dazzling,

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guitle to wine, free of
elitism and pedantiy. This
thoroughlv successful
work sets a new standard
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friendlv r

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before."
ANTIIONV DIAS
More than 500 photos, detailed
Think of this book as a lively course from BLUE,maps, winc and chartsand
The sedueiive, soulful wines of ChateMuneui-dii-Pape doc|uenriy speak nl eanh itself-
an expert teacher, grounded deeply in spirits editor,nage
ti Vitli* SoFtJcif
Bon 248,

the funda- mentals and enriched with n Afipetit

passionate asides, tips, anecdotes,
definitions, g 1 ossaries, illustrations,
maps, wine labelseverything, in fact,
but the actual wine itself. By America's
renowned
wine teacher
and
authority.
More Praise for The Wine Bible Finally, a guide to wine
that has ali the answers! A classic.
BOHBV FIJ\Y, chefand ovvnerof
Mesa Ciriti and Bolo restaurant and bar

The vast stibject of wine always leaves neophytes in the

dark. With Karen MacNeiFs terrific new book . . . let there
be light!
DAVID ROSENGARTEN, publisher,
The Rosengarten Repovi

Karen MacNeil has poured years of wine experience

onto paper and the result is astounding. Comprehensive,
yet user friendly, this is a definite keeper!
1 HOMAS KELLER, chefand owner of
The French Laundry

Comprehensive is an understatement. The Wine Bible is

an amazing piece of work that will be a boon for beginning
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fanatics.
Jovca: GOLDSTEIN, author, IINOTECA:

Sirnple, Del i cio ns Recipes in the

Itaiian Wine Bar Tradition
WINE
BIBLE
 T HE

BY KAREN MACNEIL

W O R K MAN P U B L 1 S H I N G N E W Y O R K
 To Dennis
and to the lesson ofred tulips. .

Cupvrijslu 2001 liv Kareu \tac\eil

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UJiruiA oj Coiigress Laluloging-in-Pulilieation Dala

