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Review: A Guide To Wine, by Julian Curry

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  • Review: A Guide To Wine, by Julian Curry

    Three days a week I have to get up early and leave the comfort (and good coffee) of home to commute to my company's office. While it's only about a 25 mile drive as the crow flies, it takes anywhere from 45-60 minutes each way due to heavy traffic. In an effort to make the drive more tolerable, I recently took my sister-in-law's advice to try an audiobook service called Audible.com. It really wasn't a hard sell. I actually enjoy educational, historical, or self-help books, and figured that as long as I am confined to the car for up to two hours, I might as well make good practical use of the time and learn something in the process.

    One of the first audiobooks I purchased was "A Guide to Wine" by Julian Curry. I've now listened to it three times. This is an excellent guide to the basics of wine appreciation. I must admit that at first I dismissed Mr. Curry as a bit of a hoity-toity wine snob. His reading of the book tends to be somewhat theatrical (I only later discovered that he is in fact a renowned stage actor, so I suppose that makes sense). But his methodology and explanations are all sound. He also gives some very good advice on how to taste wine properly, as well as one of the most accurate, and easy-to-understand explanations of the winemaking process I've read (or heard) anywhere.

    The one minor issue I have with the book is the author's frequent use of French phrases. Although I sat through four years of French language classes in school, and can generally muddle my way through French text, I still have a difficult time translating the spoken language (especially when pronounced with all the guttural inflections, silent consonants, and spittle ). But I would imagine it to be impossible to write a wine book without dedicating a sizable portion of it to the wines and contributions of France, so I'll give him that.

    All in all, I found "A Guide to Wine" to be an excellent book for anyone first learning wine, as well as those who have some experience, but perhaps want to brush up on the basics.

    Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guide-Wine-J...1256760&sr=8-6
    Steve


  • #2
    Nice one - audiable.com is a good tip too.
    Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!

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    • #3
      Good tip Steve. Thanks.
      Simon
      "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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      • #4
        Incidentally, Audible has a UK site as well...

        See audible.co.uk/FT for eligibility. Audible is home to the best podcasts, audiobooks, drama and documentaries with over 700k audiobooks and Original Podcasts to choose from.
        Steve

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