HIT THE BOOKS, BISH — THURSTQUEEN SHARES HER 6 FAVORITE WINE BOOKS FOR LEVELING UP YOUR WINE KNOWLEDGE
A lot of people ask me how I learned the things I know about wine, and though I don’t consider myself an expert in the least, I’d say I know enough to be dangerous. One of the ways I learned about wine - besides drinking lots of it - was by, well, hitting the books. I’m a bit of an avid reader, and wine naturally happens to be one of my favorite subjects to read about. If you’re looking to learn more about wine, check out this list of books I’ve put together from my wine travels over the years.
TO FALL IN LOVE DRINK THIS
BY ALICE FEIRING
A GOT DAMN GOOD READ FROM THE G.O.A.T OF NATURAL WINE…
If you were looking to dip a toe into the world of wine by way of a book, but didn’t know where to start — I’d say Alice’s book would be the place. As a matter of fact, if you told me “I want to read ONLY ONE book about wine, which one should I read?” I’d recommend To Fall In Love, Drink This because Alice brings humanity to wine. Now to be clear, To Fall In Love Drink This is a memoir first. It’s not a dry, academic tome on wine. Feiring’s novel interweaves wine pairings and information about wine with pivotal moments in her life - and what an interesting life she has lead.
To Fall In Love Drink This will make you laugh your ass off, cry, sit on the edge of your seat while biting your nails down to the quick, and want to drink a bottle of Domaine des Marnes Blanches while you do it. Seriously, I’ve never heard of a book that could interweave serial killers, celebrities, magic mushrooms and Georgian qvevri-aged wine but somehow Feiring manages to do just that. (Probably because she’s magic, but I digress.) I literally devoured this book in one sitting and have read it twice within a six month period. That’s how good it is. Do yourself a favor and buy a copy.
THE WINE BIBLE
BY KAREN MACNEIL
FOR WINE CLASSES & GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
I seriously, honestly don’t think a day goes by when I haven’t cracked open Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible. This book saved my life when prepping for my Level One CMS exam and serves as a constant resource if there’s a region I need to re-up my knowledge on. When I have a question about a wine region — I hit up this book first. Like seriously, I’m eyeing my own battered copy that sits next to me as I work on this post right now…
The Wine Bible offers easily digestible snapshots about wine regions all over the world. Karen is really good at taking very technical concepts and simplifying them so anyone and everyone can understand. If you are taking a course on wine, be it your Court of Master Sommeliers exam, your WSET, or whatever — BUY THIS BOOK. Seriously. You’ll need it and it will be your lifeline.
BIG MACS & BURGUNDY: WINE PAIRINGS FOR THE REAL WORLD
VANESSA PRICE & ADAM LAUKHUF
FOR FOODIES
I cannot tell you how many times it gets my goat as someone who has written more wine descriptions than I can count when I see the crazy pairings some wineries come up with. It’s almost like they have no idea what regular joes like you and me eat. Like seriously, who eats “roasted game,” “foie gras,” and “kidneys,” every damn day? That’s why I was so delighted when I discovered Big Macs & Burgundy which features applicable, regular wine and food pairings for us normal folks. And the best news? Most of these wines don’t cost an arm and a leg.
This book is literally the answer to any normie’s prayers when they’re trying to figure out what kind of food to pair with their wine. From Mozzarella sticks to French fries to Krispy Kremes, Big Macs & Burgundy knows what’s up. Price’s book is the perfect answer for the average joe’s needs when trying to figure out what to pair our Lucky Charms with — hint hint, it’s Riesling. Magically delicious indeed.
AMBER REVOLUTION: HOW THE WORLD LEARNED TO LOVE ORANGE WINE
BY SIMON J WOOLF
FOR ORANGE ENTHUSIASTS & WINE GEEKS
Orange wine is all the rage, right? From hipsters, to natty bros, to boomers — everybody is hopping on this orange hype juice trend that seemingly exploded overnight. Well, I have news for you: orange wine is quite possibly one of the oldest styles of wine that was ever made. If you want to take an all inclusive deep dive down the apricot-hued rabbit hole of orange — Simon J Woolf’s book is the ultimate resource.
Simon explores vineyards in the Caucasus, Northern Italy, and everywhere else as he uncovers the mysterious origins of this delicious and unexplored category of wine. Amber Revolution is equal parts fun and informative, and Simon isn’t afraid to get into the specifics of this beverage and what makes it so deliciously complicated.
WINE FOLLY: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WINE
MADELINE PUCKETTE AND JUSTIN HAMMACK
FOR FOLKS LONGING TO LEVEL UP DEDUCTIVE TASTING SKILLS
If you want to learn how to describe the taste, texture and weight of a wine, Puckette’s Wine Folly is a great book. Madeline’s claim to fame is through her delightfully straightforward infographics that manage to break down the ridiculously complicated nature of aromas from grape to grape. Wine Folly’s Essential Guide To Wine breaks down the acidity, alcohol level, body, tannin and level of fruitiness from grapes all around the world.
This book is a great resource for someone who is studying for their Level Two CMS, where deductive tasting is on the menu - no pun intended - or anyone who just wants to learn to talk about the aroma and quality of a wine like the pros do.
THE SCIENCE OF WINE - FROM VINE TO GLASS
JAMIE GOODE
FOR CHEMISTRY NERDS WHO LIKE TO KEEP SHIT REAL
I found out about Jamie’s book after attending a virtual panel of his at last year’s Wine Writer’s Symposium. The guy is super down to earth, and hearing him talk about the chemistry behind wine was nothing short of riveting. Jamie is all about taking complex concepts relating to the winemaking process and breaking them down in ways that you and I can understand.
Sure, every industry has its own form of jargon for folks within that world to be able to communicate more efficiently, BUT the Wine Industry also is an extension of the Hospitality Industry. And Hospitality, as I’m pretty sure we all know, is about relating to people. So it’s really critical us folks working in wine don’t alienate people newer to that world with all our fancy “lingo.” Jamie’s book will tell you everything you need to know about how wine is made - from the viticultural processes that go on to what happens in the vat room - in a way that you can understand.