MaeNeil, Kairu
Tlu* vvme bililr I hy Kareu MaeNeil.
p. mi.
hu lude index.
ISBN-13: 97B-1 -56305-434* 1
ISBN-10: I *56305-434-5 (alk. paper)
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TPS-16.M24 2001
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Acknowledgments
O
ne day in 1990, while I was sitting in ray
O f f i c e (Ihen in New York City), the phone
rang. The voice on the other en of the line
said, This is Peter Workman. 1 read a piece
you wrote in The Neu> York Times, Want to have
lunch? 1 knew who Peter Workman was, but I cer-
tainly din't know Peter Workinan, Stil! there's only one
response to a guestion like that. At lunch the next day
Peter said, So what book have you always wanted to
write?" I was speecidess. Books don't hap- pen like that
(not to normal vvriters any- way). And so, above ali, I
want to thank Peter Workman for believing in me, for
knowing, even before 1 did, what was pos- sible.
Aiso at that lunch was Suzanne Rafer, who woul
become my editor. The rela- tionship of editor and writer
deserves a book itself, for it is filled with twists and
turns, ups and downs, intrigue and emo- tion. In the end,
a writer prays for an editor whos smart ;md kind and
wisethe sort of editor who does everything Ln her
povver to help you write the best book you possibly can.
Suzanne is that kind of woman, aiul I can't thiuik her
enough. While many books may involve a single editor,
The Wine Bible was daunting enough to deserve two,
Barbara Mateer went througli tlie book line by line, word
by word, cheddng and questioning and making ine
refme, explain, rewrite, and polish passages until I could
barely see straight. 1 have never met a vcoman of ntore
formidablc inteilectual discipline, and The Wim Bible is
a vastly better book because of Barbara's unrelent-
ing pursuit of perfection. In addition to Suzanne and
Barbara, Pm aiso grateful for Janet Vicario, who
took a fomtidably large manuscript and from it
created a com- pelling design for this book.
Many people have provided encour- agement over
the years of writing The Wine Bible and have aiso
helped me inuneasurably by being loyal friends (new and
old), wise advisors, and wonderfuI companions with
vrhom to share the special gift that a great bottle of wine
undoubtedly is. These include Suan and Ed Auler,
Kathy and David Best, Barbara and Alston Boyd,
Meredith Lue Billingsly and Rusty Billingsly, Bob and
Irene v Belknap, Bob Cappuccino, David Chalfant, Eileen
Crane and Eric Murray, Nancy and Michael Daniels,
Joyce Goldstein, Carl Doumani, Arlene and Smitty
Kogan, Lori and Harvey Marshak, Suan and Jay
Magazine, Jim Spingam, and my tltree dearest friends
Debra Deininger, Pam Himter, and Terry Theise.
Ive aiso benefited from a ore of excellent
assistants whose tasks have been endless and to
whom thanks would be not nearly sufficient, given
ali their hard work. To Madeleine Albert, Clover
Chad- vvick, Marion Groetschel, Daylen Jones,
Penny Nann, Emily Richer, and Kay Wilsonthank
you for bearing with me through the long hours,
months, and years of Utis manuscript.
hi the course of writing this book Ive needed
the patience and imderstanding of my editors at
magazines as we!l as that of my colleagues at the
Culinary Institute
 of America. For their support over the
years I thank Stacy Morrison, Sara
Schneider, Rosalie VVright, Lisa Higgins,
Doima VVarner, Greg Drescher, Holly
Briwa, Reuben Katz, Mark Erickson,
Christina Adamson, Cathy Jorin, Max
Duley, Doug Crichton, and John
Buechsenstein.
VVith miting a book tliis large comcs
the fear (usual!y at tliree tn the moming) that
you've forgotten some essendal piece of
information or overlooked a criticai concept or
worsegotten something entirely wrong.
And so, earl.v on in the miting, I asked numero
us colleagues and expeits to read selecte pati
of the first draft, knowing that the book would
be stronger for their input. For their generos- ity
in doing this, I want to thank: Rory Cailahan, of
VVine and Food Associates, who read a
substantial part of the book; winemakers Zelma
Long, John Alban, and Vl Bili Dyer, who read
ivinemaking and viti- culture sections; Margo
Trut, editor at Gourmet, and viticulturist
Danie) Roberts, who read Mastering VVine;
winemaker Eileen Crane, who read sections on
sparkling vvines and Champagne; Robiti
OConnor, of the Bordeaux infonnation Bureau,
and Fiona Morrison, Master of Wine, of the
Conseil Interprofessional du Vin de Bordeaux,
who read the Bordeanx chapter, Jean-Louis
Carbonnier, former director of tlie Champagne
Infonnation Bureau, who read the chapter on
Champagne; wine merchant and ivriter Kermit
Lynch, who read the ehapters on Beau- jolais,
ALsace, and Languedoc-Roussillon; ivinemaker
Craig Willianis, ivlio read sections on the Rhone
and Himne varielais; Christopher Cannan, of
Europvin, and Patrice Monmousseau, president
direeteur general of Bouvet-Ladubay, ivho read
the Loire chapter; Jean Trimbach, of F. E. Trim-
bach, and Eveline Beydon-Schlumberger,
of Domaines Schlumberger, ivho read the Alsace
chapter; Martin Sinkoff, of Val dOlbieu Wines,
who read tim Languedoc- Roussillon
