Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine. Journalist George Tabor’s book about the competition that proved California wines were as good and better as those of France. The 1976 contest was the beginning of the globalization of wine that gave rise to great wineries in Chile, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, among other countries.
The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste (Read Project Sunlight Review)
Wine cellars: Everyone wants a wine cellar, but there’s more involved than just putting up some shelves in a basement. Temperature and humidity are particularly important. How and Why to Build a Wine Cellar offers a good, thorough, if at times overly technical, explanation of the process, while The Home Wine Cellar is a somewhat less technical, but beautifully illustrated book that manages to cover the basics and more. Someone once told me that lots of people think they want a vineyard, but after an afternoon of working in one, they realize that what they really want is a wine cellar. I want both, even though I’m thinking that the cellar will be less work and will offer rewards that amply repay those long days of toiling in the vineyard!
