Wine Myths and Reality: Part 1: Viticulture, Vinification, and the Wine Trade

Is wine an artisanal creation or industrial product? Wine Myths and Reality goes behind the scenes of winemaking to reveal the truth about what goes into a bottle of wine. Extensively illustrated with photographs, maps, and charts, its approachable and entertaining style immediately engages the reader in the wine universe. Panoramic in its scope, magisterial in its treatment, and meticulous in its research, Wine Myths and Reality explodes the world of wine. From monks treading grapes in the middle ages to the latest research into grapevine DNA, this compelling book presents the authoritative account of how wine is really made. Practices in viticulture and vinification come under the microscope, the tricks of the wine trade are revealed, the methods of the new and the old worlds are scrutinized, and their wines are discussed. An overview of all major wine-producing countries extends from the powerful wines of the new world to the classic wines of France or Italy. Does terroir really matter? Is the international style taking over? Will global warming destroy the existing wine-producing regions? And extrapolating from current trends, what will wine be like in the next decade? For this edition the book has been divided into two parts. Part 1 contains three sections dealing with Viticulture, Vinification, and the Wine Trade, with chapters on The Grapevine; Cultivating the Vineyard, The Mystique of Terroir, Global Warming, Turning Grape Juice into Wine, Cultivars, Global Wine Trends, The International Wine Trade, Fraud and Scandal.. Part 2 contains sections focusing on the wine regions of Europe and the New World, with chapters on North America, Australia & New Zealand, : Chile & Argentina, Bordeaux and Burgundy, The Rhône and Languedoc, Italy, Spain & Portugal, Sweet Wines, and Truth in Labeling. Each part contains a full index. Photographs in this reprint edition are in black and white.