chapter; Giorgio Lulli, Augusto Marchini,
Hermolina Ressa, Fred Marrapodi, and Jim
Jolmson, ali from the italian Trade
Commission, vvlto, in differenl iva.vs, each
provide immeasurable iielp by reading and
providing infonnation for the Italian sedion;
Katrin Naelapaa and Louis Broman, of
Wines from Spain, ivho read the Spanish
section; Bartholomew Broadbent, ivho read
the Poii section; James Symington, of
Symington Port and Madeira Shippers, ivho
read the Madeira section; Terry Theise, of
Terry Theise Selections, Bili Ma.ver, of The
Age of Riesling, and Carol Sullivan and
Cindv Krebs, ofthe German VVine
Information Bureau, ail of \vhom read lite
German section; VVilli Balapjuk and Fritz
Ascher, of the Anstrian VVine Marketing
Board, ivho read the Austrian section; Ben
Hoivkins, of Royal To kaj i VVine
Company, Thomas Laszto, of Chateau
Ptyzos, and George Lang, of Lauder/Lang
Vineyards and Lang Gastronomia, alt of
whom read the Hun- garian section; Larry
Brooks, ivine eonsul- tant, who read the
Carneros section; Jim Trezise, of the New
York VVine and Grape Foundation, ivho
read the New York State chapter; Simon
Siegl, formcrly of the VVashington Wine
Commission, ivlio read the VVashington
State chapter; ivinemakers Steve Cai'ey and
David Lett, who read the Oregon chapter;
vintners Suan and E Auler, who read the
Texas chapter; Tony Bieda, of Horton
Vineyards and Mont- domainc, and Peggy
Laiv, of Linden Vineyards, ivho read the
Virgin i a chapter; Joel Butler, Master of
VVine, and Nick Bulleid, Master of VVine,
of Southcorp \Vrines, ivho read the
Australian section; Lauraine Jacobs, of
Cuisine magazine, and Philip Gregan, of
tlu VVine Institute of Neiv
 A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
Zealand, who read the New Zealand sec-
tion; South African vvriter and wine critic
Allan Mullins, \vho read the South Africa
section; auti Agustin Huneeus, of Quin-
tessa, who read the section on Chile.
Aiso 77w Wine Bible could never
have been written vvithout tlie generous
and patient assistance of many people who
were witling to constant.ly supply me with
facts, data, and research. There were many
times when this vvasnt as easy as it
sounds, and so for goifig to great lengths to
help me getthe information 1 needed, I
thank: Nancy Light and the public relations
team at Robert Mondavi; Nancy Rugtts,
formerly of Seagrain Chateau & Estate
Wine Com- pany; Margaret Stem, of
Margaret Stern Communications; Miclielte
Armour and Amy Basle, of Maisons
Marques & Domaines, and Lisa Somogyi,
formerly of that company; Odiia Galer
Nocl, of Freder- ick tViidman; Jan
Stuebing, of the Australian Wine Bureau;
Mary Marsh ali, Sheila Nicholas. and Maty
Ann Sullivan, from Patemo; Tor Kenward
and the staff of Beringer, Pltilip di
Bardino, of Banfi; Barbara Edelman, of
Barbara Edehnan Communications; Julie
Ann Kodmur, public relations consultant;
Gleim McGourty, viti- culture advisor for
Mendocino and Lake Counties; Linda Reiff
and lite staff of the Napa Valley Vintners
Associat.ion; Robert Sawicki, of Tamalpais
Wine Agency; Mireille Guiliano, Suzaime
da tiva, and the staff ol'CUcquot, Ine.;
Cathleen Burke, Maty Ann Dancisin, Sara
Powers, and Doima White, of Kobrand;
Kimberly Charles, for- merty of Gallo;
Shirley Alpert, of the House of Btugundy;
Martine Satmier, of Martines Wines; Maiy
Davi Barton, of the division of marketing
of the Virginia Department of Agriculture;
Steve Buras and Lire slati' of the
Washington Wine Cotnmission; Tim Dotkl,
of the Texas Wine Marketing Institute;
Marcya Bagnail, of the Oregon Wtne
Advisory Board; Jeli Pogash, media rela-
tions manager, Schieffetin and Somerset;
Pasquale Iocca and the staff of the
Portuguese Trade Conrunission; Marsha
Palanci, of Comerstone Communications;
Megghen Driscol, of Southcorp Wines
North America; Steve Metzler, of Classical
Wines of Spain; Jorge Ordonez, of Fine
Estates from Spain; Laura Catcna, of
Catena \Ymeiy; Johannes Selbach, of
Selbach-Oster; Etl Schwartz, of Ed
Schwartz Public Relations;
John Gillespie, of the Wine Market Cotmcil; ljara
Zahaba and Sally Conglelon, of Wine- bow;
Georg Riede!, of Riedel Glass; and Katldeen
Talbert, of Talbert Communications. I woui also
like to express my grati- tude to the staffs of the
Wine Institute; Foods and Wines from Francc;
the Italiau Trade Commission; \Vines from
Spain; the vit German Wine Information Bureau;
Balzac Communications; Old Bridge Celiars; and
Kermit Lynch Wine Mercliant.
Finally, I want to thank my American
coileagues in wine miting who, by being
incredibly good at what they do, have chal-
lenged nte to work even harder. Especially
Gerald Aslier, Aiex Bespaloff, Antiiony
Dias Bine, Gerald Boyd, Bruce Cass, Mary
Evving-Muiligan, Daniel Johnnes, Mati
Kramer, Anthony Gismondi, Hovvard
Goldberg, Evan Goldstein, Sid Goldstein,
Jim Gordon, Josh Greene, Harriet
Lembeck, Thomas Matthevvs, Ed
McCarthy, Richard Nalley, Steve Olson,
Robert M. Parker Jr., Frank Prial, Bili Rie,
David Rosengarten, Charlie Rubenstein,
Bili St.
John, Rod Smith, Ilaivey Steiman, Lettie
Teague, Bob Thompson, Josh Wesson, and
Kevin Zralv.
Contents
INTRODUCTION xm

