Adventures with Old Vines

A Beginner's Guide to Being a Wine Connoisseur

By (author) Richard L. Chilton Jr.

Publication date:

01 January 2018

Length of book:

296 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781538106136

Adventures with Old Vines offers an engaging and knowledgeable guide to demystify wine for novice enthusiasts. Richard Chilton provides detailed information about buying and storing wine, how to read a wine list, the role of the sommelier, wine fraud, how wine is really made, and how weather patterns can influence the quality of a vintage. A vineyard owner and lifelong wine lover, the author encourages readers to discover wine by tasting, taking notes, and tasting again.

The book also includes a richly illustrated, full-color reference section on a select group of vineyards from all over the world, describing their history, winemaking philosophy, terroir, and top vintages—what Chilton calls benchmark wines. The characteristics of these memorable wines provide the essential starting point to understand what to look for when evaluating any wine. Equipped with this easy-to-read reference, readers will have all the tools they need to begin their own wine journey.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 Getting Started and Buying Wine
Chapter 2 Storing Wines: Establishing a Cellar
Chapter 3 The Art of Tasting: How to Appreciate Wine
Chapter 4 Collecting versus Connoisseurship
Chapter 5 How to Read a Wine List
Chapter 6 The History and Role of the Sommelier
Chapter 7 Vines, Grapes, and Climate . . . After All, It’s Just Farming
Chapter 8 From the Grape to the Bottle: How Is Wine Really Made?
Chapter 9 The Benchmark Wines . . . Let the Journey Begin
Vineyard Profiles
Notes
Credits
Index

Chilton, owner of a Napa Valley winery, captures his extensive subject-matter wisdom in this loosely structured collection of how-tos on purchasing, storing, tasting, collecting, manufacturing, and reading a list of wines, among other topics. Chilton’s advice is wide-ranging and . . . hits the mark. Some examples: avoid low humidity and lights when building a wine cellar. Opt for cork closures, not screw caps or plastic resins. Be aware of possible wine fraud (citing the 2012 case of Rudy Kurniawan, famously convicted of the crime). The second half of his discourse is dedicated to several-dozen select vineyard profiles, featuring at-a-glance snapshots (including details like location, people involved, key wines, grape varieties, etc.), vineyard history, and top vintages. Expect high reader recognition for many labels, like Lafitte Rothschild, Dom Pérignon, Penfolds, Stag’s Leap, and others.