Welcome to Wine

For someone who loves a glass of wine every weekend, I sure didn't know enough about this beverage. And this is an understatement; I didn't know nearly anything about it. The peak of my knowledge was the fact that while wine might be healthier for the heart than other alcohols, it's still alcohol, so it's not that great for ya - ha!

Okay, needless to say, I needed someone to pass me a book like "Welcome to Wine," a gorgeous, illustrated guide to the very basics (and not just basics) of wine drinking and serving. In terms of knowledge I took away from it, it's simply wonderful. My favorite subjects included wine glasses, how to pair wine with food, and what the different flavors in wine are. I basically went from a noob to someone who can actually serve good wine properly.

Most importantly, the illustrations are truly beautiful. Because of this, I wouldn't only buy this publication for myself, but also gladly give it away as a tasteful present. I know I will be returning to it for a refresher, and perhaps also give it to my company to flip through as I host a tasting session at home.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is supper helpful, I think I now know enough to win at a wine and cheese party. The sketches are fun and add character to the information.

This book was a very cool introduction to learning about wine. There was lots of great information about glass types and pairings and what blends well together. This is great information to have for nights when you're trying to be a bit classier and not just drink a bottle of wine in whatever cups around with ice cubes in it.
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Great introduction to wine for beginners.

At times, it still felt a little overly technical, but for the most part, the author did a great job of keeping it fairly simple to follow. There's also a great guide to wine/cheese pairings as well as wine/food pairings within the book for those who care more about how wine tastes and enhances food rather than how it's made.

The illustration were nice, and I really wish there had been more.

I hope the author will one day make a sequel/follow up to this book. She does such a great job of breaking it down, I would love to have her break down the wine industry that has popped up in the southeastern US over the last couple of decades, where there is a lot of brewing done with muscadine and scuppernong grapes.

Overall, it's a great book, one that would be perfect for anyone just starting to learn about wine, or even those who just want to learn more background than the average wine enthusiast.

Being a novice wine drinker I knew only a little about wine before reading this book. I knew the usual couple of things, but this book opened my eyes. It is a great introduction to the different types of wines, tastes, smells and what to look for in a great bottle. Information was also given on how to store wine, good pairings and even glass and bottle types. When finished I felt more knowledgeable and not as intimidated.

Another thing that drew me in was the gorgeous illustrations. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to buying a couple to give as gifts this holiday season with a great bottle of wine…now that I know how to pick one properly.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and The Experiment Publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

As someone that enjoys a glass of wine a couple of times a week, I was interested in learning more about the beverage. The information was simple and straightforward without overloading the reader. It was just the right amount of information about the different white, red, and rosé wines. The book discussed the variety of areas in which wine is produced and the things that most influenced the grapes and the taste of the wine. It discussed how to tell a good wine from a bad one, or a spoiled one.

The author’s cartoon-like illustrations added to the charm and readability of this book. The onlyparts of the book that did not specifically interest me were the ones on how wine is made and how to make my own wine. I am much more interested in drinking my wine than making it.

I enjoyed reading and learning about wine. After reading this book I may be able to enjoy my wine a little more.

This is an excellent book for wine novices as well as anyone who is intimidated by "professional wine speak." The author draws from her experience growing up in a winemaking family, and the clever illustrations compliment her accessible text. I found particularly useful the author's tasting model of "The Aroma Cross," which illustrates the interrelationship among sweetness, fruitiness, acidity, and tannins. The descriptions of various grapes and styles of wine is playful, using pop culture celebrities as lenses to help set the drinker's expectations when approaching a particular bottle of wine. The book ends with an interesting discussion of the winemaking process, including organic and biodynamic production methods. This is a friendly and approachable introductory book , best enjoyed with a glass of wine - perhaps in a style one hasn't tried before!