HOWTO USETHIS BOOK xv

MASTERING WlNE
WHAT M AKES GRE AT WINE GREAT? 2
Assessing Your Assessment What to Look For Sediment, and Crystals Charting Flavor The
End . . , but Reolty the Beginning
WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
Gefling from the Grapes to the Glass Great
Wines Don't Come from Just Anywhere F R A N C E ______________1 i
Phylloxera i
HOW WINE IS M ADE 30 France's Wine Laws
Making Red Wine Warning: This Label Is BO R DE AU X 118
The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards
Misteading Moking Dry VVhite Wine What
Making ordeaux Bordeaux's Subregions The
Oak Does How Barrels Are Made Botf/es and
Classifications The 1855 Classification The
Barrels: Hold Everytbing Making Off-Dry Wine
Medoc Graves Sauternes and Barsac St.-
Kosher Wins Making Sweet Wine
Emilion Pomerol Other Regions of Bordeaux
Chaptalizaiion
Bon Apertif Bordeaux Vintages and the
GETTING TO KNOW
THE GRAPES 48
Ouestion of Reodiness The Foods of
The Classic White$ Tasling for lnfegrily The Bordeaux Visiting Bordeaux Chateaux The
Classic Reds Important Grapes A Glossary of Bordeoux Wines to Know Cognoc
Olher Grape Varieties Worldwide CHAMPAG NE 181
The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards
BEFORE YOU TASTE 7S Making Chompagne Styles of Champagne
Shop TalkHow to Buy Wine Comfortobiy
The Bubbles Comparing Nonvintage, Vintage,
How Mlich Do Vinlages Matter? Where to
and Prestige Cuvees Types of Champagne
Store Wine and Where Nol To When Is It
Not with a Bang but a VVhisper Bubble Wrap
Ready? Pairing Wine with Food Caoking with
Visiting the Champagne Houses The Stors
Wine Temperature lincorking the Bottle Corks:
Among the Champagnes The Champagnes to
Back to the Future Aerating Wine Decanling
Know Calvados
Wineglasses
BURGUNDV 187
TAST] NG WtNE LIKE A
Terroir, Monks, and the Frencb Revolution
PROFESStONAL 98
Understanding How Burgundy Works The
Setting the Scene Gel in There and Sniff
Grapes and the Winemaking The Land and
Sauerkraut, Skunks, and Swealy Socks What
the
Is Taste? Good Wines Finish Lcst Color,
 C O N T E N T S

