It used to be the easiest way in the wine world to get a laugh - start extolling the virtues of English wine. Oh, how they would chortle! And they had a point.
Until the 1990s hardly any English wine was more than a curiosity to be drunk if you had no other choice. The old-fashioned view of English wine is that of a cottage industry made up of amateurs struggling with the mud and the drizzle. The modern view is of a country amazingly blessed with vast tracts of soil suitable for viticulture, much of it almost indistinguishable from the chalky slopes of Champagne and Chablis, and of a country taking full advantage of the vagaries of climate change to ripen Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to levels perfect for sparkling wine, and increasingly excellent still wines. And it wouldn''t be far off the mark to say that England is now the newest of the New World, New Wave wine countries.
The 1990s brought several pioneering sparkling wine producers to the fore - led by Nyetimber and Breaky Bottom and suddenly England has found its wine vocation. Oz has long been a champion of English wines and this book helps you find the best wines, from fizz, whites, some impressive reds and even dessert and orange wines.
One of the great pleasures of wine is to drink it where it is grown and made. Both wine handbook and armchair companion, English Wine is an essential book for all lovers of wine. The opportunity to meet growers, winemakers and winery owners is what draws people to visit wineries and ''have an experience in the vineyard''.
The book is split into sections: Exciting Times - How it used to be; The Nyetimber effect; Climate: is it almost perfect now?; Location is key; Planting like made; A question of style: sparkling or still; and Grape varieties: a race to the top. British Bubbles - What is needed to make good fizz; Champagne, the original fizz; Bubbles and how they''re created. A Tour Of the Regions - covers personal experiences and reflections from Oz''s many years of visiting talented and passionate producers up and down the country. From Yorkshire to the far west of Cornwall and across to Wales, a small but dynamic part of the UK''s wine movement, Oz recommends wines he has enjoyed and found interesting and encourages you to try for yourself.
Refreshingly witty and readable guide to the world''s most famous wine region.
Every producer in the world with ambitions to make great red wine still looks to Bordeaux for inspiration and the region is brought to life by Oz with his evocative descriptions and personal anecdotes, accompanied by stunning photographs and maps. Oz turns his spotlight on each of the famous Bordeaux wine areas (including St-Emilion, Pomerol, Margaux and Pauillac). He also recommends hundreds of affordable modern Bordeaux wines for drinking today.
Returning to his wine roots, Oz shows how, whatever crises may be affecting the French wine industry in general and the lower end of the market in particular, Bordeaux, is on the whole, in optimistic mode. However much we now appreciate wine from all over the world, there is still nothing quite as magical as the best bottles from the best producers in this historic wine region.
''There is no better introduction to the world''s most dazzling wine region.'' Decanter ''A well-planned, well-executed, approachable book packed with information and illustrations.'' The Sunday Times
Illustrated with photographs of stunning wine landscapes and detailed, maps of key wine countries and regions, this book illustrates and explains the vital connections between wine and its landscape. Fundamental to the understanding of wine is a sense of place knowing which country, which region, which hillside and which vineyard a wine comes from adds enormously to the pleasure of drinking it.
Oz explains how to get maximum enjoyment out of every bottle you buy, from dealing with broken corks, to learning basic tasting techniques, spotting faulty wine, and matching food and wine, whether at home or in a restaurant.
You don''t need to know all about wine regions or how wine is made to choose wine with confidence. If you like the sound of intense, blackcurranty reds or aromatic whites, this book will tell you how to find these flavours in the wines you buy, regardless of whether the wine is labelled by grape variety or by country. Drinking wine is all about enjoyment. Oz explains how to get maximum enjoyment out of every bottle you buy, from dealing with broken corks, to learning basic tasting techniques, spotting faulty wine, and matching food and wine, whether at home or in a restaurant. In Oz''s down-to-earth guide to all the world''s major wine regions you''ll find everything you need to know to navigate your way round a wine shop or wine website. Oz explores grape varieties, flavours and styles, giving equal consideration to classic wine regions - such as Bordeaux and Chianti - and the newer wine-producing countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Argentina. Do vintages matter? Are the wines good value for money? Oz tells you everything you really need to know. Gradually building your knowledge with expert tips, information boxes and wines to try, this is a complete guide for the beginner wine enthusiast.
Word Count: 55,000
Contains the wine information, recommendations, facts, figures, passion and opinion. This guide to wine includes full cross-referencing by country. It features an easy to use A-Z organisation. It shows how to choose wine with food. It also contains vintage information, and includes the author's personal favourites.
Indispensable as ever, Oz Clarke's now classic Pocket Wine Book is meticulously updated each year. The book has more information, more recommendations, more facts, passion and opinion than any other comparable guide to wine.
Oz Clarke picks 250 best-value wines to enjoy in 2012 Refreshing whites and roses, fruity or spicy reds, festive fizz and lots more, all described in Oz's well-known chatty style Directory of the best places to buy wine in the UK
