Wine for Normal People

This is a really neat little book, perfect for people who like wine, but know very little specifically about it.

Make no mistake: wine is complicated, from the color, to the region in which it's grown, to the correct pairing with food, and the temperature at which it's served. How do you know what's right? The simplest answer is to just go with what you like. But if you'd like a quick and dirty education--this book will give it to you.

Elizabeth Schneider provides a wonderful look at everything you need to know about the beverage made from the humble grape in eight sections:

1. Tasting and Talking wine--learn the basics of wine vocabulary.
2. How wine gets made--discusses everything from the importance of the location of the vineyard to the journey to the winery.
3. How wine gets its flavor (hint: there's more to it than just the grapes on a vine).
4. Geography--Old vs. New World.
5. Old World--in depth look at the major European and Middle Eastern wine making countries.
6. New World--in depth look at wine making in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Americas.
7. Food and Wine Pairings.
8. Picking wines at the store or restaurant.

There was so much in this book that was helpful. I loved the vocabulary and history/geography and found the charts (there are a lot of great photos and illustrations in this book!), especially those that broke down each wine and its characteristics, very useful. I'd recommend this one to any wine fan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing this ARC to review.

This is an interesting book for anyone who enjoys wine but doesn’t necessarily know GOOD wine.

An enjoyable read

This book is perfect for anyone that wants to know the basics of selecting wine. I have to admit that I didn't know much about it before reading this, except that it is enjoyable to drink. However, I now feel comfortable going to a store and selecting the perfect bottle.

I received an ARC of this book on the 4th of September and fully expected to be able to read it in time for publication, but was delayed by the unexpected death of my mother and having to go to London for three weeks, during which time I was not able to read at all.

Now that I am catching up, I attempted to read it, only to discover that the ebook sent to Adobe Digital Editions has expired, and I have missed the archive date (which was October 25th.) This is incredibly frustrating as the majority of books I receive go to Amazon and therefore don’t disappear.

I contemplated buying it to honour my review commitment but with so many other books to read and deadlines to meet, this seems difficult to justify. I may come back to it later as I was interested to read it.

May I suggest that NetGalley set up a system of email reminders or warnings for books which are only available through ADE, to give notice that they are about to become unavailable, or not use it at all!

While it feels wrong to give a star rating for a book I have not been able to read, it’s not the author’s fault so 5 stars it will be.

This book is a fantastic resource if you want to be able to go into your first official wine tasting without looking like a rookie. She has compiled the terminology that you encounter at wineries and put it into easy to understand terms so that you can go into any tasting fully prepared so that you get the most out of your experience.

Elizabeth Schneider opens the door to normal people and reveals the secrets the snobby wine critics don't want you to know.
She explains all the technical terms wonderfully and explains concepts with great examples. One of my favourites was on page 32 with her explanation on tannins - the rabbit and the dentist!
The Q&A sections are a brilliant way to learn more about wine with questions that "normal' people will ask.
The "How to make your own wine" was an interesting read, quite a bit of work and knowledge goes into a bottle! I think I'll leave THAT job to the experts though.
The charts describing each grape with its smell/taste descriptors is also very useful.
Great chapters on the old and new world wine producing countries detailing the wine growing regions (along with maps) and wines found there.
A great book to have on hand for wine tasting events or even just to learn more about your favourite wine and perhaps discover a new favourite too.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

I feel intimidated looking at those big ‘ol walls of wine bottles in stores and trying to decide what I might like.This title seemed liked a life preserver flung to a drowning woman. I like to think of myself as a normal person so what better book to read when trying to learn more about wine.

The way the book is writen makes the subject approachable and (dare I say it?) fun. There’s a lot of information here but it’s broken down into bite sized pieces which make stuff easier to digest and understand. You explain why this or that is important to a wine’s taste and what makes this wine go with that food or just nice to sip while sitting on the porch. The wine pairing exercises look as if they’ll be fun to do at a party yet also impart important lessons on which with what and why.

Now that I’ve read it once, I know that I’ll go back both to learn more as my wine skills and confidence grow as well as use it as a handy guide when braving the wine shop. I can do this! Oh, and the mock discussion of wine snobs talking about oak cracked me up. B+

Not only is this book extremely informative and thus far the best book I have read on becoming more knowledgeable about wines, but the author is hilarious! I was entertained throughout the book, she does a marvelous job keeping the reader engaged and learning at the same time! I did not get through chapter 1 before reaching for my phone to subscribe to her podcast.

Besides her lighthearted humor and the grace with which she breaks down complex wine snobbery as she refers to it, the single most amazing addition that makes it all worth it - the Q&A boxes throughout the book! If you want to learn about wine but aren’t into reading a lot of words on a page you could easily flip through this book and the most relevant and eye catching wine knowledge and wisdom would jump off the page to the scanning eye. What’s more: these are REAL questions with REAL answers, questions posed to the author as part of wine tasting events and from podcasters over the years. They are real. They are relevant. And more than likely, a few of them will be on your list, as were many of mine! With that said, I really highly recommend anyone with interest in learning more about wine should read this book in its entirety. I think some sommeliers could even learn a thing or two if they set their egos aside. If nothing more, you already know all there is to know about wine, read Wine for Normal People anyway, it is an entertaining read on a typically dry topic (no pun intended there). It will truly will leave you knowing more (you don’t have to admit it) than when you started and newbies like myself will be excited for the topic (and their next visit to the winery).