LANG U EDOC-ROUSSI LLON 293

Vineyards ChabSis The Cote d'Or Cote
The Two Cotegories of Longuedoc VVine The land,
Chalonnaise Moconnais What to Expect from
the Grapes, and the Vineyards The Traditiona! Dry
VVhite and Red Burgundies Buying Burgundy
VVines of the longuedoc The Sweet Fortified VVines
and She Question of Vintages The Foods of
of the Longuedoc Cremant de limoux Visiting the
Burgundy Visiting the VVineries of Burgundy
VVineries of the Languedoc-Roussillon The
The Burgundies to Know
Longuedoc- Roussillon VVines to Know

BE AUJOL AIS ..................219

PROVENCE........................................306
Commercial vs. Old-Style Beaujolois The
Bando! Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Cotes de
Land and the Vineyards Cotegories of
Provence Cossis Visiting Provenrjal VVine Estates
Beaujolais Who Makes Beaujolais? While
The Provengal VVines to Know Sommeliers
Beaujolois Beaujolais Nouveau Visiting
Beaujolais Wineries The Beaujolais to Know
Armagnac

THE RHONE 232

The Northern Rhone (Cote-Rotie;
Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet; St.-Joseph,
Hermilage; Crozes-Hermitage; Cornas) The
Major Appellations, Wines, and Principal
Grapes of the Northern Rhone The Northern
Rhone Wines to Know The Southern Rhone
(Chateauneuf-du- Pape; Gigondas;
Vacqueyras; Tavel; Cotes-du-Rhone, Including
Cotes-du- Rhone-Villages; Beaumes-de-
Venise)
The Major Appellations, VVines, and Principal
Grapes of the Southern Rhone Visiting Rhone
Wine EstotesNorth and South The Southern
Rhone VVines to Know

THE LOIRE 259

Muscadet Anjou-Saurnur and Touraine
Soncerre, Pouilly-Fume, Menetou-Salon,
Quincy, and Reuilly Visiting Loire VVine
Eslates The Loire Wines to Know

ALS ACE..............................................277
Types of Wine Cremant d'Alsace The Land
ond the Vineyards The Grand Cru The
VVines (and Grapes) of Aisace The Foods of
Aisace The Aisace Wines to Know Visiting
Aisace VVineries

lTALY 3 15

1
ltaly's Regulations and the Fine VVine Revolution ltaly's VVine Laws PIEOMONT 324
 The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards Borolo and Barbaresco
Gattinora, Ghemme, Nebbiolo d'Alba, ond
Spanna Barbera Doicelta Gavi and Arneis Asti
Vermoufh Moscato d'Asti The Foods of
Piedmont Visiting Piedmonlese VVine Estates
The Piedmontese Wines to Know
THE TRE VENEZIE , 342
FRIULI-VENEZI A GIULI A The Land,
the Grapes, and the Vineyards Visiting
TUSC ANV 372
The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards Chianti
and the Super Tuscans Some of the Top Super
Tuscans Brunello di Montalno Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano Carmignano Vernaccia di San
Gimignano Vin Santo The Foods of Tuscony
Visiting Tuscan Wine Estates The Tuscan VVines
to Know
VVINE REGIONS OF NOTE 396
Lombardy Liguria Emilia-Romagna Balsamic
Vinegar Umbria Abruzzi Campania, Apulia,
Basilicata, and Calabria Sicily and Sardinia
SPAIN______________4C
Spain's Wine Laws
RfOJA 414
RIBERA DEL DUERO 4 The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards
The Land, the Grapes, and the
Vineyards The Bodegas That
Sparked a Revolution Crianza,
Reserva, and Gran Reserva The
Foods of Ribera del Duero The
Ribera del Duero Wines to Know
Visiting Ribera del Duero Bodegas
JEREZ 437
ix
Friulian VVine Estates The Friulian VVines to Know
TRENTINO-ALTO AO IGC The Lond, the
Grapes, and the Vineyards Visiting the VVine
Estates of Trentino-Alto Adige The Trentino-Alto
Adige VVines to Know Grappa
The Land, the
Grapes, and the Vineyards A History of Wineglasses
and a Bit About Bottles Visiting the VVine Estates of
the Veneto The Veneto VVines to Know
The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyords
Crionza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva The Effects
of Long Oak Aging The Foods of Rioja The Roja
VVines to Know Visiting Rioja Bodegasto Know
Penedes Slili VVines The Foods of the Penedes
Visiting Penedes Bodegas The Penedes Still
VVines to Know
Rt AS B A1X AS 467
The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards The
Foods of Rias Baixas Visiting Rias Baixas
Bodegas The Rias Baixas VVines to Know
PRIORATO 476
PORTUGAL
Porlugal's VVine laws
The land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards
Making Pori The Styles of Pori Deconting,
Drinking, Aging, and Storing Port Visiting Port
Shippers The Ports to Know
The Styles of Madeiro Serving
Madeira - Setubal
PORTUGUE5E TABLE VVINES
Visiting the Table VVine Producers of Portugal
Making Sherry The
GERMANY Importance of
Freshness The Foods
of Sherry Visiting Sherry Bodegas Brandy de
Jerez The Sherres to Know
PENEDES . 454
The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineycrds
Cava The Cavas
 C O N T E N T S