A great and fun book about wine for beginners! I love wine and I have my favorites but to be honest I don't know much about wine. This book explains everything from what kind of glass you should use, how to hold the glass, wine region, aroma, flavors, food pairings and a lot more. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Welcome to Wine by Madelyne Meyer is a short but comprehensive overview of wine. Although the author grew up around wine, she easily relates to novice wine lovers. The book is separated into four different sections: The Basics, Tasting, Wine Growing, and Winemaking. My favorite section was The Basics because it provided very practical information that I can use on regular basis. I really appreciate that the author thought of all the basics from handling bottles and glasses to removing wine stains. I found the other chapters to be very informational in an approachable way. I felt the author made it a point to make the material as relatable as possible. She was able to pack in lots of information without it feeling overwhelming to the reader. Personally, the only thing I wanted more of in the book was more information on how to become a better wine taster. The author did a great job of breaking down the all the elements of tasting wines. I wish there was more information on how to apply the elements when tasting but I understand that this is just an introductory book. The author is also the illustrator and the book is filled beautiful illustrations. Overall, Welcome to Wine is an easy and fun read that will expand on your knowledge of wine. I think this book would be a wonderful gift for someone who wants to learn more about wine.

Welcome to Wine is one of those books that is going onto my list of Swiss Army recommendations and gifts. Wine, of the many aspects of food and drink out there, tends to come across as the most intimidating and frustratingly unassailable. There is the fear walking into a store and looking at the wall of wines, just not knowing what to actually get. Then the awkwardness of being in a conversation talking about the wine, and just hoping you don’t come across as stupid. This is what makes Welcome to Wine such a wonderful book. Now, are you going to be the foremost knowledge on wine after you read this? No. Will you feel more confident and sure in the previously mentioned situations? Absolutely.

First, at no time does it feel like Madelyne is talking down to, or condescending to, her readers. She has an obvious and infectious love of the drink and wants others to love it as well. It’s clear from the start that she is brimming with knowledge, but she works to make sure the reader doesn’t feel overwhelmed or drowning in all there is she could tell us. It is great for wetting the appetite and making you want to start to look past the edges of what is here. Second, the illustrations and drawings peppered throughout are absolutely wonderful and make the reading even more delightful. I definitely get a “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” vibe from it in the best way imaginable. They add a lot to the reading experience and make connecting with the content that much easier.

If you are already deep into your personal wine journey, this may not be the book for you, but if wine is something you want to get into, or you are a wine lover who wants to help an acquaintance take those first steps in, this is an absolutely wonderful book to start at. Get it for yourself, or as that nice little gift, maybe with a bottle of your personal favorite to really get them started.

Anyone who has ever been interested in wine and needs illustrations, this book is for you. The author tackles everything from wine production, wine regions, wine grapes, pairings, gifting wine, etc to what a wine with "legs" means. The illustrations are perfect. The material is concise without being stingy. This would be a great present for a young adult who is just starting to drink wine, or someone just getting into wine who may be interested in the process. A very interesting read.

This book is what I needed in my life right about now, especially now that the holidays are around the corner. I am a huge lover of wine, but when it comes to pairing, and how to gift them and how to serve them as well? And how much is appropriate to consume? I didn’t know that at all. I just loved my glass of Chardonnay to the FACE and called it a day. But there is more to it than what I think it is. And I Can’t wait to get a real copy to put in my bookshelf, this is something I will be needed for years to come. Thanks NetGalley and the publishers at The Experiment for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A fun, richly illustrated introduction to wine. I found it to be easily readable, and very unpretentious. I enjoyed reading this book, and picked up some new information to use. I would recommend this book to anyone starting to explore the world of wine. Or to anyone who just wants have a better understanding of wine.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for this free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Wine, written and illustrated by Madelyne Meyer is a lovely crash course in everything wine. From tastings to pairings, to the making of wine and wine regions, this book has a little of everything for both the wine novice and connoisseur (and everyone in between).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually have some background in wine--I spent a year taking classes and spending time in vineyards to learn about all of the "behind the scenes" work that goes into the beverage I take so much delight in drinking. Reading Meyer's book brought back those memories and made me want to pull out my old textbooks! She writes with obvious knowledge of her field and goes into each subject with care--giving just enough information to give the reader a good foundation, but not so much that it is overwhelming. Plus, I loved her sense of humor and her sweet illustrations!

I definitely recommend this to anyone who is or knows a lover of wine and who might want to learn more about it! :)

Loved the artwork and the layout of the book. Would make a fabulous gift. Flowed really well and I thought it was easy to read/understand. So well done!!