The author begins her book with the encounter of her first manager in the industry and the snobbery of his question and response. I have a colleague around me like that too, I’m sure we all do. After that encounter the author really anted up and started tackling the topic with gusto and the fruits of those (no wine pun intended here either) labors are presented in this book for your consumption!

It takes ineptitude to make a complex topic more convoluted; it is easy to create barriers and refuse to divulge information to help others learn. It takes a true master and stroke of genius to break down such a topic for another who knows nothing to walk away feeling confident they can explain what they’ve just learned to someone. The author is the latter.

As an educator I work with grad students and develop a holistic curriculum in such that, regardless of the course material I am teaching they understand the full picture. Regardless if STEM or Business they learn interdisciplinary concepts to bridge the gap as technology and the way we do business are so closely tied. In the same sense I teach them about leadership, networking, business etiquette including meals and wine. Thus far, I have not found a book to recommend that can provide them a solid understanding wine until now. I read the digital copy and somewhere in the middle of chapter 1, after subscribing to the podcast I realized I will need the physical copy, perhaps not as a “desk reference” per se, that would give the wrong impression, but to have on the shelf for when I need it.

This is a really neat little book, perfect for people who like wine, but know very little specifically about it.

Make no mistake: wine is complicated, from the color, to the region in which it's grown, to the correct pairing with food, and the temperature at which it's served. How do you know what's right? The simplest answer is to just go with what you like. But if you'd like a quick and dirty education--this book will give it to you.

Wine for normal people seems like the perfect book for people just getting into wine.

The language is easy, straight forward, peppered with jokes. The design is incredibly easy to follow and provides a nice overview. Vocabulary and all kinds of terms are being explained and it even contains practical step-by-step instructions (e.g. how to taste wine properly).

I don’t find this the type of book to read from cover to cover but more like a fun reference book to look up one thing at a time. Nonetheless, this seems like a great gift for new wine lovers.

Wine for Normal People is a wonderful resource for anyone struggling to understand wine.

Elizabeth Schneider is a certified sommelier and host of the successful podcast, Wine for Normal People, which sparked the creation of this book. In this guide she explores basic vocabulary, how wine is made and all the factors that impact flavor, as well as the reputation and geography of prominent wine countries. She also delves into how to match wine and food pairings, and generally how to feel more confident about your selections in the wine aisle.

Each explanation is easy to grasp and interspersed with helpful graphics or charts. She even includes some cheat sheets you can copy and take with you to the store or wine tasting.

I admit that I am not particularly interested in pursuing wine tastings, but I did want a better grasp on the world of wine. I had a bit of trouble getting through the chapter that discussed old world wine countries and their specialties, largely because I had little confidence in my ability to remember that much information. I did, however, definitely pick up some knowledge. The intricacies of the wine world may still be lost on me, but I have an idea of what the legs in a wine glass actually indicate and how to better interpret a wine label.

Overall, I think this is an excellent resource to make wine less frightening and overwhelming. As a side note, eBook may not be the best format to absorb this knowledge. Wine for Normal People would probably be more useful as a physical copy that could be quickly flipped through and referred back to later.

A version of this review will be posted on the calcasieu library blog at https://bayoubookbytes.blogspot.com/

DNF

I'm sorry and this is entirely a "me" problem. I love wine but as it turns out, I really don't care much about how wine works. And I thought a book like this would be perfect but something about the author's writings style rubs me wrong.

And again, I'm certain other readers are going to love this. Especially older audiences, I can see a book club skimming through this and loving it.

So yes, I wish I could have finished this and I'll never be a proper food snob but I'm sure that others are going to enjoy this more!

A. interesting book for wine lovers with a lot of information. The writing style is very accessible, making this an useful reference book. Highly recommend it!

Oh, I really liked the voice of the author in this book - she neither talks down to you, nor expects you to know everything off-the-bat. Sometimes guides can come off as a bit patronizing, but I felt she did a great job avoiding that. Rather than, "You didn't already know this!?" or, "You may not know, wine is made from grapes...," it felt like a friend trying to meet you where you are, and teach you what they know in a kind and fun way. (Fun, as in, the occasional subtle sexual innuendo and jokes are mixed in!)

I read Cork Dork last year, and I've got to say, I kind of wish I had read this book first (you know, had it been published...). It's a great primer on all things wine - just jam-packed full of information. It's like an accessible textbook in a lot of ways. This is one to keep on your coffee table, and flip through every now and then, learning different things in short little spurts (but maybe not one to try to read every word of in one sitting).

Would recommend! And I haven't listened to the Wine for Normal People podcast, but now I want to start!

WOW, that was informative! I thought this was going to be a little cute book with some facts here and there, but there was a lot of information in here with a very aesthetically pleasing layout!

The perfect "wine for dummies" that isn't actually Wine for Dummies. I really enjoyed skimming through this, and feel it would be a great thing to own and have on hand as a reference. Wine discussions can be overwhelming and scary, and this book takes the time to explain everything to the point that you feel comfortable.