51 1 MOSEL-SAAR-RUVVER 532
Visiting the Wine Estates of the Mosel-Saar-
The Terrors of Terroir The Land, the Ruwer The Mosel-Saar- Ruwer VVines to Know
Grapes, and the Vineyards Germany's VVine
Laws Ripeness: The Heart of the German THE RHEING AU 538
VVine Hierarchy How Sweet It Isn't Visiting Rheingau VVine Estates The Rheingau
Vintages Aging Serving German VVine VVines to Know
Germany's Regional/Varietal VVines Sekt
The Foods of Germany
THE PFALZ.......................................543
Visiting the Pfalz VVine Estates The
THE UNITED STATES AND
Pfafz VVines to Know CANADA
THE RHEINHESSEN.......................548 The United States; An Overview VVine
Visiting Rheinhessen Wine Estotes The Consumption in the United States Prohibition
Rheinhessen Wines to Know American Viticultural Areas The United States'
Wine Laws
WINE REGIONS OF NOTE 551 CALIFORNIA................................ 636
Ahr Boden Pranken Mittelrhein Nahe The Land Beginning and Beginning Again The
Grapes and the Wines Californian Sparklers
and French Champagne The Vineyards and
AUSTRIA ___________555 Major VVine Regions
Austria's Wine Lavvs The Land, the Grapes, and The Napa Valley
the Vineyards Ripeness: The Austrian Hierarchy VVines to Know
The Foods of Austria The Sonorna
County Wines to Know
LOWER AUSTRI A
The Carneros Wines to
The Lower Austrian Wines to Know
Know
BURGENLAND 573
MENDOCINO ANO LAKE COUNTV
The Burgenland Wines to Know
The Mendocino and Lake County VVines to Know
STYR1 A............................... The
The Slyrian Wines to Know Sierra Foothills VVines to Know
The
V1E NNA..............................
VISITING AUSTRIAN 1 Livermore Valley VVines to Know

The Wines of Sv/itzerland THE NORTHERN CENTRAL

577 The Northern Central Coost VVines to Know
THE MIDDLE AND SOUTHERN
HUNGARY______ 581
The Middle and
Southern Central Coast VVines to Know
The Land, the Grapes, and tES the Visiting the Wineries of the Middle and
Vineyards Hungory's Wine Southern Central Coast
Laws Tokay The Hungarian
Wines to Know Visiting NEW YORK STATE ...........................709
Hungarian VVineries The Grapes and the Wine The Land The
Hudson River Valley The Finger Lakes Loke
Erie Long Island The New Vork State VVines to
GREECE

1
Know Visiting New York State VVineries
 VVASHING TON STATE...................728
The Modern Greek Wine lndustry Greece's VVine
The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards Visiting
Lav The Land, the Grapes, and the Vineyards
the Wineries of VVoshington Stote The Washington
The Foods of Greece Reis i na Visiting Greek
State VVines to Know
VVineries The Greek VVines to Know
ORE GON 73S
SOUTH AFRICA ei7
Oregon's Wine Laws The Land, the Gfapes,
and the Vineyards - Visiting Oregon Wineries South Africa'5 Wine Laws The Land,
The Oregon VVines to Know Ihe Gropes, and the Vineyards The Foods of
South Africa Visiting South African Wine Farms
TEX AS . 7SO
The South African VVines to Know
A Texas Tradition The Lond and the Grapes
The Foods of Texas The Texas VVines to Know
Visiting Texas VVineries

VIRGIN1 A 759 CHILE S33

America's First VV/ne Experl The Land, the
Grapes, and the Vineyords Visiting Virginia
Wineries - The Virginio VVines to Know
WtNE REGIONS TO WATCH 768
Arizona 1 Missouri New Mexico
Pennsylvania Rhode Island
Chile's Wine Laws The Land, the Grapes,
and the Vineyards Guality and Cost Visiting
Chilean Wineries The Chilean VVines to
Know

