Jon Bonn, Wine Advocate: Napa Valley Edition

Amazon Customer: I was expecting more...I bought this book aiming to have an overall picture of the wine world and from there deep dive into details with further reads but the book is just a bunch of information thrown there with no meaning or connections.
Loads of wine name dropping quite useless if not included in a well structured frame.
Eventually I’m more confused then when I started.
Kudos for the layout though.

United Kingdom on Sep 27, 2020

Elizabeth Tremblay: Very easy to read. Can be very useful

Canada on May 08, 2020

Laura en San Francisco: I agree with many of the other reviewers that Jon's book is enjoyable for both novices and veteran wine drinkers or producers/sommeliers. Jon's approach is refreshing. I found myself thinking a lot about snobby wine rules - such as what kind of glass to use - which are not always relevant. I don't completely agree with Jon about topics such as sustainability (it is important to think about how to sustain the environment, climate change and the communities around wine, while still being able to pay salaries,) but throughout the book, even the things I somewhat disagreed with made me think more deeply about wine. Wine is deep, wine is art, wine is the most romantic food in the world because of its diversity and history. Jon's book ends up being a lot more than a book about "wine rules."

United States on Oct 04, 2019

Daniel McCarley: Jon has the rare ability to reintroduce even connoisseurs to their favorite subject. There’s a naive mindset that once you’re a professional you move beyond basics, something you’ll read repeatedly in the 3 star reviews. But the love for wine (anything, actually) only comes from beginning again at the beginning.

Jon quickly abandons all pretense (and I think it threatens showy drinkers—maybe why they label him “pretentious”). Wine is for enjoying, and I think some folks in effort to become aficionados hate the very thing they drink. These new ‘rules’ are really a way of leaving that behind. If buying a bottle requires a therapist afterwards, we’ve done it wrong.

But Jon isn’t writing to water down wine. He is resetting a foundation for it, long overdue. And rules like the “champagne test” alone make the book worth the purchase (I’ll leave that cliffhanger for your Amazon cart). And on top of it all, the book is damn gorgeous. Read the negative reviews, but don’t believe them. You already know what you want—I’m just here to affirm it.

United States on Aug 14, 2019

Llamas: I was reorganizing my kitchen and toyed with the idea of getting a wine fridge in order to clear room in my cabinets. After searching many fridges I decided I should at least know more about wine before making this random investment. So I found this book instead.

It's so helpful! The book is written out in rules, so you can just flip through it to the question you want to know more about as opposed to reading the entire thing.

This book is very clear about not being for "wine snobs". It teaches you things that are ACTUALLY helpful! Like how to store wine, glasses to use, what occasions to bring what wine, the basics of wine types and wine buying.

I've learned so much and I've been doing things so wrong! I can't wait to put what I've learned to use.

United States on Oct 15, 2018

gelsomina de pasquale: Easy readying. Helps if you are a beginner like me. Interesting and not too overwhelming. The right book if you want to gain a basic understanding of wine and still feeling that you excited to learn more.

United Kingdom on Oct 01, 2018

L A MURPHY: Bought as a present so haven't read it, did have a flick through and looks as if it's got some good information. Arrived quickly and expected of a new book in excellent condition.

United Kingdom on Jul 26, 2018

MEG: This is a book that everyone that likes wine should read. It explains so much about wine without being pretentious..
I plan to give it as a gift to all of my friends... an easy read and very informative.

Canada on Feb 02, 2018

Hande Z: This small little pocket-sized book breaks all the traditional rules on wine enjoyment. Don't keep wines till they are too old, you can enjoy them young when the fruit and balance are still present. Most wines are intended to be drunk within 20 years. You don't need a different wine glass for each variety of grape. You don't need champagne flute, an ordinary white wine glass will do. There are no hard rules on wine and food pairing. Basically, know your wine maker rather than what the label tells you, and go forth and enjoy every glass. Cheers to the New Year.

United States on Dec 31, 2017

A: I have a LOT of "getting-to-know-and-understand-wine" books. I live in the SoCal wine country of Temecula which is growing leaps and bounds in perfecting their wines (we have over 50 wineries and rumor has it, this will double in the next few years), so I am reading about all I can about grapes, vines, wineries and the final results. This small book of 150 pages, a lot of which is just artsy, and only 5"x7" in size, won't scare you off if you are new to wine and interested in the "back story" and language of wine. Highly recommend for those just getting into wine tasting. (P.S. This is hot off the presses as of Nov 14, 2017, so is very up to date in its info!)

United States on Nov 21, 2017