A concise, engaging tour of the world’s winemaking regions for casual aficionados.
A geographical guide to wine by a traveling sommelier.
Technology writer Biddick (Federal Cloud Computing, 2012) writes that he always found wine tasting a little mysterious: “I thought that there must be a way to crunch the data and provide some generalities on great wine.” He goes on to describe the fascinating process of building an algorithm to analyze wines by focusing on three distinct features: the weather in the region where the wines were produced, the region’s quality standards, and consumer feedback. He says that his own blind tastings helped confirm his algorithm’s results, which sorted 43 regions into three categories: “Inconsistent,” “Average,” and “Great.” He explains his process and intentions as he moves from one location to the next, providing readers with a general introduction to each country and how its different wine regions vary. He then moves into specific areas, such as France’s Bordeaux, and discusses their history, subregions, and tastes. Helpful infographics reveal the grapes used in each region, the best vintages of the last 18 years, recent weather, local classifications, and the manufacturing processes behind the wines. By the end of the book, readers will have learned much about the great winemaking areas of France, Italy, the United States, and several other countries, including South Africa and Chile. Biddick’s by-the-numbers approach will demystify a dense subject for the uninitiated, and his book is packed with intriguing facts about the history of winemaking, such as the fact that vineyards in Europe were almost completely destroyed by phylloxera (plant lice) in the 1800s. However, the guide never feels overwhelming, and the infographics and brief descriptions nicely synthesize a lot of information for readers who want to be a little pickier the next time they buy a bottle.
A concise, engaging tour of the world’s winemaking regions for casual aficionados.Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68401-759-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Mascot Books
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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