CANAD A 771 ARGENTINA

VisiHng Canadian VVineries
APPENDIXES
AUSTRALIA 777
Australia's Wine Laws The Australion
Phi!osophy of VVinemaking The Land, the
Grapes, and the Vineyards Sparkling VVines and
Stickies T H E V V I N E R E G I O N 9 (South
Australia; New South Wales; Victoria; Western
Australia) The Australion VVines to Know Visiting
Auslralian Wine Estates
Argentina's Wine Laws 1 The Land, the Grapes,
and the Vineyards Visiting Argentinion
VVineries The Argentinian VVines to Know
861
GLOSSARIES 86
Main Glossary French VVine Terms Italian VVine
Terms 1 Spanish Wine Terms Portuguese
VVine Terms German and Austrian VVine Terms
Hungarian VVine Terms Greek VVine Terms

NEW ZEALAND 301

New Zealond's Wine Laws * The Lond, the
Grapes, and the Vineyards The New Zealand
VVines to Know Visiting New Zealand Wineries

THE 1 SSS CLASS1FIC ATION OF BORDE AUX 88

BIBLIOGRAPHY 88
 C O N T E N T S

PHO TO CREDITS 89

I N DEX ES 89

1
 I N T R O O U C T I O N
Introduction
hat possesses a person to spend ten
years writing a 900-page \vine
book, you might wonder. In ali
honesty, there have been timesespe~ cially
on weekends or late at nightthal Ive sat
here at the Computer and won- dered the
same thing. On top of this. writ- ing about
wine brings with it a kind of agonizing
templation thats vvonerful and cruel at the
same Lime. Alas, miting about Champagne
(or CoLe-Rbtie or Cali- fomia cabemet or
Australian shiraz) is deflnitely not the same
as drinking it, and there were times when I
really wanted to trade in the keyboard for a
corkscrevv.
So why mrite something as enconi-
passing as The Wine Bible'l
Because I wanted people like you and
mewine loversto have a single author-
itative book that would bring tlie world of
wine alive. I hope to write a book that
would be comprehensive not jusi in the sense
that you could find chapters on vir- tually
every wine region worldwide, but a book that
would look at wine from the perspectives of
history, culture, and cui- sine, Because that's
how I Ihink about, wine. To me, its a way
quite possibly the most pleasurabie wayof
understanding history, experiencing culture,
and exa!ting in cuisine. (This might be the
First wine book with full sections on the
cuisines of al! tliose sensationa! regions
known both for wine and food.) And then
there's wine itself, an endless tieasure trove
of fascina- tion. Wine is the on)y beverage in
the world that draws us in intellectually,
causes us to think about it, to poner it, to
question vvliy it tastes the way it does.
Wine, it seems to me, is eompelling no!
solely because it tastes good (Lhough it
surely does that) but because it appeals
to the mind.
Because of these beliefs, I wrote The Wine
Bible in a way that's different from most olher
wine books. Throughout the lext you'll find
material featured in boxes thal 1 liope vri 11
cause you to say to your- se!f, "Isn't that.
amazing |or odd, fascinat- ing, funny, wacky, or
vvonerful]." To me, wine is too exciting to be
portrayed in endless gray columns of prim. And
so from the very beginnings of my research, 1
went in search of what Ive come !o tliiuk mu of
as the delicious details thal give wine its place
and meaning, VVriting a book this way means
something else, Loo: It means you dont have to
bcgin on page 1 and read straight througb to the
end. You ean dip in anywhere.
Theres something else you should
know. In addilion to being a wine, food,
and restaurant writer, 1 am a wine
teacher.
For more tlian ten years, Tve been a
plivate wine tutor for both individtials
and cor- porations nationvride and, as
tlie chairman of the wine department of
the Culinaiy Institut e of Americas
Greystoiio cnmpus in the Napa Valley, I
leach vvine courses for professionals in
the wine, restaurant, food, and
hospitality industries. Tn other words, 1
think like a teacher. And as you'l! see,
this is pretty appiu-ent in The Wim
Bible. Wherever and whenever possible,
IVe tiied to exiilain even the most
complex wine concepLs right down to
tlie most elementa!
notions. In faci, uli along Ln iite miting of
this book, Ive imagined you sitting here
asking tliose questions we ali bave. I hope
Ive been able to sense them accurately and
ansvver them .vell.
Despite these teacherly leanings, l've
trie not to be pedantic, And in point of fact, much
of my research bas been any- thing but archly
acaemie. That research started more thart twenty
years ago (before 1 ever imagined Tlie Wine
Bible), and it has taken me Lo everv major wine-
produdng countty in lite world and many of the
not so major ones as well. During i bese times,
lve trietl l.o understand any giveti wine in the
context of tliose people who live and breathe it
every day. This has caused me to bave more than a
few niern- orable experiences. Ive drunk amarone
while eating horsemeat (a tradition) in the Veneto;
sipped just-fenuented wine *'v front goatskin bags
in northem Greece (tnuch as the ancients would
bave); been strapp.ed int.o a eontraption that
lowers pickers down into sleep German vine-
yards that sometimes bave a slope of more than 50
egrees (an experience that momentarily
convinces you your life is over); shared wine and
ctgars with bull- fighters in bodegas in Rioja;
ridden
Utrough the \ineyards of Australia on top of
gargantuan pieking tnachines; ridden
through tim vineyards of Texas on horse-
back; eaten octopus and drunk assyitiko
vitli Greek fishermen in Santorini (con-
sidered by some to be tlu* lost Atlantis);
picked tiny oySter slietls from among the
remnants of fossilized sea creatures that
make up the cba!ky moon-craler-like soi! of
Chabiis; waltzed among wiue barrels wit.it
winemakers in Vienna; and worked for two
weeks with a Mexican Harvest crew in
Califomia, one of the hardest and most
revvarding experiences Ive ever had. These
encounters brought wine so vividly into niy
life tiiat I ultimately moved from Manhattan
and now live on the top of a mountain,
surrounded by grape\ines.
In tlie ettd, tltere are numerous good
vine books, many of them vrit ten by my
colleagues and ftiends. My Office is fiiled
with liiese books, and i ;un grateful to own
l.hem. To these, I hope The Wine Bible wi!i
make a solid contribution. If it doesnt, ffl
bave to give back the red vvagon my hus-
baiid gave me to wheel the manuscript
around in.
Kareu
MacNeil, The
Napa Valley
How to Use This Book
very author writing about wine has
| to make decisions about wtiat to A
include, what to exclude (a luuder choice),
and how to present information that can
be techmcal, complex, or just plain messy
in scope. Here are niy decisions and the
thinking behind them.
Where to Begin
Acquiring knotvledge about wine oesnt
usually occui' in a linear fashion and nei-
ther. I suspect, oes reading about wine.
So The Wine Bible is written in a way
that allovvs you to begin anywhere. You
can, of course, start on page 1 with the
part I cal! Mastering Wine, but if you
want to read about Spain first, by ali
means, go ahead. Some readers may read
this work cover to cover, but you can also
dip into it over time as your fascinalion
with a given topic, country, or type of
wine takes hol.
The Countries and
Their Most Important TPi/ies
Authoritative wine books written in the
19505 covered two countiiesFrance and
Germany. Sometimes Spain, italy. and
Portugal wou!d be lumped together in a
smaller chapter. Places such as the United
States and Australia usually werent cov-
ered at ali. We live in a different world
today. Wine is now made everywhere
from Canada to New Zealand, as vvell as
in places that can cause you to do a double
lakelike Japan. Having to raw the Une,
I decided to include ali tliose countries
whose wines l thought you would be
likely to encounter. Regrettably, because of
