or country producers etc... then, you should buy specialised books separately.If you enjoy wine and only want to buy one book, buy this one. If you are a connoisseur, buy this book too, it will complement very well any other wine books you have. You won't regret it!

Les premieres impressions sur le livre sont tres positives, en effet, on y trouve toutes sortes d'information detaillees ainsi que des cartes geographiques. Le livre est tres complet. Mon ami adore ce cadeau