space, I did omit others. So if you vvanled to
know about the wines of Bulgaria, Israel,
Japan, or Romania, my apologies; they are
not included here.
For every country that is included,
you'll find a Most Important Wines box. The
wines listed are ivided into Leading Wines
and Wines of Note. For each type of wine,
TU then teli you whether it is red, white,
and/or rose, and whether it's dry, sweet,
sparkling, and/or fortified. By a sweet wine,
I mean one that is, or could be, desserL Let
me add that in a few rare instances, a lype of
wine may be leading or noteworthy as a red
but not as a vvhite or vie versa So Portas
a red wineis listed as a leading wine in
Portugal; white Port, though it exists, is not.
My hope is that, the Most Important
\Vines boxes will give you a quick idea of
the wines that most eserve your atten- tion.
For example, if you're going to Tuscany,
wliich wines should you be sure not to miss?
Heipful as I tliought boxes like this would
be, writing them was just short of agony, and
I knuw tliere will be readers who disagree
witlt my ehoices. Is Rosso di Montalcino a
leading type of Tuscan wine, a vvine of note,
or not worth lisling at ali? (I decided it was
notevvor- tity.) For tite record, if a given type
of wine is made in significant ainounts and is
potentially remarkable in quality or is in
some other way fascinaling and worth going
ont of your way to fmd, then it's a candidate
for the Leading Wines list. By comparison,
\Vines of Note are those cer-
 H O W T O U S E
tainly worth trying (and good exaniples
of these wines do exist) but are generally not
vvorth passing up a leading wine for if you
have to make a choice.
About the Wtnes to Kttoiv
For each country, there's a section calied the
Wines to Know, (In major wine- producing
countries, there's a Wines lo Know section
for each significant region \vitliiu that
country,) The Wines to Knovv are highly
personal descriptions of indi- vidual vvines
that I reconimen you Lry because I think
they'lt teli you, vvithin a few sips, the story
of that place in a way that words never can.
(Jusi as an aside, looking for the wines that
teli the stoiy of a place is slightly different
from looking only for great" vvines that
might score liigh in a critics notebook.) In
Lile case of every such list, I tasteri dozens
upon dozens and often hundreds of wines to
eome up with the four to tvvelve orso that I
consider pivotal, That, too, was often a
difficult decision, and t know I've left some
deserving vvines out.
Let me say right from l.lte start that
some (but no nteans ali) of Lite Wines to
Know may be a fitlle hard to find. This may
depend on vvhere yoti live. European vvines,
in particular, have traditionally been hard to
find in smaller Aineriean cities and torvns,
especia!ly in the Mivvest. Luckily, the
ability to buv wines on iite Internet is now
helping lo improve that situation. But there
are other vvines that may be hard to find
because, quite frankiy, they aren'l marte in
the hundreds of thousands of cases and so
can't show up everywhere. These vvines end
up being bought by the wine drinkers who
take Lite lime to search theirt out, If there's a
Wine to Know you're especially interested
in, call lite best wine shop in your area and
ask them Lo tiy to track down a few bot- tles
T H I S B O O K
for you. Really goori wine shops dis-
tinguish themselves by providing Services
like this. Finally, I know (bat lltere will be a
couple of vvines that will probabl.v prove
nearly impossible to locate in wine shops.
Nonetheless, Ive included them because you
may very vveli encounter them on a
restaurant wine list (many smail vvineries
seli vhlua!ly ali their production to vcstau-
rants) and because llrese vvines are well
vvorth keeping an eye out for if you travci to
tlu* place where they were ntade.
About Vintages
YouU notice that the Wines to Know dont
include vintages. Not because vintages of a
given vvine arent differentof course tiiey
arebut my hope was to present wines that
are vvorth your knovving about in nny
vintage. 1 also hope that the whole concept
of vintages is somelhing that you'll lake in
stride because most vintages arent nearly as
cut and dry, black or vvltite, good or bad as
tliey me often made oni to be. In tliis pirit, I
hope you'll find IIovv Much Do Vintages
Matter? (page 78) evocalive and vvorth
consideration. In the meantime, if you vvmit
specific recom- mendations on vintages,
there are numer- ous vvonderful nevvsletters
and magazines that regularly supply such
informatton. One caveat: Donl expect
leading critics to agree on subjects like this;
it's not unusuai for one critic to think a
vintage is pretty exemplaty, vvltiie another
pans it.
About Cost
I haven't given prices in 77 ie Wine Bible.
That sort of infonnation often changes so
mpidly that only nevvsletters, nevvspapers,
and magazines can attempt to be accurate.
But I have sometimes indicated that a wine is
a steal, or moderately priced, or super-
expensive, and so on. As of the beginning of Fve included French, Italian, Spanish,
2001, here are my defmitions of tho.se German and Austrian, Portnguese, Hun-
categories (prices are for single bottles): A garian, and Greek wine glossaries along witlr
steal: a wine selling for less tban $8 that the comprehensive general glossary of wine
tastes like it shotdd cost more, An inexpen- terms. Ali of these glossaries appear at the
sive vine: one that costs less tlian $12. A end of this book.
moderatel.v priced wine: one that costs
between $12 and $18. An expensive mne:
one that costs $30 or more. A superexpen-
A Personal Admission
sive vvine: one that costs $75 or more. In the course of miting this book, I mar- ried
Dennis Fife, proprietor of Fife Vine- yards in
the Napa Vailey. I vvant you to know this
About Food because Fife Vineyards is listed among other
What woul a wine book be wilhout food top producers in the Cali- fomia chapter.
wines ineluctable companion? Mastering
Wine has a section outlining strategies for
p:uiing wine and food (page 83) and for each And FinallyAbout Names,
countiy you'll find boxes on sometimes Spelling, and Punctuation
traditional, sometimes whimsical, vine As seemingly prosaic as this topic is, it can
and food marriages. But most won- derful of galvanize you as you attempt to mite a book
ali for me was writing entire sec- tions on the of this scope. Grape varieties are called
foods of differcnt countries or wine regions, different things or spelled ifferent ways in
for in many placesespe- cially in the Old different countries. Throughout, I've tried to
Work!the two topics are intimately be as clear as possible, always tipping you
entmned. Again, bowever, deciding whether off about synonyms and local spellings. As
or not a coimtry's or regions foods were for pimctuation, you!l fmd tliat Ive
compelling enough to mite about here was, capitalized ali vvines that are named after
places (this is standard), and put ali grape
well, fun to research and. in the end, a
varieties (and wines named after grape
subjective decision.
varieties) in iowercase. Thus in Piedmont,
Italy, two of the leading wines are Barolo
About the Glossaries and barbera; tlie first capped because it takes
Tliough Ive use English throughout The its name from a place, the second appearing
Wine Bibte (or given defmitions for foreign in lowercase because its named after the
words), there are many foreign terms you grape. The on!y exception to this practice is
might encounter on wine labels or w!iile grapes named after people, such as Muller-
visiting various wine regions. As a result, Thurgau and Palomino, both of which are
capitalized,
 W H AT M A K E S G R E AT
W I N E G R E AT?

GETTING TO KNOW
THE GRAPES
BEFORE YOU TASTE
TASTING WINE LIKE A
PROFESSIONAL